The New York herald., 1868-06-03
The New Bill Relating to Internal. raxs~.

ternal taxes. This bill, as he said, is the long
est, perhaps, ever submitted to Congress in
the form of single act, and, therefore, can
only be noticed from time to time as its various
features come up. He did not so into de-
tailed statement of or discuss its numerous
| provisions, but dwelt chiefly upon the proposed
reorganization of the Internal Revenue Bureau
or Department and made statement of the con-
dition of the national finances. He proposes
to make this department independent OF the
Treasury Department. and the Commissioner
Independent of both the Secretary Of the
Treasury and the President in his action. 1t
is not proposed, however, to make the Commits
sioner Cabinet officer; but he alone is to be
responsible and accountable for the conduct
and management of affairs in the department
and is to appoint all his subordinates. Mr..
Schenck said there really was no
| responsible head now, or rather that
there was ''trple-headed monster"
upon which responsibility could not be
fastened. 'We have" he remarked, "the
President, Secretary of the Treasury and the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue to look to-
all and each, in fact-none of them acknow-
Lodging full responsibility" The consequence
is the taxes are not collected and the greatest
frauds are committed. This, consequently, is
the basis of Mr.. Schencks argument for MAX
ing the Commissioner independent of the
Secretary of the Treasury and the President,
though he qualities this argument by asserting
that if the House should refuse to confer this
~ l.. -
be conferred either on the Secretary or the
| President without the Intervention of any
other power.
No one can object to this principle of CEN
tring the responsibility in one head. But
why not in the constitutional head of the gov
ernment? Why not in the President, whose
solemn duty it is to see the laws executed? 1t
is because Congress has taken away the con-
stitutional prerogatives of the Executive that
the laws are not executed as they should be.
The very evils complained of have been caused
by the action of Congress in invading the legi-
innate functions of the President and render
ing him powerless to execute the laws
properly. This proposition to make one
of the most important departments en-
tirely independent of the Executive is
! most vicious in principle and revolutionary.
1t creates government within government
and makes the whole machinery complex and
more liable to corruption. The President of
the United States is certainly further removed
from corrupt Influences thaa a Commissioner
! on salary of a few thousand dcllsrs year.
IA or{, al, IT,, =.
! protecting the revenue and executing The laws
faithfully than such small official. Let us 90
back to constitutional principles and the former
! practice Of the government. We lived happily
for long period and up to these revolutionary
! times under the administration Of the laws by
the constitutional Executive, and why should
we not still {? Mr.. Schenck and Congress
should remember that they are legislating not
| merely for the short time Mr.. Johnson will be
in Office, against whom all these revolutionary
measures seem to be aimed, but for the future,
and, in fact, for all time, as far as the prestige
and influence OF their legislation go The
President is the proper dcpositary Of the
power over affairs relating to.the execution Of
the revenue laws, and not the Commissioner.
Mr.. Sohenck makes an interesting statement
with regard 10 the receipts and expenditures of
the government for the last two years which
was furnished no doubt by the Treasury De-
partment. Coin and currency receipts and cx-
penditures are jumbled together so that we
shall have to reduce all to currency to under
stand the statement properly. The total re-
ceipts for 1867, ending June 80 OF that year.
were, in currency, $3l4, 100, l36, and in coin,
| $l76,4l7,Sl0. Now, reckoning gold at forty
per cent premium the whole income of the
government in currency reached the enormous
sum Of $5Gl, ,09l, ,070. The expenditures for
the same period are set down in mixed currency
and coin at $346, 100, 100. But If we make the
difference between currency and specie on The
interest Of the debt paid The whole amount
would be sbout $i0i, 2ti 7GG-that is 10 say,
I. the income over expenditures for .hc Gscal year
1867 was 1856, $50, ,S07. This gas an enor-
nous surplus. How was Il sppGe!: W.
The debt liquidated that much?
The national receipts and expenditures for
the current fiscal year ending June 80, 1865,
actual and estimated, all reckoned in currency
as above, arc:-1eceipls, $47l, ,577, sos, and ex-
pendtures, S43s, ,9i5, 4l9. This would leave o
balance of $S2, ,932, 3s9.. Here is an immense
falling Off in the income and in the balance
oyer. 10 apply 10 the liquidation OF the deff
The expenditures of the year ending June 90
/ i8Cs, over that ending at the same time last
year are more than thirty-four millions. In
time Of peace we have increased the expendi-
tures over thirty-forr millions q year The
increase OF expenditure in the War Depart
uent alone is $l0,oi6,9ii. But. we have not
yet seen what The revenue viii fall OF from the
bills passed this last winter by Congress.