The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-11-16
DAILY PRESS.
Saturday Il rning Eoyslabsr i6, 1867.
PORTLAND.

IT ISL at
n Proposit;on fron naaufaesurers.
i The "Dawdling Congress" as its enemies
delight to call 1t, has proceeded in its finan-
cial legislation at least, according to the best
light il could obtain. In the matter OF inter
nal taxation it was obliged, at first, to resort
to experimental methods and provisional reg
ulations since the country had never, until
the war began, required the full exercise Of
the power 10 levy such taxes. 1t it had
suddenly become necessary ior Congress TO
frame code of ecclesiastical laws the emer-
| gency would not have found it much more
unprepared to legislate intelligently and wise
! ly. But from the frst, the people have had
ample security from the danger OF a perma-
| nently Vicious system Of taxation in the good
| faith of their representatives. Had they act
ed merely with the narrow views of politi-
Clans, those representatives would not have
dared to act otherwise than honestly in a
matter Of such vital Importance that any
| deliberate mismanagement would doom
them surely and speedily to a last
| ing retirement from public lie. 1t
is rather the people than Congress
that have dawded, ii Mr.. Wendell
Phillips will have it so, in searching out the
| true paths OF financial safety. Political con
ventons have often passed resolutions on the
subject, but they have virtually amounted to
| no more than resolutions that we ought to
have light tayatlon and a full treasury. Tn
| persons representing the different interests
| that are most sensibly affected by national
taxation should have been active In obtaining
exact and clearly arranged information 10 be
laid before Congress, leaving that body mere
| ly the labor of harmonizing and adjusting the
conflicting claims OF the parties laoss ei
| Confning our, attention strictly to the sub
eet of internal taxation, it is matter OF his
tory that whatever reforms are proposed for
rendering such taxation endurable, have been
suggested either by the Treasury Department
and its agents, or by Congress. The one im-
| pdrtant conclusion now reached is that the
| present rude outline of a financial system EN-
| bodied in the internal revenue laws, is chiefly
faulty in taxing too many articles, and in re-
duplicating the impost upon single article
| by making it taxable at the various stages Of
| its progress from raw material to the condi-
tion in which it finally reaches the consumer
| Attention was called to this fact by
both Secretary McCulloch and Commission
er Rollins in their last annual reports
Hon. David A. Wells, the special Internal
Revenue Commissioner whose appointment
was perhaps the most important financial
measure of the Both Congress, has been most
earnest in urging upon the attention OF the
government and of the people the same truth
The vague but importunato demands OF the
people have shown that the shoe punched
somewhere, but the idea of a practicable rsn-
edy has not come from them. The study of
the corresponding systems OF England and
France, where national exigencies have for
years made internal taxation imperative, has
done more than anything else toward throw
ing light upon the subject, and there is 10
doubt that Congress at its next session will
substitute those systems for our own, adapt
ing them to the requirements of our partic-
uar case
The, first earnest movement to cooperate
with the government in unwindng the tam
gied skein Of internal revenue regulations,
|
the Manufacturing Association OF Detroit,
| Michigan. The Association invites manu-
factureIs of all classes to assemble in nation
= - 1H-1zrelanl ohia ii,A 1e.I.
| of December, to plan for joint action for the
early repeal by Congress Of internal taxes on
manufactures and productions, except lux
uries." In the reported proceedings of the
meeting OF the Association that issued the
call tor the convention, we find the following
statement, which may be regarded as cla-
ration of the principles which Western man
utacturers would think it wise and just to in
corporate into the next tax bill as.F sf
The official estimated expenses Of the govern
ment for the fs' al year ending june 60, 1858,
. Sl62,5G9597
Interest on the public debt, 133,67s,2fs
/ Total, ING taa $3.50, ,247,s4O
4 Experience has demonstrated that the following
sources of revenue wifi be ample the current
expenses Of The government and pay tt interest
| the public debt viz:
Distilled spirits, iwhiskeyl $4,000, 900
| Eerme ned liquors, & 81 i5.f5fFfI q, ,0g9 ,000 ,
| Tobacco and cigars, f .ssfttas. 20,Q0 ,00e
Gross receipts ,steamboats railways, al ...'9J. 5
Banks, Insurance Bailways, etc., tdy- f. So = n
iden1s and depnsitsl 12,009,00O
Licenses. with 50 per cest. added to .ls.s ii W
Il last wears receipts, $4,000 900
/ Legacies and SUGGESTIONS, 1900 600
i Stamps. -y a14e' 20 600 900
| Brokers' sales of Foreign Bills, Cold, 1ii 4
| ETC., 3F ,lti ,f58'F'A 5000, 600
Miscellaneous, d 100000
I ttof fft.t -----------
| Total, *9o i8sy Siss 900 900
| Receipts from customs, q Z stRdle 1s0 900
Total, s.ess....f ssIsOoO, 900
| This exhibit shows that the revenue from The
sources named will furnish $50, 900 900 more than
| the total estimated expenses of he Government, in
| cuting the interest on the public debt. ,.i- i
| Congress viii not, probably, make SO radi- 1
cal a change as is here indicated. 1t would
not be sale to assume, for instance, that every
cent OF the tax on whiskey--that financial
| cornerstone OF the Repubc--can be collect
ed 50 as to bring up the receipts from that
| source $21,000,000 above those of last year.
| But the spirit of this plan will unquestionab,y
| be adopted By our legislators in the revenue
| bills which are hereafter proposed 94o
------------------
The Murder Board the ship Fearless.
A CIRCUMsTANTIAL ACCOUNT BY
CAPTAIN DREW.
1 TO the Editor Of the Press IS .
In q recent number of the Press, an ac-
count was given in brief terms and with
| few particulars, OF a murder committed last
| July, on board the clipper ship" fearless
| Capt. John II. Drew, of Hallowell, command
| er, off Cape Horn, during her present voyage
around the world. 1t was a shocking affair
| the deliberate murder OF the second officer
| OF the ship by the third mate, while asleep
| in his berth. The details of that bloody
scene have recently transpired, and shonld
= u v