National Republican., 1881-11-05
The Snrnlns Revenues.

II appears that the revenues at present
rates are so much in excess of expendi-
lures authorized by law that the surplus
used for reducing the public debt during
the past four months was S55,000,000. At
this rate the debt would be reduced at
the rate of one hundred and sixty-fve
millions year, which is one hundred
and twenty-five millions more than it
ought TO be reduced in any one year. The
revenues should be decreased and the
expenditures increased. Why should
tobacco be taxed any more than any
other staple? Its production and manu-
facture are a great industry in a section
impoverished by war and great industrial
changes. The whisky tax will do, " for
revenue only" Then, if revision of the
tariff were possible, it would be desirable.
1t probably cannot be done. Every
member of the House will want free
trade for what his people consume and
do not produce, and prohibitory tariff
for what they produce for others to con-
sumo. Neither of these would yield q
penny of revenue. Between these
extremes, where revenues dwell, are bogs
and quicksands, and the rude struggle to
put duties up and down on the long list
of imported articles will be in marked
contrast to the tea-table debates in reve-
nue. reform conventions. Let no man un-
derrate the difficulties in the way of tariff
revision. But lift shall be found difficult
to arrest the flow of money into the
Treasury, let it overflow for year or so
while the revenues are being readjusted.
Let it not 60 to buoy up the stock market
under the guise of reducing an unmatured
debt. Let the street" attend to its own
business. There is great clamor if the
Government interferes with private busi-
ness to the detriment of the latter Why
should the money market be reinforced
in the interest of few operators by great
sums paid upon bonds not due when in
every other direction the Government
pleads poverty?
The first thing to be done with sur
plus funds is to restore the efficiency OF
the Executive Departments, so seriously
impaired by Democratic parsimony in the
hope of creating a reputation for econ
omy. The wages of the scrubbing-
women in the Departments, which were
so heroically reduced by Democratic
Congress four years ago, should be put
back to the old rate. The salaries of
men performing responsible duties should
be raised to compare with salaries paid
in private institutions. Our army should
be increased sufficiently to make it
an efficient police force in the Indian
country. Our navy should be built
up so as to ut least guard
the waters on our own coast and assert
itself if necessary at the Isthmus Our
diplomatic and consular service should
cost more money and bea worth more,
Our people should have mail facilities
not confined to the cities, and letters two
or three times week should follow the
pioneer into the new States and Terri
tories, even if to pay for it money has to
come out of the public Treasury, MS it does
for the free delivery by postmen two or
three times day. The ship-buildng
interest should be subsidized to an ex-
tent equal to the difference in the cost OF
ship-building here and in England to the
end that we may have nursery for
American seamen to man the navy
that is to be. The water-courses
which compete with railway transporta-
ton from North to South and from East
to West should be cleaned out and i'm
proved, including the Father of Waters
In short, instead of Uncle Sam bleeding
his children a hundred millions year
more than is needed, and paying it out
on debts not due! in order to speed the
stock gambling which is the country's
bane, let him collect less, and of what is
collected let it so out for great national
objects.