, 1884-01-03
Revenue and Expenditur es,

Revenue and Expenditur es,
5 F. ,5r..,rE...
\ surplus revenue OF about SO.
Olu,UJU l. the estimate Of tn" IICa--
uly Department fpr the present lis
cal wear. The yeaT began on July
lst. and therefore does not include
/ all the reductions made under the
tariff and internal tax bill of last scs
sion. nor the loss Of revenue from
the new postal reduction bill. which
bids fairto Nc not less than SJ.OOO,OUO
to $i.0O0,OOO The postal bill cid
not 90 into operation till three
months OF the present fiscal year had
passed. Let ii be conceded, however,
that the Secretary OF the Treasury
made due allowance fCr all changes
III the tariff and tax and postal laws
and that the surplus OF revenue Will
be $50. 600. Geo for the year, these re
ductions to the contrary notwith-
standing, for the present year, and 1t
: follows that the surplus for the fiscal
year to begin July lst, 1884, will
surely be some ten to fifteen million
dollars, or not over seventy to seven
tv-tive million dollars, If the tariff
and internal taxes, as fixed by the
last Congress, remain unchanged.
The surplus Will then be for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1885. Just about
half as much as it was for the year
ended June 30. 1888. A reduction of
80 per cent. III the space OF two years
ought to satisfy the best statesman
ship of the country, even with an
eye bent on economy, as enough in
s. short time, having due care to
not seriously disturb the business OF
the country OF the total receipts in
/ the year ending June 80, 1885, it
is estimated that TWO hundred and
/ ten million dollars will be derived
| from customs duties. Take % per
cent. from this, as it IS the plan OF
| Speaker Carlisle and his Committee
on Ways and Means to do, there will
be a still further reduction of the
revenues of fifty two million and five
hundred thousand dollars for the mex
| fiscal year This will cut the surplus
| down TO twenty-five million and five
! hundred thousand dollars. And if
the duty on sugar shall be abrogated
and that article be admitted from all
foreign countries on an equality with
! the imports from Hawaii, 1t Is easy to
see that instead OF a surplus there
must be deficiency for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1885. There Is
! probably as strong Il party within the
| Democracy OF the House in favor OF
free sugar as there is III favor of any
disturbance of the duties fixed
at the last session on
manufactured imports of iron, cotton
and WOODEN goods CoHceding AGAIN
that this party can be brought TO an
agreemen with the Bepublicans for a
bounty on the home production OF
sugar which will encourage that in
dustry equally with Il tariff of 80 or
81 per cent. on foreign sugars, it fol
lows that such policy must newt
ably, for a good many years, increase
the expenditures of the government
f. by the payment of this bounty to the
home producers of sugar. Moreover,
if the sugar planters of Louisiana
and Texas can fairly demand bounty
in substitution for the tariff on for
eign sugar and a protection for the
home production, why not the ship
builders of Maine, California, Oregon,
Washington Territory aud the Dele
ware also be awarded the like favor
in protection of their industry? 1t Is
certain that they will ask it whenever
1 MIR. Morrison's committee proposes
to make the concession to the plant
ers of Texts and Louisiana in lieu of
the Tariff on sugar, and they Will be
backed in the demand by the iron
men of Pennsylvania and the entire
New England and Pacific Coast OF
both political parties. Free sugar
would inevitable break the back OF
the Hawaiian monopoly and afford
great relief to the people of the Pa
citic states and territories, and the
substitution of liberal bounties to
producers, instead of a general tariff
of so to 81 per cent. would stim llate
our people to the production of sugar
from beets and sorghum to an extent
that In few years might enable us
to produce at home all the sugar We
need. In this view of the matter, the
Pacific Coast members might act
wisely IN joining hands with the Tex
ans and Louisianiats on the PROPOSE
tlon for free sugar But they are to
bear IN mind the very important fact
that free sugar means reduction oi
the revenue at one stroke of the Deu
to the extent of fifty million dollars IL
! year, While the bounties substituted
Jr duties might and probably would
within the next ten years thereafter
increase the expenditures by twenty
nIlllon dollars to thirty million dol
lars II year-the equivalent of a rev
enue reduction OF from seventy to
eighty million dollars 1t would
doubtless be worth more than this
loss of revenue would cost the natioI.
II we could be brought, as France ana
Germany have been by wise political
economy, to the production of all the
sugar we need for home consumption.
1t would keep at home the one hun
dred million dollars'a year which w,
are paying, mostly in cash. to foreign
ers for our sugar. 1t would extend
the planting industry over vast area
of our territory, diversity our agri
SuAtuiSs SiiOio IIOAidDIe investment
for an immense amount of capital
and profitable labor for hundreds oi
thousands.
But when this step shall be taken,
we warn Congress that there is an
end of all judicious tariff reform for
the present. Any further reduction
means deficiency in the revenue, or.
what would be as bad, the necessity
OF increasing internal taxes-a tax on
incomes, for example-which would
and should destroy any party that
proposes it, in view of its past orera-
tions and infamies in the practical
execution of the law. Ii Is the fixed
policy of the American people TO raise
the great bulk of government reven-
us from indirect taxation. 1t has