The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-09-19

Senate and House OF Representatives,
are reformed, is O monument oil OPP
preston more especially to the poor
man and the farmer, inasmuch as II
pu'e It's heaviest burdens upon the
prime neceesaries instead OF the lux
uries OF life. Tarifftaxation, however,
was inaugurated in the time OF Wash
ington, and bias been the permanent
policy, and as the Chicago platform
declares, "must continue to be-" Ii
direct Federal taxation, which can
alone come as the accompaniment OF
free trade, or on account OF some tre-
mendous exigency Of the government,
could obtain for q single year, there
would be blood upon the moon and
diecord in tne air. For no form OF
FEDERAL SURVEILLANCE
over the people OF the Slater, North or
South, is more hateful than this. And
vet, il all tariffs were abolished and
free trade substituted, this would be
the logical and inevitable sequence.
To live within our means; to practice
the virtues of industry and economy;
to buy only what We need, and not
what we merely want, 10 the true rule
at last, and the best guaranty OF pros
porous State. That was splendid
lesson OF economy 80 adroitly taught
by the cynic philosopher OF old. A
gay and festive party OF Athenian
youth carried him into b;zar to see
If they could tempt him to spend
money for things he might take a fan
cy to but did not really need. There
was everything around him to attract
and demoralizs a spendthrift-epicu-
rean food, fashionable raiment,
CONNECTIONS, toys, pictures and fantas'
tic notions OF every conceivable de-
scrip ion. The old man looked at
them all, and, lifting up his hands,
exclaimed: ooh ye gods, how many
things there are in this world Diogents
doesn't want" Blu, while il is true
that the government at this time has
only the alternative Of tariff or d.
rict tax from which TO raise revenue
adequate beyond all peradventu'e to
its ample support, yet there are more
than twenty other sources from which
revenue Is derived, all OF which to-
gether do not bring an amount ade-
quate to tie
WANTS OF THE GOVERNMENT,
II the tariff incomes be excluded. The
total revenue from all sources for the
fiscal yesr ending June 80, 1885, was
1928 $50 sos 3S. OF this sum, $751;
All, $3.50 80 was raised by the ta,iff and
Sl42,21S,767 o. from the other sources
referred to, one OF which is the public
lands, which contributed %, 705, 1856 A.
This latter, however, is irregular and
unreliable, as vast empire OF the best
Of our public lands has been squan'
dered in gifts and subsidies to tle
railroad corporations Of the country.
The total revenue from all these
sources for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1886, vas 1888, 144, 292. OF
this amount, $245,8l5745 was ex-
pended in the necessary sup
port of the government, in
reducing the public debt under
the regular plan and system
adopted by the government, and in
the extraordinary expenses demanded
for river and narbor improvement, the
building OF custom houses, postotficss,
courthouses and the like, leaving in
the vaults OF the Treasury at last, the
excess over expenditures already re-
ferred to of $90,52S547. ! exhibit
these figures to show that it is great
mis- AXE to suppose that the whole sur
plus left in the Treasury every year
comes OF tariff Incomes; aud to show,
also, that perhaps the whole OF this
last surplus OF 800, 52S, 5i7, or much OF
II, might have been saved to the peo'
pie either by judicious
REVISION OF THE TARIFF
itself, or recastiDg Of the schedule
OF Internal revenue taxation, from
which was derived for the last fiscal
year the large sum Of 12,49S, 725 54
We hear it often said on the musings
that the tariff ought to be reduced to a
revenue Standard, and we see this set
ilrm of speech injected into all our
platforms. But who can define what
a revenue standard meansP III IL
means that the tariff ought to bring
into the Treasury jnst such q
sum, and no more, as when added TO
the incomes from all other sources
will pay the annual excuses OF the
government as fixed and regulated by
the written law, then we know where
Of we speak. For this includes the
millions paid every month in dis
charge OF the national debt and the
pension rolls, the amounts OF
which eau be approximate
ly anticipated. But II intended
to include the extraordinary expenses
Of the government, these are sun
known gu antilles" and cam OF be an
ticipAted. 1t is impossible in this
vast country-now without a navy,
without coast defenses, and without
much else that 1t needs-so prognosti.
cate what the next years expendi-
lures will be. There are thousand
drains upon the Treasury the people
know not Of. Just think Of 1t There
were near $4,000 bills introduced into
the last Congress, at least 10000 Of
which were bills asking for money out
OF the Treasury, either for some pub.
lie improvement of a local nature, OF
special interest to the champion Not
each bill, or private pensions or the
like. We do know, however, that 1t
requires 80 many millions 10 deiray
| the
ACTUAL, STATUTORY EXPENSES
| OF running the government. we know
how much OF the interest bearing
debt will mature and must be paid.
We know 10 a dollar how much to
appropriate to the pensioners now on
the roll. Further than this tbs words
"revenue standard" are a myth; for
we do not know what extraordinary
expenses will be demanded for the
next year, and therefore no accurate
budget can be calculated, and de.
ficiency bills every session ave neces-
sary. But we do know that, after all
these diaf upon the Treasury, our
annual surplus,sversging one hundred
millions OF moaey, all coming dire ctly
or indirectly from the pockets
OF the people, is an oppress-
ion and a wrong which the
statesman should make haste to
redress. But what are we going to do
about itP The tariff cannot be modi-
fed uow-or, perhaps, for years--as
the Democrats are divided among
themselves aud the Senate Is RepubG.
ram The rAeOlution naaqad thT0uOh