Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1867-02-27

anu ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF tnc HdtlOll, Is III GA
ample so excessively bad that TO cite 1T would
not be refreshing even to those whose condi
ton was much less forlorn. Prussia is in a
far sounder position and comes out of a sue
cessful war with no increase of taxation, but
when Prussia wages battle her soldiers are
paid sixpence day, forage upon the enc
my, and an indemnity is demanded of the
vanquished. England is a fairer example.
She increased her national debt by the Cri-
mean war $3.50, 900 900, and her annual eX-
penditure has since been larger by about one
hundred million dollars per year, and instead
of being diminished since the close of the
war is nearly twenty million dollars
more than it was in 1858, at the close of the
war. Besides the annual charge of $780,
OO0, 900 Great Britain raises S40, 900 900 in
a single item for poor rates.
Though we were forced to create a large |
national debt vet since the close of the war
we have steadily and largely reduced the
sum of our expenses from the point at which |
they stood at the close of the rebellion. Our
expenditures We're in 1865, 81 ,290. 81 ,9S2
in 1866, $500. 80 .939; and in 1867, (estl- |
mated) S2S4, 1897 900. This shows well
the elasticity of our Government in rising to
the height of the emergency as facility In
returning from the track of war to the mex
pensve and more genial paths of peace The
people have already beaten their swords into
plough-shares The colossal expenditures
of wears of war have not become altogether
chronic, and are not transmitted to succeeding
wears. Yet | must insist that much further
retrenchment is practicable and should be
vigorously pursued Our expenses for next
wear are estimated at nearly seventy-hve mil
| lions more shan the present year. The cost
| of government has been only increased in
exceptional departments, and elsewhere it
should not he permitted to 90 beyond it's ac-
customcd limits. Large expenditures mean
large taxation, and diminished expenditures
mean diminished taxation.
The important question in relation to the
rate of the tax ON distilled spirits, now
heretofore, presents all its usual points of
embarrassment. As an original question,
it was my opinion, in view of the insupera-
/ BILE difficulties in the way of enforcing the
! law, that a less rate than two dollars per
gallon was advisable, and if whskey frauds
| should continue t. be successfully pcrpetrat-
ed it is not impossible that q lower rate may
be at some future time accepted but now
\ the Committee of Ways and Means reached
the conclusion To recommend an adherence
to the present rate, and have proposed some
very stringent provisions belleved TO be nee
essary if we expect any considerable reve-
= nue., and without which we may as well re-
. tire vanquished from the attempt to enforce
, this part of the internal revenue law. As a
, beverage ii NAV he estimated that the con-
: sumption of the Unted States is about one
and a quarter to one and a half gallons per
capifd or n total of about forty-tve TO fifty
, million gallons. I'm 1900 produced nearly '
! ninety million gallons. of which 1t was cstl-
t mated that sevcnty-ive million gallons were
- consumed n a beverage. The large increase
nf cost has unqucStionablv somewhat reduced
r the amount consumed. and if it were wholly
y t. extinguish it there would be few regrets
: and we might patiently bear the loss of al
: revenue from this source but IN commu
Y nitv tulcrablv prosperous an increase OF dut,
= has been found not to diminish consumption
| 80 much 10 Increase smuggling and lllcl
: distillation. Father Matthew hy his temper
= ancc lahlrS from 1888 to lS4l reduced TIN
\ consumption of spirits in Ireland nearly nv
: million gallons. when tie duty wa> -. III
per gallon but raising the duty in IN6t
: from even eight shiilingS II ten ehllings pc
: Gallon did not reducc the number OF gallon
=. charged only about one million gallons. al
J., though the resources OF the Irish population
n were notoriouslV of the most meager sort
, In ,pitc of all We can DO it would appear I
Y be mainly revenue question. anda such l
'c does not appear t. lac advisable to put dow
m the rate of tax - low as To leave no tempta
r tion t. smuggling and Illicit manufacture
# a. the lpeieal result would hc 10 wholly ahan
/ don the tax We have very boldly attempt
,f cd t. obtain the largest sum OF revenue pos
n sihlc from the dstillation of spirits. and guiC
\ ed bv this principle 1t Is but fair t. give tn
Of highest rate of duty an ample and eHcctua
- trial. at least. before rcceding from 1t. 1t
IN true that the consumer has had To pay a
or most the entire amount OF the increased coz
of added bv the tax, but hitherto other partle
,e than the Government have collected an
m uocketcd much the largest share of the tal
re If the government have got -" .ooo,o II
III whiskcv princes have got 500. .oU0 200. II
n. struggle now is t. protect honest men.
IL any can Ice found, who may engage in II
n business. and to punish with pitiless in
partialitv ali of any other sort
81 Among other measures il L. proposed
v raise the special tax from >l00 To- $50
il. While it is known that many small sized dl
he tillerics are at work, concealed in ssarret
a cellars. and remote places. it il also know
fit that dirtilcries which duly authorize
re. practice little integrity beyond paying tl
or special license. hut find an outlet for Il
of largest quantities of the contraband articl
We If the number of distilleries can be dimi
of ished we shall undoubtedly diminish t
sources OF fraud and an increase of the II
" cial tax Is step in the right direction.
X We raised last year from distilled spirit
as 500. lSS. .57S 10 If we had collected ON I
| full amount consumed it would have he
at perhaps 800 900 900 or over.
The tax on sugar made from the sugar-ca
-bo il il uroposed 10 reduce u one uniform ra
tn of one cent per pound All other sugars /
ifc ING exempt it may. without eXamnatlo
on seem that this is sectional and unfair. h
the when examine into the facts and ind ii
AN we import OF competing sugars about III
sut hundred million pounds. from which we {
I'VE rive more than twenty-five million dollars
,. revenue. and thus protect Louisiana sug;
re- hy a duty of three and four times the amou
Mt Of tax the charge of ecctionalism and inn
at tice ut once vanishe>. True. We might
nav more. hut it would hc unjust that louisa
the and Texas should do less. BY the unfair
for fulness of Louisiana and other States we W.
5 is involved in expensive war t" put do
cs- the rebellion. and now our own loyal pcol
no submit to an unusual tax of never less ii
For three cents per pound on all the sugar Il
tax cousunc while the people of Louisiana
not Texas. though subjected to "a tax of one e
av- per pound ON the sugar they produce.
en- ccivc as compensation addition of not
the than three cents To the price of all they
ex- by virtue of the facts already recited.
all SUGAR business of the South l. surpassin
ual profitable and immensely more profita
in than il would have been had we not b
east compelled to adopt the high tariff on sugf
lin- The prices which must prevail will stimuli
not production largely. Southern -pla
the ers have no cause of complaint and CO
nbi- much better afford to pay the internal ta>
-ove one cent to see the tariff reduced to one c
ore, per pound.
,ent Nor have we proposed t. change the
. fe- on cotton This is about the only consiC
try: able tax we collect in the South. and
ex- not one-half of this is actually collect
tals We collected last year from all sources
ion the ten States which reballed $50 .599 ,749.
Jus but from New England, New York. Penn
mot wanna and New Jersey. nine states only,
y. .p.a I