The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-06-08
CURRENT NOTES.

Il CHEAP CUP OF TEA.
There is a pleasant prospect OF once more
having some of the universal articles OF daily
consumption relieved of their present onerous;
duties. Mr.. Schenck has brought in tariff
amendment to the Tax bill, which fixes the
duty on tea at twenty cents per pound; conee
ofall kinds at four cents; raw and muscoVado
supar at two cents; clarified sugar at two and
three-quarter cents; refined sugar, stove dried,
In loaf, lump, crushed, powdered or granula-
ted, four cents per pound. Thisis progress In
the right direction. 1t will be observed that
the duties on these articles are reduced about
one-half; and if tpe Tax bill. with this amend
ment, is passed, the effect will be manifest IN
all households. Having begun this kind OF re-
form, let us hope Congress will keep on.
THE MULTIPLICATION OF GREAT MEN
What a puzzle tc the future compilers OF
biographical encyclop sdias will be the mania
ofthe period for biography printing; and with
what wonderful rapidity the weeklies manage
10 manufacture celebrities nowadays.
glance at the weekly press affords some seven
or rsIeht week, which amounts to the manu-
hcture of four hundred OF more per year. The
sstem was begun in 1853 or thereabouts, and
hss proved a money making business Make up
TIE statistics at the present rate for seventeen
wears, and it would be- found that not less than
ssyen thousand celebrities have been manu-
hctured at an average cost to the subject OF
500 apiece, which is the usual fee for wood
cuts and biography. Seven hundred thousand
dollars represent the sum that these poor
dupes have dlsbursed for regulations, accom-
panied with wood-cuts so villanous that their
own mothers would not know them from their
pictures. But the most difficult part of it is in
this multiplicity of blographies-this epidemic
ofthe biographical mania-to find out who is
really celebrated and who Is not.
CHANGES IN THE INCOME TAX.
The following seems to be the net result of
the recent proceedings in Congress, In the
matter of the income tax. The rate was re-
duced from five per cent to three per cent;
the amount Of income exempt from tax was
increased from $1,000 to $4,000, and the allow
ance for house-rent was limited to $500. These
changes win operate about as follows: the In
crease of the exemption to $1,000 will relieve
SDOuL Ouc uuuul ouN eAAVusAN S~''S-
ried men, and other people Of limited means,
from the payment of the tax, who now pay be-
tween nine and ten millions; the reduction OF
the rate to three per cent. will take off about
$s,l 900 more from the remaining hundred
and sixteen thousand taxpayers, who will still
remain r I'M subject to the tax As the law now
stands, the income tax Of last year was levied
upon two hundred and seventy-fve thousand
persons, who paid s25,025,o ,oss, IT the foregO-
ing amendments shall be finally adopted by
the House and the Senate, they will reduce the
amount raised from this source about 81, ,oo0,-
600, and leave about 100000 to be collected.
AS, the House has thus advanced two-thirds Oh
the distance on the right road, why not 30 the
whole distance and abolish the odlous tax al
togethers