The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-12-08

| eyer the bane OF an oyerhowing treasury.
/ It was made apparent in the courseiof tn
animated discussions which this question
aroused at the last session. of Congress tina
the policy of diminishing the revenue by re
ducing taxation, commanded the general ap
prevail OF the members of both houses.
regret that because of conflicting views as II
the best methods by which that policy Should
be made operative, none of its benefits have
as yet been reached. In the fulfllment o.
what l deem my constitutional duty, but witt
little hope that / can make a valuable contrf
button to this vexed question, / shall proceed
to intimate briefly my own views In relation tc
| it.
r. Upon the rhowing of our financial coHdt
| ton at the close of the last fiscal year felt
justified in recommending to Congress the
abolition Sof internal revenue taxes, except
those upon tobacco in its various forms, and
upon distilled spirits and ferInented liquors,
except also the special tax upon the manufac-
lures and dealers I'm such articles, venture
new to suggest that unless it shall be ascer-
tanned that the. probable expenditures of the
Government for the coming year have been
| underestimate all internal taxes save those
which relate to DISTILLED spirits can be prudent
ly abrogated. --- - -
Such course if accompanied by asimplitica-
ton of the machinery of collection which
would then be easy of accomplishment, might
be reasonably expected to result in the di-
minishing of the cost of such collection by at
least 81, 800, 900, and in the retirement from
office of from !, 500 to 2, 200 persons. The sys-
TEN of excise duties has never commended it.
self to the favor of the American people, aud
has never been resorted to, except for supply
ing deficiencies in the treasury when BY feIso on
of special exigencies the duties on imports
have proved inadequate for the needs OF the
Government. The sentiment of the country
doubtless commands that the present excise
shall be abolished as soon as such course
can safely be pursued. 1t seems to me, how
ever, for various reasons, SO sweeping q
measure as the total abolition of internal taxes
would for the present be an unwise step. Two
of these reasons are deserving of especial
mention. ~ 70 ..lHr, HHfAt Ift
First-It is by no means clear that even II
the existing system of duties on Imports are
continued without notifications, those
duties alone will yield sufficient rev.
enue for all the needs of the Gov,
eminent 1t is estimated S100,0O0,0OO
will be required for pensions during the coming
year, and 1t may well be doubted whether the
maximum annual demand for that object has
yet been reached. Uncertainty upon this
question would alone justify. in my Judgment,
the retention for the present of that portion
of the system of internal revenue which is
least Objectionable to the people.
Second-A total abolition of excise taxes
would almost inevitably prove serious, If not
an insurmountable object to a thorough re-
vision Of the tariff and to any cons derable re-
duction i'm import duties. The present tariff
system is in many respects unjust. 1tmakes
unequal distributions, both of its burdens and
and its benefits. This fact was practically
recognized by a majority of each house of
Congress in the passage of the act creating
the tariff commission. The report of that
commission will be placed before you at the
beginning Of this session, and will, l trust,
afford YOU such Information as to the condi-
ton aud prospect of the various commercial
agricultural, manufacturing, mining and other
interests of the country, and contain such
suggestions for statutory revision as will
practically aid your action upon this impor-
tant subject. ----1a--.--
The revenue from customs for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1879, amounted to $780,
O0o,0O0 1t has in the three succeeding years
reached S1S6,00o,0 0J, then Sl9S, 100000, and
finally, as has been already stated, $500, LOl,-
900. The increase from this source for the
fiscal year which will end on June 30, 1888
will doubtless have been considerably in eX-
cess of the sum last mentioned. If the tax
on domestic spirits is to be retained, it is
plain, therefore, that large reductions from
the customs revenue are entirely feasible.
While recommending this reduction / am far
from advising the abandonment of the policy
of SO discriminating i'm tie adjustment of
duties TO afford aid and protection to domes-
tic labor, but the present system should tie SO
revised as to equalize the public burden
among all classes and occupations, and bring
it into closer harmony with the present needs
of industry without entering into minute de-
tells which, under the present circumstances,
is quite unnecessary. ] lie commend an en-
largement of the free list so as to include
within il the numerous art cleS which Weld an
inconsi e able revenue: simplltication of
the complex, inconsistent schedule of duties
upon certain manufactures, particularly those
o cotton, iron and steel and substantial re-
duction of the duties upon those articles, and
upon sugar molasses, silk, wool an woo:en
goods. IL a general revision of the tariff
shall be found to be impracticab,e at this SEES
sion, | express the hope til t at least some of
the more conspicuous iniquities of the pre- ent
law NAV be corrected before your final ad-
journmeat. One of them is specially lie erred
TO by the Secretary in view of a recent dcci-
sion of the Supry me Court. The necessity OF
amending the law BIZ which the duties stand
charine strength of sugars is too obvious to
require comment.
CONDITION OF THE ARMY.
From the report Of the Secretary of War it
appears that the only outbreak OF tie Indians
during the past year occur. ei in AriZ ma and
in the southwestern rat of New Mex CD.
These were promptly quelied, and the quiet
which has prevailed in all other parts of the
country has permitted such an addition 10 be
made to the military force in the region en-
DANCE: ed by tie Apacbes. that there is little
room to appreBend trouble in tie future.
Those PARTS of the Secretarys reports which
relate to or sea coast defenceS and their
armament suggest the gravest questions. Our
eXis ing fortiGcations are notoriously made
quatc 10 the defense OF the great harborS and
cities for whose protection they wee built.
The quest on OF providing an armament suit
ed 10 our present necessities has been the
subject of considerat on by board whose re-
port was transmitted to Congress at the last
session.
invite the attention of Congress to the
propriety of making more adequate provisions
for arming and equipping the m litia than is
afforded by the act of 1906. which is still upon
the statute book. The matter has already
been the subject of discussion in the Senate,
and bill which seeks TO supply the deRcien-
eies of the existing laws is now upon its cal
endar. l. .-.-.- r-r -,r-.t.. r..EH
The Secretary of War calls attention to the
fact that there is an embarrassment growing
out of the recent act of Congress, making the
retirement Of officers of the army compulsory
at the age of sixty-four. The act Of 1878
is still in force, which limits to 400 the
number of those who can be retired or DIS
ability or upon their own application. The
two acts. when construed together, seem
to forbid the relieving. even tor absolute in
capacity, of officers who do not iall within the
purriew of the latter statute. save at such
times as there chante to be less than 400
names on the reti ed list. There are now 40.
1t Is not likely that Congress intended this re-
suit, and / concur with the Secretary that the
law ought to be amended.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS. a-
E The grounds that impelled me 10 withhold
my signature from an act entitled IAN act
making appropriations for the construction,
repair and preservation of certain works on
rivers and harbors," which became law near
the close of your last session, prompt me to
express the hope that no similar measure
viii be deemed necessary during the present
session of Congress; indeed, such a measure
would row be open 10 serious objection, in
addition to that which was urged upon your
atten ion by the Secretary of War, that the
quarter portion of the sum appropriated for