Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-12-05
Too Much Money.

field for the Presidential nomination,
with Garfield's knowledge, while Gar
field himself was at the head of the
Ohio delegation at Chicago, instruct
ed to work for John Sherman, is the
father of the plan to distribute the
surplus revenue of the National treas
ury among the States for education
al purposes. The late Republican
State convention was unwise enough
to pass resolution favoring the plan
of Mr. Barker. Outside of the Com.
monwealth the plan has come to be
known as the Pennsylvania plan fol
the disposal of the surplus money
that has accumulated in the treasury
of the Nation.
A number of public men favor Bar
ker's plan. A number believe that
the custom duties or tariff on foreign
goods, should be reduced, and the
internal revenue or war tax should
be taken off to such a degree that the
income of the government will pay
its expenses and no more.
James G.. Blaine comes forward in
a newspaper article that was publish
ed last week, and declares himself as
against this Barker Pennsylvania
plan for dividing the accumulated
money of the United States govern
ment.
His first objection to the plan, is,
that there is no way Of arriving at the
amount that the q. S. Treasury can
spare every year, and without know
ing how much money they are to re-
ceive each year, the States cannot
know how much to tax themselves.
His second objection to the plan,
is, that it would tempt Congressman
to withhold National appropriation,
SO that they could get large share
of the National Treasury fund for
their respective States.
His third objection, is, that it pre-
sumes that the Treasury will always
continue to be overfowing with mon
ey, and such belief will engender
extravaganza and corruption.
After having stated his three points
OF objection, he states that he has q
plan, for the trouble of too much
money in the treasury.
His plan is to keep the customs or
tariff on foreign goods. The revenue
or money desired therefrom will pay
the expenses of government, but all
taxes caused by the war, which are
comprehended under the name of In
ternal Revenue he would repeal, ex-
cepting the tar on achisky.
Whisky, he says, is luxury, and
in his view is as properly a subject
for taxation as homes, business pla-
ces, and farms which bear the bur
den of taxation, too often. to the dis
t-acr of tho n,rnaro
The whisky tax, he advocstes,
should not be repealed but should be
collected and divided among the
States. In his Judgment, to so dis
pose of the whisky money would be
a great relief to taxation in the States.
The tax on liquor the past year a
mounted to over eighty-six million
dollars. Pennsylvania share of that
amount, if divided among the States,
according to population, would be g.
bout seven million and a half dollars.
Blaine's plan for disposing of the
surplus money in the treasury is pre-
ferable to the Barker plan.
1t is argued against them both,
that the whole of the Internal Reve-
Eue tax system must be repealed, for
the reason that it is not constitution
al. 1t was set up as system dur
ing the civil war, as military neces-
sity, to raise money to use to pay
soldiers, and munitions of war with
which to put down rebellion. The
war being over the raising of revenue
for the maintenance of government
should relapse to constitutional meth
DDS.
What wild vagary in the mind of
Wharton Barker possessed him to
propose his plan for the disposal of
the too much money in the National
treasury has not been stated.
Blaines plan may arise from an
honest purpose to fix the power of
the National government to tax the
States, in times of peace, or it may
arise from a desire to make for him.
self distinct Blaine issue on which
to carry on campaign for the Pres
idency in 1884. Blaine may not be
bidding for the applause of the gal
leries, or for Presidential nomina-
ton, he may be perfectly honest in
the expression, ''that it is wiser to
tax whisky than to tax farms and
homesteads and shops" If Blaine's
plan can be brought within the scope
of the constitution it will raise many
advocates to speak and write for it.
Tn. New York Sun has quit yell
ing that the Republican party must