Daily Republican., 1884-01-04

AhSAO 10 Nv uuube tudb SAA0tlJu ooOul
either be reduced or tne surplus rev
nue. employed In public improvement
in such a manner az 20 be the create
benefit to the Government and to Il
people. From eighty.fve to . hundre
millions of dollars per annum shoul
not be taken from the pockets OF Il
taxpayers to be boarded without a pu
pose and held as unproductive capt.;
where it will do the most harm an
least good. Shall this taxation be r,
duced ? That is the question whic
now occupies the public mind.
In answer to this question we woul
say that if there was no manner i
which the Government could use thi
large surplus to benefit itself ard tn
people, there are some articles nov
taxed from which the duties might an,
should be removed If it could be don,
without injury to the people. But, tina
the surplus could be proftably employ
ed there can be no manner Of doubt
1t could be employed in increasing
the efficiency Of our navy and marine
merchant service. No civilized nation
in the world with half the population
of the United States, unless it be one
that has no sea coast and is entirely in
land, has such an insignificant
navy as the United States has. And
we can safely add to this and say that
no civilized nation in the world has
such length Of sea coast 10 defend as
this nation has. With our unexcelled
harbors and navigable rivers there Ia no
good reason why the United States
should not be as much the master of
the ocean as England has been the
boasted mistress. Why is it then, that
England monopolizes the merchant
marine trade and protects it by her
ships of war? Simply because the gov.
eminent lavishly supports that arm of
her service which has made her pros-
ferrous and great. Millions are spent
in building and fitting out navy that
protects her at home, her commerce
abroad and isrespected because it ia
feared all over the civilized world.
What England is IN her marine mer.
liant trade and in her navy is what
he United States might have been or
night yet be if her surplus revenue
was spent III the same manner. The
urplus spent in this manner would
give employment and profitable wages
o hundreds and thousands of laborers.
There are other directions in which the
'urplus could be proftably spent. We
mean exactly to say that there are bar-
'ors and rivers to impIove and levees
nat should be constructed to increase
nd protect our home coasting and in.
srior marine trade. Because appropria-
ions have been made for ideal purposes
nd ruthlessly sqnandered is no reason
Thy appropriations should not be made
'r laudable purposes and legitimately
Because fifty thousand dollars or M
ave been given TO some inland Con.
ressional district to improve some
Feek that could be of no earthly bene-
to the country is no reason why four
mes That amount should not be appro. |
rated to such harbor as Wilmington
assesses, and twenty times that amour,
needed. to remove distractions and
improve the navigation of such great
commercial rivers as the Hudson, the
delaware and the Mississippi.
But there are other ways yet in which
10 surplus revenue could be spent 10 a
ood advantage. When a little town
Ike Dover, that has population not
four thousand, has a govern
'eht building for Post off CO that cost
rty Thousand dollars, why shorld not
her towns Of like proportion ana
isiness also have government build.
gs? II a forty thousand dollar Post.
nee Is nee essary for Dover, one costing
nr hundred thousand would not be
"ch out Of the way for a s;:y ,,kel
3
ilniDgton There are hundreds of
WINS and cities like Dover and viii.
ipgton spread all over the country
ut need government buildings.
If the maintenance Of navy and
merchant marine, the improvement
rivers and harbors, and the erection
government buildings are not sufi. | {
INT to use up all the nations surplus,
ere are still other purposes to which
can be profitably applied. Every
ar the cry of the people against mo.
poles, especially telegraph and rail-
ID monopolies, is becoming louder,
d If they are not checked in season It
just possible that these monopolies ,
" in time grow even stronger and
fy the government. For this there
a remedy. The government has it q
its own hands. Without interfering =
tn the individual enterprises com.
led into monopolies, the government
I'd construct its own telegraph lines
d build its own railroads. 1t il not
ely that this will be ATTEMPTED at \
st for many years to come, but the
'essity for it may arise, and we oplvl
fr TO 1t to show that our surplus
'enue would be better employed in ),
N enterprises than in lying idle in
vaults Of the treasury.
N ----------
7 SEEMS that the Northern Demo.
Is are terribly scared at tho promo l.