The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1871-08-03
Taxes aud Expenditures.

Republican platforms treat the question
of taxes, in which the people are begin.
ming to take much interest, III n very pc
culiar WAY: in one resolution, they APP
plaud their party for reducing taxation; in
another, they ask that the taxes on the
people be reduced. The credit they claim
Tor their party in one breath Is shown to
be undeseTyed by the complaint they make
in the next 1t is the Republican party
that imposed the heavy taxes IN the flrst
place and ii is that party which maintains
them to an unnecessary degree, IN spite Of
popular complaints against them.
The largest item OF OHr animal eXpeDdl-
lures to be provided for is TlO5,0OJ, 900 of
interest, which must be talthtully met.
But the treasury figures prove that 1t can
be met by the existing taxes on tobacco,
spirits, beer, stamps, gas, and banks and
bankers; these items yield an annual
revenue OF nearly Sl2O0UOG0O; this Would
meet the interest expenditure, and have
something over. These taxes do not par
ticularlv affect labor, nor depress industry ;
they fall on those interests and classes that
can afford most easily TO be taxed; SO that
all the special demands made on the coun-
try by the national debt, Of which Repub-
licans talk so much, and which they make
an t6Chct LII II tet~Nt-sA'-'i q N''
stantialv net by the SIX objects of spirits
tobacco beer, stamps, gas and banks, and
about fifteen millions per annum LETT over
to devote to the reduction of the national
debt. If we add to this the amount paid
last year for pensions and Indians, about
thirty one millions, we have GIl the annual
expenditures that the war ngCessltates !;
and with these provided for, the country
ought 10 be placed where it was before the
war, in the matter OF current expenses. In
1860 these current expenses were nifty
five millions; but if it be said that the
growth Of the country since then has in
creased the cost OF governing 1t, let the
current expenses be placed at one hundred
and ten millions, which is double what
they were ten years ago. We have, then,
as the amount of taxes that the govern
meut actually needs to collect from the
people per annum for interest one hun
dred and five millions for pensions and
Indian payments thirty-one millions; for
current expenses one hundred and ten
millions; total two hundred and torty-six
millions.
But the government actually collected
from the people in taxes, last year, the
sum of four hundred and eight millions
and expects to collect this year the sum oi
three hundred and fifty nine millions, and
for the year ending June 80, 1872, three
hundred and twenty millions. Some pay
ment ought To- bo made on the national
debt every year, 50 that it may be placeo
in a process Of extinguishment. Mr.
Boutwell, would make this annual pay
ment as large as 1t can be made, Wlthou'
regard to the effect on the people; but eX
Commissioner Wells, Who understands
the industrial habits and capacities OF the
e IL fgIrf y--gnll M.
lievus il Ought to be limited for the pres
cnt to 30 millions This added to The
estimated sun absalutely needed hy ths
government to pay interest, Indians. pen
sions, ana current expenses GAG millions
would give 216 millions as the whole sun
that ought to be taken annually from th'
people for all purposes, Last year the
government took from them l32 millions
more than this sum and, according to Mr.
Boutwell's estimate, it would take iron
them in 1911, 50 millions, and III 1872, 4
millions in excess of it.
There is no craftsmanship III bleeding
the people TO this excessive degree, t'
enable Mr. Boutwell, to rapidly reduce TIT
debt, and make up the losses caused b.
official embeZz ements, neCuiaiIonS snt
profiigacy and this is why the hepuhll
can platforms. While claiming credit to
having slightly reduced their own heav,
imposition of taxes, are compelled by IT.
complaints Of the country to declare for
still further reduction. The cost Of al
minlstering the government has increase,
enormously under the rule of the Repubil
can party In 1860, this cost, includlE!
the civil and miscellaneous list, War De
partment and the Navy Department, was
according to Mr.. Wells statement, fifty
five million dollars in 1870, according t
Mr. Boutwel's report, it was over IA
milI;ons-the actual figures being: 10
civil and miscellaneous purposes S69.234
OIL; War Department, So 6J56lo: Nav
Department S2l 80 ,229; total, S14S, S,669
COL Thus, while the population OF tn
country has grown from thirty to fort
millions, or about thirty-three per cen
since the Republican party came int
power, the cost of governing it has be
nearly treblel-and this, too, withor
taking into acc ,uut those expenditures II
sulting from the war, such as interest Q
the debt and pensions.--EjsSolsr hepu@