The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-06-28
The Internal Revenue Districts.


der consideration in the Treasury Depart
ment and discussed between Secretary
Folger and President Arthur. There are
now 126 districts, with us many collectors.
The plan adopted, will bring this number
down to S2-throwing Al collectors out OF
office. Immediately after the war there
were nearly 800 of these districts. each
having an assessor and a collector. Some
years ago the assessors duties were merged
into those of the collectors, and the office
abolished. The tendency has been to re-
duction in the machinery and expenses OF
this branch of the service as fast as the
necessities of the government would allow,
and the present reduction is simply pre-
pairing the way for the abolition OF this
system of collecting taxes. The neces-
sary expenses of government are now about
$500, 600, 900, while the revenues derived
from import duties amount to about $2l6,-
100000. 1t is only from these two sour
ces-import and internal revenue that
the demands Of the treasury are suppled,
and so long as the expenses OF govern
ment are greater than the revenue derived
from foreign imports, the internal reve-
nue. system of taxation must be adhered
to-.
The plan published affects Virginia by
consolidating five districts into three
Three of the old collectors are dropped
all Republicans-Me Bolts. OF Har-
rison burg, Rives. of Lynchburg, and Rus
sell. of Richmond. The two retained are
Messrs Brady, Of Petersburg, Republican,
and IRaulston, of Danville, former Demo-
rat .butnow Readjuster. The new collector
is w. E. Craig, Esq, of Staunton, Chairman
of the Coalition Committee of Augusta
county, and a Democrat until few years
ago
MI Craig is eminently qualified for the
position to which he has been so uneX-
pectedly called. He did not ask for 1t. and
when the subject was first mentioned to
him positively declined to have anything
| to do with it. and not until assured that the
main office of the department could be To-
Gated in Staunton, did he yield his reluc-
lance to official position. Mr.. Craig is a
native of Augusta county, about 81 years
of age, and graduate of Roanoke College
| of the class of 1872. He is one Of the best
equipped young men now at the bar in
| Virginia His wonderful capacity for
work, the extraordinary method he OBJ
serves in his business details, and tireleSs
energy, will enable him to keep well in
hand not only the new duties he will as
sumo after the LIST Of July, but give atten-
tion to the large law practice, in which he
is now engaged. He will make a number
one collector and give satisfaction to all
parties. In fact, we know of no one in
the district whose appointment to the po-
sition would have less opposition, after
| it had been determined not to re-appoint
| Mr.. Bolts.
| While we say this much for Mr.. Craig,
we must express ourregret that Mr. Bolts
is to be thus summarily thrown out-and
no one is more sincere in his sympathy for
MI. 3. than Mr.. G. himself. Mr.. B. has
made one of the best collectors in the In
| ternal Revenue service. His record has
been A No. /, from the time he entered
upon the duties of his Office, and at the
| Department no officer stands higher. What
were the reasons which influenced the
President in thrusting aside so true and
tried a Republican and faithful public Of
ficer, we do not know. AS they could not
have affected his efficiency and integrity,
we hope some position of equal dignity and
emolument will be offered him.
The new collector will enter upon the
discharge of his duties the lst of July, or
as soon thereafter rs practicable. While
we have no authority to speak for Mr..
Craig, our intimate knowledge OF his man
ly character, his high sense of justice and
right and his scornful enforcement from
all the petty smallnesses of petty politi-
ticians, justifies us in the conclusion that
| he will have no warfare to make upon the
subordinates of the old collector. Changes
may be made in some instances, as
would be natural, whoever might have
succeeded Mr.. Bolts, but MI Craig, we
| believe, will be governed in all that he
does bya proper appreciation of the du-
| ty he owes to the government and thor
ough discipline of his office. He is in
hearty sympathy with the administration !;
believes in genuine liberalism and nation
alism and is opposed to Bourbonism in all
| its forms. Whether he calls himself a Re-
publican OF Readjuster, he will be true to
the right, as he understands it, and firm in
it's maintenance, and give no encourage
ment to the contemplate little rings, who
ply politics as trade and whose chief end
| is Office for self.
The trouble with our Lynchburg name
| sake is that it looks to the past and not to
the future. 1t is a matter of little conse-
quence what the views of its editor were
| quarter of a century ago. This country
has witnessed revolution vast, sweeping
| and radical since then, and problems are
presented for our consideration now which
| could not have arisen under the old order
OF things. Virginia's hope is manufac
lures. That is helever which must lift her
| into commercial Importance, and awake to
activity the dormant values buried beneath
her soil. Unless the interests which are
peculiarly hers are protected-ls iron for
instance-her development will be post
poned for years. We are for the party
whose policy will hasten. not retard, that
| development. If the Republican Nation
al Convention declares against protect ion
then we will fight against that Convention.
Will the Lynchburg Vilgiaian go us far if
the platform of the Democratic party IA
vors Il tariff for revenue only ?" The
constitutional question need not bother
you. If it is wrong to protect our manu-
featuring interests per Sc, then it is wrong
to grant incidental protection, for the mo-
ment you discard the right to protect that
moment the right to lay revenue tariff
disappears.
Not only did the Ohio Democracy go back
on its party record, but also on it's party
men. 1t chose, as the head of it's ticket, a
man who, until very recently, was prom
inent and pronounced Republican. No
| other seeker, says the Commercial Gazette,
of the nomination filled the party measure
so well as Mr.. Hoadley. In his garments
is no smell of the long record of the Dem
Ocratic party When the Darty was nsad