The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1876-12-05
WASHINGTON.
Caucus of Republican Senators.


WASHINGTON, Dec Am adjourned meet
ing OF the caucus of Republican senators was
held this afternoon and a committee with MIR.
Wright as chairman was appointed as usual to
revise the list of standing COMMITTEES of the
Senate and report at meeting of the caucus to
be called hereafter. No other action was TAX
en-. 1t was understood by common consent
that nothing is to be done at present in regard
to the election of President pro tenn, and that
the matter will probably go over forat least sew
eral weeks, nor was any disposition manifest
ed to take caucus acton.
Cabinet Meeting.
At the Cabinet meeting today kilograms
from Gen. Ruger were read, containing an &C
count of the withdrawal of the Democratic
members of the South Carolina Legislature.
The Message.
The present indications at the Executive
Mansion are that the message will be sent to
Congress tomorrow. As result of is reading
made to the matter already contained in the
document Altogether the message is of less
length than those heretofore sent by President
Grant to Congress.
The Treasury Estimates.
The Secretary of the Treasury today sub.
mited to the House OF Representatives the es.
Inmates of the appropriations required for the
public service for the fiscal year ending with
June, 1878. They are as follows:
For Congress 1884 $50; executive proper
1913, 400; Department OF State 81 449 657; Treas
ury Department $165, 24S, 3S9; War Department
$54, 81 ,S55; Navy Department S22'5e1 ,96S; In
terror Department $38. 806, 1872; PostOffice De-
partment $685., 647; Department of Justice
81, 422, 800; Department of Agriculture S227,-
290. Total 1926, GIL ,667. These estimates are
$15O.000000 less than for 1877 and Congress
appropriated $47, 100000 less than the total es-
Inmates for that year.
Report OF the Commissioner Of Internal
In addition to the statements already pub.
lished, the report of the Commissioner OF In
ternal Revenue shows thst tbestotal amount
OF drawback of internal revenue taxes allowed
on different articles exported during the fiscal
year ending June &c. 1876, was $50 548882. 1t
is confidently believed the amount of taxes
realized from distilled spirits will steadily in
crease from year to year If the business of the
distilleries Is not so hampered with legal re-
strlctlons as to prevent the owners from realz-
ing fair profit from their business. Although
great frauds have heretofore been perpetrated
by distillers in various parts of the country in
combination with officers of the government,
yet 1T is believed these fraudulent combinations
are now entirely broken up and that the past
experience of those engaged in them has been
SO fruitful OF misfortune and pecuniary disaS-
ter that there is but little probability of the
whisky frauds ever reaching the gigantic pro-
portions of few years past with anything
like reasonable surveillance on the part of the
government.
The Commissioner expressed the opinion
that the receipts for the current year will be
$4,000, 000 If no change is made in the rate
OF taxation it is fair to assume that the per-
centage of the increase of taxes for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1878, will be equal to the
percentage of the increase in the population of
the country, and such an increase of taxes
might with safety be put down at $4,000, 900,
giving the estimated aggregate collections for
the year Guiding June 3Oth, 1878, at 1923 0OO-
600.
The total of the expenses of every descrip-
ton incident to the collection of internal rev
enue for the year ending June 80, 1886, is 81
.85. To this sum should properly be
added certain accounts for services during that
period not yet adjusted, aggregating, it is esti-
mated, $4,000. AS the total collections for
the year were Sly, 236 625, the cost of collect
ing is thus shown to be four and one-fourteenth
cents on dollar collected.