The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1884-12-04

| with foreign nations. A project for the re-
| organization of the consular service and for
| recastng the scheme of extra territorial ju-
risdiction is now before you. Ii the limits OF
| a short session Will not allow its full consid-
Grafton, trust you will not fail to make
suitable provision for the present needs of
! the service 1t has been customary to de-
| fine in the appropriation acts the rank OF
each diplomatic office to which salary is
| attached. l suggest that this course be
| abandoned, and that it be left to the presi-
| dent with the advice and consent of the SEN
| ate to Tx from time to time the diplomatic
| grade of the representatives OF this govern
ment abroad, as may seem advisable; pro-
vision being definitely made, however, as
now, for the amount of salary attached to
| the respective stations.
I FINANCIAL.
| THE sEcRETARY's REPORT.
The condition of our finances and the
operations of the various branches of the
public service which are connected with the
| treasury department are We! 2 fully dis
cussed in the report of the secretary. 1t ap-
pears that the ord nary revenue for the fiscal
year ended June 80, 1884, were:
| From customs. ............... .$135,O07,4S 9 20
| From internal revenue. 121,5S6.072 81
| From all other sources. 31,SG6.3O7 30
| Total ordinary revenues. j.. .$,4S. 5 s, S69 81
The public expenditures during the same
| period were:
! For civil expenses 2312, GOT II
| For foreign intercourse. ........... 1,260.766 81
! For Indians. Observation-Disclosures. 6475,999 %
| FOR pensions oo,4Z9,Z-o 90
| For the military establishments,
including river and harbor i'm
provements and arSenals ........ 80, 429, e03 Sc
| For he naval establishments, in
Guiding vessels, machinery and
improvements at navy yards..... 1922, COL 46
| For miscellaneous Expenditures, in
Gliding public buildings, light
houses and collecting the revenue 43, 939, TO 90
! For expenditures on account of the
District of Columbia ........... 3,4o7,o49 g.
For interest on the public debit. 54.57S.378 48
For the sinking fund 46, 79O.229 so
Total ordinary expenditures ..s29o, 9l6. 4ss SO
| Leaving surplus of So7 COS, 1896. 90. AS COM
| pared with the preceding fiscal year there
| was net decrease of over sol 600, 600 in
| the amount OF expenditures. The aggregate
| receipts were less than those of the year
previous by about S74, 600, 600 The falling
off of revenue from customs made up nearly
500 600, 900 of the deficiency, and about
$50, 600, 600 of the remainder was due to
the diminished receipts from internal taxa
ton. The secretary estimates the total re-
ceipts for the fiscal year. which will end June
80, 1889, at $3.50 600 600, and the total
expenditures at 1890, &C, POI, in which are
| included the interest on debt and amount
payable to the sinking fund This would
leave a surplus for the entire year of about
S39, 600, 600 The value of exports from
the United States to foreign countries during
! the year ending June 80, 1884, was as
| follows:
Foreign merchandise. ............ l5a4S.157
Total merchandise. ............ $74o.51 3,6o9
Specie. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. $67, 133,3e3
Total exports of merchandise and
| The cotton and cotton manufactures in
cluded In this statement were valued at
sos, 900, 415, the breadstuffs at $162, 544,-
7l5. the provisions at 81 Ia 4 Ii, 547 and the
minerals at $47 1O3 ,24S. During the same
period the imports were as follows:
Merchandise. 5000 go. 693
More than SIS per cent Of the e entire nth value
of imported merchandise consisted of the
following articles:
Sugar and molasSes. ....... .$103 1884, 274
Wool and wooden manufactures. 800, 81, $40, 292
Silk and its manufactures ............ 1892 128
Coffee 1855, 705
Iron and steel and manufactures
90 es oss
Flax, hemp. jute and like substances
and manufactures thereof. .......... 33.463,39
Cotton and manufactures of cotton. 3o,454,476
Hides and skins other than fur skins. ~, $50 906
SILVER DOLLARS.
I concur with the secretary of the treasury
In recommending the immediate suspension
of coinage of silver dollars and, of the issu-
ance of silver certificates, and this is mai
ter to which. in former communications.
have more than once invoked the attention
OF the national legislature. 1t appears that
annually for the past six years there have
been coined, in compliance with the act Of
Feb. %, 1878. more than twenty -seven mil
lion silver dollars, and the number outstand-
ing is reported by the secretary to be nearly
one hundred and eighty five million, whereof
but little more than forty million, or less
than % per cent, are in actual circulation.
The mere existence of this fact seems TO
me to furnish of itself cogent argument
for the repeal of the statute which has made
such fact possible. But there are other
and graver considerations that tend in the
same direction. The secretary avows his
conviction that unless this coinage and
the issuance Of silver certificates be
suspended, silver els is o likely ~. at ., no
standard The commercial disturbance
and the impa irment of the national credit
that woulf be thus occasioned can scarcely
be overestmated hope that the secretary's
suggestions respecting the Withdrawal from
circulation of the 81 and ~ notes Will 10
ceve your approval 1t is likely that con-
siderable portion of the silver now incum-
bering the vaults in the treasury might thu .
find it's way into the currency. While trade
dollars have ceased, for the present at least.
to be an element OF active disturbance in our
currency system, some provision should be
made for their surrender to the government
In view of the circumstances under which
they were coined, and of the fact that they
have never had legal tender quality, there
should be offered for them only slight adj
vance on their bullion value. The secretary,
In the course of his report, considers the
propriety of beautifying the designs of our
subsidiary silver coins, and OF so increasing
their weight that they may bear due ratios
of value Of the standard dollar. His conc u
sions in this regard are cordially approved
TAXATION.
In my annual message Of 1882 recon-
mended the abolition Of all ex0ise taxes ex.
cept those relating to distilled spirits This
Recommendation Is now renewed In case
these taxes shall be abolished the revenues
that will still remain to the government will,
in my opinion. not only suffice to meet it's
reasonable expenditures, but will afford
surplus largo enough to permit such tariff re-
duction as may seem to be advisable when
the results Of the recent revenue laws and
commercial treaties shall have shown in
what quarters these reductions can be most
judiciously effected One Of the Gravest Of
che problems which appeal to the wisdom Of
congress for solution is the ascertainment Of
the most effective means Of increasing our
foreign trade, and thus relieving the depres-
sion In which eur Industries are now lam
gushing. The secretary Of the treas