Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1865-12-07
ADDITIONAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS,
The Comptroller of the Currency.
The Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
The Commissioner Of Pensions,

In addition to the annual reports to Congress by
the Secretary of War. Secretary of the Navv Post
master General and Secretary of the Treasury, pnb
lished in supplement to the Daily Commercial yes
terday, we present this morning the following ab
stracts from the report of the Comptroller of th
Currency. Commissioner of Internal Revenue &c
Report of the Comptroller of the CURRENCY
The report Of the Hon. freeman Clark Comptrol
ler OF the currency, presents compact statement
the years work. It is accompanied by about ii
pages OF sta lSticS relating mainly to the condition
the National Banks. Since the last annual report
ZSS new banks have been organized, and 73l State
banks converted into National. Whole number O
new and 922 conversions from State institutions.
Two banks have failed The result of the conversion
has been rather to diminish than to increase the cir
were Sl71 32l 903 State banks SIS S67 575 legal ten
der and fractional currency, S7tI58i65s inciudine %
bank notes not issued the whole amount of the nom
nal circulation at that date was 81 233 from
Which the comptroller makes large deductions in or
der to arrive at the actual circulation. National
bank notes not delivered to banks are S109 9l5
legal tender held by banks. Sl93. 365 compound
interest notes. mostly held as Investments $2l 3l4
l95 currency u United States Treasury S56 40
$460,S4i,28
He recommends that the National Banking law be
so amended that the Banks shall be required to re-
deem their notes at par at the three great business
centres New York Boston and Philadelphia.
lie also urges the reduction of the government is
sues OF paper, and proposes to commence it by the
conversion of all the interest-bearing legal tender
notes INTO hye-twenty six per cent bonds. This he
argues, can De done without affecting the money
market, lnasmuch there is more than five per
cent OF that issue now in active circulation. The
great bulk being held as an Investment 1t would be
simply exchanging one class from another. While
he tavors this reduction in the government issues he
also recommends an increase Of the amount of the
national bank notes to four hundred millions In
etiecting this he would require a reduction of the
regular legal tender notes to an amount more than
equivalent to the increase in bank currency The
policy of the financial officers of the government evil
IDENTIFY is to leave the question of supplying paper
currency to the banks exclusively at early period
as possible.
The emergency which required an irredeemable
paper currency no longer existing, resumption of
specie payments should at the earliest possible
moment. As one step toward it, the tariff should be
adjusted to discourage inordinate importations
increasing the tariff as gold and foreign exchange re-
cede in price. Internal taxation at the same time
should be simplited. In addition $4,000 00O from
the tariff the Comptroers estimates are Sl00 900 900
on whisky malt liquors, and domestic wines: SIS 900
600 tobacco; Sl25 100000 on cstton Sl500O 0O for
stamps; $40 900 from licenses Sl000000O from pre-
m5ums on surplus OF gold in the aggregate S40 &C.,
900, sum probably Sl00 000 in excess of expen-
ses the whole part of which could go to the yearly
reduction of the debt. By restricting the internal
revenue tax few articles the cost of its collection
would be greatly diminished and Dissatisfaction with
the law be ahated The Comptroller protests warm
" agans: all schemes OF State taxation of national
securities as violation OF publct ah and proposes
the transfer of the bureau to which he administers
from Washington to New York, as demanded by
economy and convenience.
AsSRVAt We the SuhntSSitnHr OIL internal
Revenue.
The report of the Hon. joseph J. Lewis Commits
sioner of Internal Revenue is an interesting and i'm
portant document. It speaks in favorable terms of
the patience OF the people under the burdens of tax
aon and shows from statistics that the aggregate G.
cepts for the past fiscal have been largely in
cess OF those of previous years.
Inc following statement exhibits the amount of re-
celpts from internal revenue for the past three years
Receipts for 1863 ten months( Sal 0Q3 1872 1864 Sll6
S2O6l2 1868. S2ll ,l29,52S. The Commissioner says
nt saIlzn
nal revenue will amount to two and three uarter
per cent of the receipts The actual annual cost for
the correction OF the customs amounts to three and
one-half per cent of the receipts, which is much be-
low the cost OF collecting the customs in Great Brit
ain.
Among the articles from which the internal revenue
OF the United States is derived it may be interesting
to enumerate the following-Ba Dividends So 9S7-
w Rallroad dividends and interest bonds, 49,
Zo44 insurance companies, 81 12b 100; salaries of
persons employed by the government: 81 reve-
nue. stamps, 9ll,l623l2-beng more than double that
OF the previous year, licenses, y 595 69l incomes $50
567.3iO, or about six millions more than in 64 Of
the amount collected from incomes in 1868 S27g 333
were df e per cent upon incomes above
incomes OF less than ten thousand dollars, and g 63
upon incomes from United states securities.
OF that collected in 1864 S69l3 S34 were returned at
i've per cent I,93OO1O at three per cent and 75
at one and one-haf per cent Of that collected in
1865 S5Ol,9 returned at ten per cent 80 7lS
at five per cent. S9697 246 at three per cent, and
Si3S4 at one and one-half per cent. The receipts
from iron and steel in the various forms specifically
named, were SS.2lS.Ii3 or nearly six millions more
coal oil S30i7 2I2 being an increase of about $500 G
1864; cigars. 3d. tobacco So 06 l9; fer
mented liquors, 1861 9l; distilled spirits, SIS 995 $685.
or nearly thirteen millions less than the previ Gus
year.
considerable portion of the report is devoted to
explaining why the receipts from distilled spirits,
with tax Of two dollars per gallon, are % much less
tian they were when the tax was but 81 ty cents per
gallon The receipts for the current fiscal year are
estimated 70 reach S272OOO990 or about sixty mil
ions more than last year. The Commissioner sug-
gests several amendments in relation stamp duties
the duties Of the Tax Commissioners and other
changes in the law whereby doubtful points can be
definitely settled.
Report Of the Commissioner of Pensions.
The report of the Hon. Joseph H. Barrett, Com
missioner of Pensions transmitted to Congress by
the Secretary of the Interior shows that the number
of Army invalid pensions allowed on original appli-
cations during the year ending June 30th 1865 was
1862 at aggregate annual rate of 81, 00,S12 90-
The average individual rate of these pensions was
S80.35. The number Of Army invalid pensions in
a>ed during the same period, was 1885, and the an
ngal amount OF increase SlsS'S E.. Ihe whole number
during the year. was 1885, at an annual aggregate of
The whole number of claims of widows, mothers.
minor children and orphan sisters of deceased Off
GERS and soldiers of the army Except Revolutionary
allowed during the year, on original applications,
S2i693, at aggregate annual rate of - 095
and an average individual rate of SlU0.66 The num-
Der of pensions Of this class increased during the
period fourteen, at an aggregate yearly rate of
SS4. giving total OF 2i,1OI and grand annual ag
gregate of S2,574,179.
The whole number OF widows OF Revolutionary
soldiers who were allowed pensions original ap-
plications, during the year, was five, at yearly
amount of S293.16
The amount paid to army invalid pensioners
during the year ending June 80 1865 was IS;
to widows Except Revolutionary mothers and
orphans, S59, 36; and to Revolutionary soldiers
and their widows, including expenses chargeabe to
the appropriation for this purpose, S2090S06S The
grand total of these payments for the year was
The total number of army invalid pensioners at
the close of the last fiscal year 354 calling for
annual amount, in the aggregate, of S2635 49,
The average individual rate payable to these PEN
sioners was $500.
The total number of widows, Except Revolution
ary,) mothers and orphans. whose names on the
s72 at an aggregate annual rate of and an
average Individual rate of $lO6,1 u per annum.
Of Revolutionary soldiers and widows there were
Of whose pensions was S9o.7147l. The widows OF
Revolutionary soldiers Oils in number) are pen
stoned under four different acts, the first of which,
approved July A. 1896, allowed pensions only to
those whose marriage with the deceased soldiers took
place before the close of the military service Of the
class there only four survivors, who paid
on the 4th of March last:
during the last fiscal year $40 81. The total
amount paid to the widows dependents of Navy
officers seamen during the same period $780,
2290l The aggregate amount of Navy pensions thus
paid was $205 4S062.
There were on the Navy pension rolls at the close
of the fiscal year the of $50 invads the yearly
amount of whose pensions was SOL s54 92 and of Oi
widows. mothers orphans, at an aggregate annus
rate of Sl6S,SlS. The total number of Navy pension
ers at that date was 1856 calling for an annual pay
| ment in the aggregate Of S23o.6l292
The pension agencies for the several States of Ar
kansas, Alabama, Florida. Georgia. Louisiana, Mis-
sisspp North Carolina. South Carolina, Tennessee
Texas and Virginia. were, of course. suspended
the outbreak of the rebellion Since the close of the
war gradual restoration of the administration o
the pension system in those States in accordance
with order ofthe President fthe United States ha
/ tho tnc hos
taken up arms against the Government Of the United
States "or in any manner encouraged the rebels, OIL
manifested sympathy with their cause, was effectu
ally prohibited Most of the appropriations for pen
sons, within the last four years, have been coupled
with the proviso that no portion of the money thus
| The names of all pensioners, who were such priol
to the rebellion have been stricken from the rolls
the above named States. and regulations have beer
adopted in accordance with which those heretofore
enrolled in those States and able to prove their con
tnued loyalty. in act and sympathy throughout the
| war may have their pensions restored.
The whole number of land warrants issued durint
the year ending September 80 1865, was l6l, grant
in lSi.56O acres ofpublc land Of this number. five