New-York tribune., 1875-01-27
VoL.XXXlV... mo. ,553
WASHINGTON.
NATIONAL REVENUES UTTERLY NsUFFl-


w ANN L. OAN1
NATIONAL REVENUES UTTERLY NsUFrl.
GENT.
srRPIExnY or THB WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
-REvEHUEs DEFICIENT BECAUSE REDUCED Fo"
FlECTfoNKERING PURPosEs-REsULTs OF hs-
STORING TEA AND COFFEE TARrFF-ooSsh-
oUENCEs OF INCREASING THE WHISKY TAX
VIEWS or Mr.. BECK OF KENTUCKY.
TBY rELEeRLPH TO rHs rRIBuFR.I
WAgHlNoroN, Jan. 96-The question before the
WAYS aud Means Comnittee as to how the increased
eescnrces necessary to meet the expenses OF the
Government are to be obtained is @ most dificult
enc and. although the present dilemma must have
been foreseon as long ago as before the Presidential
election by some Of the better-nformed of the ma
lority in Congress, It does not seem 10 be any
nearer q solution than 1t was o year ago. 1t
NJ admitted on all hands that q largely aug
mented revenue is essential: that the expenses
of the Government, the payment OF interest on the
public debt &C.. will require, IN addition to the
present income. from S3)000000 to S45OOo,OOO, the
tive amounts being the minimum and maximum OF
the estimates. How this sum is to be obtained
without leading the public to an understanding OF
the triehery of the Administration when 1t pro-
claimed just before the Presidential election, the
reduction of the debt and the decrease Of taxation,
and promised speedy and still greater reductions is
O question which cannot longer bo postponed
The Treasury is already in state OF insolvency,
and unless q greater income Is secured its obhga-
tions must 60 to protest within year. The tax on
tea aud coffee was removed, the ten per cent hOh-
s1ntal reduction mldr, and other duties cut down,
winch It was Supposed would have great effect on
the approaching election and now it is found that
these sources of revenue are required. and hand
some sum in addition 1t Is now proposed to return
these taxes. but the objection is made that such
course viii increase the cost of tea and coffee and
other articles embraced in the list, and this viii
make the proposition unpopular with the people
Hotel prOprietOTs and other large consumers, and
even private families. are already laying In
large stocks of these articles, against the
contingency of increase which all belleVe is sure
to COME. An increase in the tax on whisky OF ten
cents per gallon, in accordance with the recon-
mepdatjons Ia the Presidents message and the Sec
retary Of the IIeas1Iys report. has oc1 Deen Con
sdered by the Ways and Means Committee, but the
members are very greatly divided on the subject,
and IL IS impossible to say what will be done. ln
view Of the Presidents the dealers in whisky
have begun to lock it up, besides running the dst
leries ngIt and day to increase the supply. Mr.
Beck OF Kentucky, who represents the largest
whisky district III the country and whose con-
etitueuts are interested in little else. is very
hUOuBly OppOStu 10 lAo luVLcdoo III VhO
tax to 50 cents per gallon. He gives
many for bis opposition and says that if the
opinions of Representatives Sayler and Banning OF
Cincinnati whose districts also largely inter
ested in whisky. could be obtained they would CO
incde with bis. Mr.. Beck says that the yearly pro-
6detOn of distilled spirits is about 900 gallons.
The stock on heS32, ne thinks, is about equal to
k;lf years supply, or 40,OOo0Oo gallons lie says
there can be no doubt that the effect of increasing
the tax ten cents o gallon viii be to stimulate the
production before the law is passed to the extent
that there will he 6O.OOO.00o gallons hand when
the law goes into effect.
"The effect of this" said Mr.. Beck, "cau be Reen
at once. Ii would put S6,OOO0O0 in the pockets OF
private jobbeFs. Besides it would not help the
Government, al least for the present, when the
money IS most needed. OF course the production at
80 cents gallon would cease, and no more whisky
would be made until the stock on hand, which paid
only 20 cents was exhausted. So you may readily
see" said Mr. Beck, that not only the Government
~euld not realize ANYTHING from the increase, but
that it would lose, for the first year at least"
When asked if the stock already on hand might
not be taxed he Iidiculed the suggestion, aud snd
1iat such proposition would not receive avote in
the House iic houGht it possible that the jobbers
might come to Washington and press fer On iu-
crease but that if it proposed to tax the stock
OH nand il would bring to Washington all Of his
own and Sayler's constituents, bowling with rage
a thing he deprecated most earnestly.
Only four weeks of work is left TO tho present
Congress and if anything is to be done by the Ways
and Means Committee it must be done without
much further delbcratOn.