The Portland daily press., 1871-12-07
THE PR E0o'
ruIIRspAY MORNING, DEC. 2, 1871.
Faxes Reduced.

hr the government state and national. If
there was not an increasing disposition on
the part of private corporations to levy taxes
for their own benefit, and tendency in the
people to submit to them, the burden OF tax
alton would soon be felt no more severely
than before the war; The policy OF State AID
to railroads has just plunged several OF the
Southern States into bankruptcy, but this is an
exceptional and accidental circumstance, not
impairing the force of the encouraging fact
The Presidents message and the report of
the Secretary of the Treasury indicate that
those who have hitherto been most averse to
reduction of the revenue, fearing its bad eff
feet on the national credit, have modified
their opinions in view of the success of past
experiments in that direction. 1t may now
be confidently expected that the national
taxes will be speedily reduced in three ways.
First, by the removal of the debris OF the
excise duties which will carry away with it a
crowd of expensive and now unnecessary Of
ficials. The impost on spirits and tobacco
will alone remain to remind the people Of a
most onerous system of taxation to which the
war compelled them to submit. This spirit
and tobacco tax is very productive, and ought
not to require the services of many officers to
collect it, As for the stamps, if they are still
to ''stick', they can be furnished through the
post-office department.
Second, by the repeal of tariff duties. How
much this reduction will amount to no one
can now tell. But it is certain that some of
the more oppressive and inexcusable customs
duties must be repealed, or such popular
clamor will arise as even Congress cannot af-
ford to ignore. The constitution of the new
Ways and Means Committee is such as to en-
courage the hope that ultra protectionist no.
tions will no longer control its deliberations,
and that the repeal of customs duties will not
stop with salt and coal. The Senate, howev-
er, must be heard in this matter, and the
Senate is not red hot in the direction of reve-
nue. reform.
Third, by the completion of the work of
funding the debt of the United States. This
work is already well begun. If Mr.. Bout
wells wel-matured plan for continuing it can
be carried out the people viii be required to
pay at least twenty millions less interest an
nually on the national debt than at present
This sum is worth saving, and the Secretary
believes that it is not extravagant to hope for
its attainment.
There is great encouragement in these facts,
but all that is pleasant about them is liable
at any time to be neutralized by lack of pru
dence or principle on the part of our rulers.
Tha @,x, Al
al course of events, go steadily on till the
modest ante bellum figures are reached. But
how easily this reduction may be stopped.
How little trouble it would be to engage in
hostilties with Spain, Great Britain or some
other foreign power. The frontier settlers
are perpetually striving to undo the work of
the Indian Peace Commissioners. The poll
cy OF the Democratic party is such as to con-
tinue and aggravate the existing disorders in
the South. A single serious error mightsud-
denly and hopelessly obscure the bright pros
pect now opening before us. The honest
vigilance of the people should secure the
country against its commission.
WHAT THE MAINE PAPERS SAY.-The
IIhS Wofth hHtcTtCu WCll bldt IL VIC Ccll
legislate as to what the citizens shall eat or
drink, we can also regulate so far by law the
schooling of the children up to a certain age,
as to compel the parent to send them to some
school for certain length of time"
The Waterville Mail thinks Speaker Blaine
would make good Vice President.
The Arson Advocate sorrowfully admits
that the Legislature will move ''the seat of
government of Somerset county from Nor
ridgeweele to Sl<ewhags,f.- 4f-ete fsIit------
Exhibitions of courage are always. interest
ing. Speaking of the subject of State aid to
railroads, the Machias Republican says: eve
are not frightened about monopolies or any
such bugbears, we want road to Bangor, or
Castine, and we mean to have it, and to have
State aid if we can. If we cannot, we must
have other aid"
The Belfast Age denies that it opposes the
denomination of Grant Our statement that
every Republican paper in Maine favors the
denomination is therefore confirmed.
The Calais Times takes strong ground
against free trade.
The Bangor Wing wants the industrial
school for girls located in that city, while the
Lewiston Journal thinks Lewiston is the
place for it.
EXTRAORDINARY PRECAUTIoN-that of one
flour Maine Senator'S S, who thinks it necessary
to write the usual admonitory s'Confdentiap'
or "Private" on notes to his friends, it being
matter of common knowledge everywhere
in Maine that the rune of Scandinavia or the
cuneiform characters on the ruins of Nineveh
would be much more easily read by persons
unacquainted with them than the Senator's
hieroglyphics by the uninitiated Somebody
said that the word '',uouId," written by Rufus
Choate, looked 'like a gridiron struck by
lightning but as written by the Senator it
it looks as if it had been struck by Horace
Greeley!
r..s.- Political Notes.