The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-02-18
, Tho Surplus Revenue.

The entire intcrnal-reyenue bureau might
be done away with, and still the revenues
OF the Government would be sufficient for
all legitimate purposes. The Secretary OF
the Treasury admitted in lis last annual
report that there would be surplus OF
seventy-Gve millions. This amount Is Of
course not large enough to cover the deh-
cheney which would be created by the
loss OF all the receipts from internal
taxes, these receipts amounting to one
hundred and forsy-five millions OF
dollars In year. But the Secretary
not only estimated for the sum OF about
fiffy-fye millions OF dollars to be used vi
having the interest on the pubic debt, bnt
for the sum OF iorty-fiye millions to be used
in reducing the public debt. This reduc-
ton ls certainly not necessary. Inc cost
of collecting the internal revenue Is about
FIVE millions OF dollars, whilst The interest,"
on the forty-Gve millions Of debt which the
Secretary proposes TO pay of Is not han
that sum. That would seem, therefore, 10
he moor sort Of economy which would
continue to pay ont FIVE millions year IN
order 10 save less than two millions year.
The surplus OF seventy-fiye millions OF
dollars conceded by the Secretary oil the
Treasurer, the five millions to be saved by
abolishing all internal taxes, and the forty
five millions which the Government may
use If the public debt be left as it is, make
up altogether only one hundred ana
TWENTY-FIVE millions Of dollars. This leaves
twenty millions Of dollars TO be FOUND
somewhere If the Secretary OF the Treasury
has not estimated at too high figure the
necessary expenses of the Government.
This. however, is exactly what he has done.
Mr.. FLOWER. OF New York, shows that
there is a reduction OF over twenty-three
million of dollars made in the approprla-
ton bills-passed and repcrted-from the
estimates OF the Secretary; or three MIL
lions more than the sum needed to make
II practicable to do away with all internal
taxes.
Bnt there is another way OF increasing
the revenues Of the Government; and this
is by passing a new tariff bill. A tarin
making revenue the object, and protection
an incident, would yield much more reve-
nue. than the present one does. We doubt
whether mere ever was more objections
BILE tariff than the existing one. Revenue
reformers, therefore, ought to vote to aDol-
isb Che internal taxes because the abolition
OF them will necessitate the framing OF
revenue tariff; and revenue tariff Will
make il easy to do without the Internal
revenue receipts.
Could Congress perform wiser act than
TO provide for future economy in the pub
lie expenditures by dispensing with all UNI
necessary burthens? The members OF the
next House of Representatives are already
elected, and the body will, ii is known, be
largely Democratic. The next President
of the United States will probably be De-
mocrat. Surely, then, the Republicans
need not be so very anxious to keep in office
for year or two more their internal-reVe-
nue officials, though these are such good
electioneerers and party managers. The
Democrats ought from patriotic motives TO
vote at once TO eradicate this cancer from
the body polite. Let us return to the Gus
tom of the fathers, aud collect ali the mo-
ney we need for carrying on the Govern
ment from the importers Of foreign goods.
Up TO 1861 there was no such thing rs IN
ternal revenue, and no such official rs
Federal collector OF direct taxes known to
anybody in this country. Why cannot
Congress restore that most desirable state
OF thingss Too much revenue begets eX-
travagance in expenditure and corruption
in Office. These are the evils from which
this country Is now suffering; and the
most effective remedy for them which
could be devised would be the entire aDo-
lition Of the internal-reyenue bureau.