The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1875-02-11
SHALL CONGRESS INCREASE THE
TAXES


The propositions before Congress for
the levy of additional taxes on the coun-
try. to which we have already referred,
cannot be too strongly condemned.
There is no real necessity for them. The
Secretary of the Treasury insists upon
having S31, 900, 900 to put into the sink
ing fund. notwithstanding the Treasury
is $3.50, 900, 600 in advance of the requir-
ed payment of the public debt. The
proposition to levy increased taxes by
tariff to produce that sum will not meet
the approval Of the country. Especial
ly is this Objectionable when Congress
has sovereign remedy for any deficiency
in the revenue.
The fiscal year 1874 covered nine
months of the ''panic," and yet, at the
close of the year, there was small sur
plus revenue after purchasing over
twelve millions of dollars of the public
debt.
The Secretary in his annual report
last December stated that for the first
three months of the present fiscal year
the receipts of revenue were s79, 43l, :
O4S. and he estimated that the total re-
ceipts for the year ending June 80, 1875,
would be 1924, 318, 286, and the expenses,
including interest on the debt, would be
1915, 315, Asa surplus of over 3d.
100000. He estimated that for the year
ending June 80, 1876, the receipts
would be 1898, 900, 900, and the expendi-
lures, 1912, 900, 00O,-a surplus Of $780,
100000. His estimate for ordinary ex
penditures exclusive of interest was
$174,OOO,OOO This Congress has to
make the appropriations for the next
year. They can make them $3.50, 00O,-
900, or they can reduce them to $780,,
100000. Every dollar not appropriated
increases the surplus revenue. Every
dollar appropriated reduces that surplus.
Shall Congress increase the expenditures
and increase the surplus ?
Congress is urged to increase the rev.
enues by an increase of the tax on i'm
ports. Let us see how this is likely to
operate. Suppose this Congress shall
levy an additional tax of 10 per cent on
all imports. The moment that law is
sure to pass, orders will be sent abroad,
and, in twenty or thirty days following,
there will be an entire years supply Of
imports which will be put in warehouse,
and be subject only to the present duty.
uc tlcb WILL Gl10IO1OIC OS u SOIICo VI du-
ditional revenue, but from the date of
the act the people of the country will be
subject to an increased tax of 10 per cent
on all the commodities entering into
domestic use, whether imported or not.
The people of the country will pay an
increased cost of from one to two hun
dred millions for their goods, and the
Government will not get cent of in
creased revenue.
One of the first acts of the next Con-
gress will be to repeal this increased
taxation, and the result will be that the
Republican party will have the odium
of having taxed the people oppress1vely
and not added dollar to the public rev.
enue. It is idle to assume that the
next Senate will have Republican ma
jorlty that will check the Democratic
House, and defeat the repeal of taxes.
We do not understand that the next
Senate will be able to defeat the repeal
of any unnecessary and oppressive tax;
on the contrary, backed by the approval
of the people, that body, owing to the
changes made in it, will sustain the
House in getting rid Of all such taxes,
and in reducing taxation to a revenue
basis exclusively. What has the Re-
public an party to gain by voting these
increased taxes? AS we have shown,
there will be ample revenue this year
and the next for all actually necessary
purposes, except the sentimental reduc-
ton of the debt by the sinking fund;
that to increase the tariff duties will not
increase the revenue during the year
elapsing between the passage of the law
and its repeal by the next Congress;
that the only effect will be to add largely
to the list of everything purchased by
the people without yielding a dollar of
increased revenue to the Treasury. Why
should the Republican party assume the
odium of measure so barren of results?
Let the Republicans close up the le-
ultimate business of the session and adj
journ. Let them reduce the expendi-
lures to within the ascertained income
of the Government, and leave to their
Democratic successors the task ofpatch-
ing the revenue laws. The best thing
the Republicans of this Congress can do
is to reduce the expenditures so low
that the Democrats cannotfind room for
reproach, and will be compelled to adj
here to the same economical Standard
Chicago Tribune.