Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1872-06-18
FOR GOVERNOR.
SIDNEY PERHAM.
THE REPUBLICAN, PARTY AND THE
REVENUE.

so |
the Army Appropriation bill, has attracted
wide attention and is justly considered
one of the most important speeches of the
session. The Chicago Journal reviews
the speech in an editorial article, giving
some of its most important facts, and CON-
mending Mr.. Hale for his able effort. 1t
discusses three questions: The imposi-
ton and collection of taxes; the cost Of
maintaining the government; and the
disposition of the national debt.
when the war closed says the Jour-
nal. "seven years ago our taxes were at
the maximum. Daring the fiscal year end.
ing July /, 1866. the net revenue of the
Government was S55S ,032 ,G20 .0G, nearly
all Of which was derived from taxation
That was the largest sum of money ever
taken from any people during the same
period of time. Impost duties Melted
S179,046. Col. IS; the internal revenue
amounted to $500 ,226, 81342 The small
fraction Of revenue derived from the sale
Of public lands, gold premiums and mis-
cellaneous sources made up the balance.
Taxes had been steadily increased all
through the war. A steady decrease was
then inaugurated. The ingenuity Of Con-
gress and the Treasury Department had
been strained to devise ways and means
for increasing the burdens of the people,
all of which were borne cheerfully, thanks
to the resolute patriotism OF the country.
The revenue laws, as they stood at the
close of the war ald continued for some
time thereafter. are curious study. and
afford the fullest list ever made out of the
articles provided and consumed by the
nation. and of our almost infinitely diver
sitied industries and resources The tax
list. on ''black list" as Mr.. Hale pertinent
ly calls it, runs as high in numbers as 2s',-
l-2 in internal taxation alone
By the inGdelity of Andrew Johnson the
Republican party soon became solely re-
sponsible for the reduction of revenue
taxation. The levying and collection of
assessments ordered by law rested with an
Administration hostile to the Republican
party. The aggregate annual internal
revenue reduction for the years l966-lS70,
inclusive, foot mp as follows:
Annual reduction
Act of July IL, 1856, sos 800 900
Act of March =, 1851 $4,000 90 |
Act of February 3, 1865. 1913 O00, 900
Act Of March 81, 1865 a,s ooo no
Act OF july 2J,ls6s 9"oo0'0'"
Act of July IL. $50 si5,0OO,O 900
Total s2!s 900 900 |
In explanation of this exhibit Mr. Hale
said
The reduction under the act ofJuy -, 1865, was |
effected chiefly by the repeal OF the extra duty of
twenty five per cent. imposed on manufactures by |
section i've act OF March 3, 1865, and by additions
TO the free list; under the act of March @ 1867, by
raising the exemption on income from 5000 TO 900
and establishing uniform rate of five per cent in
place o the dinrrential rates of five and ten per
cent. The 1st of exemptions was also still further
increased, and the rate OF tax In some instances
duced. The act of February ;, ISIS, repealed the
duty on raw cotton. BY act OF March 81 1868, the
tax WAS repealed on all manufactures then taxable
in section ninety four, act OF June 80
1864, except gas. The act July Il 1870 repealed
the tax gross receipts, sales other than sales |
paid by stamps, and sales of tobacco, spirits and |
wines, iegaci s, SUGGESTIONS, articles in schedule
passports, and special taxes except those relating
to spirits, tobacco and iermented liquors. The eX-
empoa on income was raised from ~ 900 to ~ 800
and the rate reduced from five to two and a halt
per cent The number ofartirles on the schedule
has thus been reduced from nearly three hundred
under the act of March3 1850, TO less than sixty I'M
der act ofiuly H. ls10.
To this must be added the tariff rcduc-
ton OF July, 1870, amounting to $50 o00,-
900. To this add the reduction of the new
tariff measure, and we have result of
over three hundred millions of dollars
during the last seven years. This is a
showing of which the Republican party
may well be proud. Congress has justified
the confidence of the people.
The executive department has done
quite as well as the legislative. During
the last year of Johnsons Administration
the revenue from spirits and tobacco was
sac, BAL ,595.li, while in 1871 the revenue
from the same sources was So .2j0, 2j7 10,
or almost twice the amount This is not
all. The cost OF collection i, rapdly de-
ereasing. On this point we give the Off
cial statement of the Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue, j. W. Douglass. made
under date of March /, 1872. He saws
in a let ter to Mr.. Hale.
ST.
10 hand you the following as the number of each |
grade Of officers OF this bureau whose srrvirse -
been dispensed with from March T. ls,g 10 lam
AIRY L. ls,2
Collectors consolidation of district.} a
Assessors consolidation Of districts
Assistant Assessors, l455
UistiIlery Storekeeper@. ltg
DistIilefy surveyors, 20y
Tobacco Inspectors, j2j
Total, 1885
From the best information in my possession am
OF opinion that the saving to the Government by
this reduction VIII equal, il II does not exceed 81
200 900 per aDnun.
Mr.. Sumner would have US believe that
the Administration of johnson was AS
praiseworthy in a monetary point of view
rs that Of President Grant, but in the facts
Just given we have conclusive answer to
his SANDER. We may add right here that
Mr.. Summers claim that johnson reduced
the debt of the nation as fast as Grant has
done was a fiat falsehood The national