National Republican., 1882-11-16

anui as De1ore SAID, III VIII not DC Wise W
go into any picayune matters, as to do so
will inevitably fritter the session away
and endanger everything. The danger
of not accomplishing anything lies in the
disposition to spend time on trihes, and
with only three months at command the
weightier matters. of the law will fully
occupy the time. The reductions can be
made-they must be made, or the days
of the Republican party are numbered.
The reduction of expenditures neces-
sarily requires corresponding reduction
of taxation. A provision of $45,000,000
annually for the sinking fund is all that
need be done in the way of paying off
the principal of the national debt, and
to raise surplus revenue to divide
among the States is to create the worst
kind of a corruption fund. To raise it
for any purpose is to create corruption
fund, and the idea should not be tolerated
for q moment.
The smaller sources of revenue for the
current year as estimated by the Secre-
tary of the Treasury are: Sales of lands,
tax on national banks, interest of Pacific
railway, customs, consular and patent
fees, profits on coinage, revenues of Dis
trict of Columbia, and miscellaneous.
The miscellaneous is estimated at about
$6,000,000, and with the others the total
was $30,000,000.
In most of these items there can be no
reduction, as they are independent of
present legislation or of a nature not re-
quiring any change of policy. The
consular fees are direct tax on
commerce, and at this time, when
our commerce Is laboring under
the stress of nearly overwhelming for
eign competition, some of the burden OF
fees may we'll be taken off. The consular
system was established primarily for the
protection and benefit of commerce, but
not wholly. 1t is vastly important for
the country to have at hand trained
body of seamen in case of actual or
threatened war, and it is much cheaper
that these seamen be trained and main
tqined by the merchant marine than by
- e ;Ye Yaensequently it is right that a
a
system should be borne by tne Nwrius.
country. But as the President has power
to reduce the consular fees, no legsla-
ton is at this time required, and the
time of Congress need not be taken to
consider it.
The tax on national banks imposed
by the United States and by the
| Stntp1 -, 10
cent. upon their capital. The revenue
to the government is estimated at
SS,O00,000. This is not the time
to discuss the advantages of the ma.
tional-bank system, and here the only
question is at present one of revenue
and justice. We are to have a reduction
| of revenues, and as the national banks
are an acknowledged, and by many of
| our best statesmen declared to be a
necessary part of our fiscal system, they
should in justice be allowed portion at
least of the benefit of reduction. If re-
duced one-half the revenue from this
source would be reduced $4,OOO,OOO.
The estimate for receipts from internal
revenue was S155,000,00O, which may be
exceeded in the results. In 1881 the ac-
tual receipts from internal revenue were
$l35,000,0O0, round numbers. OF this
amount the tax was:
On checks..... 81, ,253, ,00C
On matches. Observation-Disclosures. 8, 2TS. .0OC
On medcines.... ......................... l,S43,G0C
Total. o...................... 7,374,OOc
The taxes from these sources we would
remove altogether. First, because on
checks the tax is small, annoying t.
business men, costs out of proportion to
cost of collecting, and is unequal. The
latter reason is sufficient, because the
small trader or manufacturer who issues
checks of two, five, ten, and twenty dol.
lars has to pay the same tax as Jay Gould
and Vanderbilt, who draw their hun.
| dreds of thousands The cost to the in
ternal revenue in printing, keeping, and
selling the stamps, keeping the accounts
and watching for violations of the law is
| large, and on the whole it is an expen-
| sive tax. Second, the match tax also is
unequal, and comes out of the poor much
more than out Of the rich, because the
poor are so much more numerous than
the rich. 1t also operates to maintain Il
monopoly in the business of making
matches. The men of small means are
kept from entering into competition in
the business by the advantage which the
| large manufacturers have in the ten per
cent discount on large purchases of
stamps. The true policy of taxation is to
levy on as few articles MS possible, and
this whole $7,0O0,0O0 should be wiped
out'at once.
The receipts from tobacco in 1881 were
S42,0OO000, and we would abolish the
whole of the tobacco tax. Tobacco is a
luxury, it is true, but it is one the poor
indulge in more than the rich, and for
this reason it should be exempt. If tax
alton tended in any large degree to re-
strict its use, we might say that it would
| be benefit to the poor to tax it heavily
but taxes are not intended to regulate
the habits of men, but to support govern
ment, and men must be taken as we find
them. The repeal of the tobacco tax
will be popular and bring support to the
repeating bill as whole.
We have, then, in the present PROPOSE
tions the following reductions:
On tobacco. So. 600 0OC
ON checks, matches, and periumery.... 100000
On banks' 4OJO,OO>
| Iotai''''''.'' b5OOO,OOl
Whether it will be possible to go fur
ther will be seen later in the season.
The actual receipts for the year
ended June 80, 1882 were. siO3 525 $50 2s
Actual expenses. 2ji,9Sl 49, 81