The Big Sandy news. [volume] (Louisa, Ky.) 1885-1929, 1888-08-16
Facts and Figures /!

A more concise statement Of tn
same facts than the following coul,
hardly be made. 1t is taken from
the Cincinnati ENQUIRER. Read
carefully
*The revenues OF. our Fedora
Government for the fiscal year end
ing June Both 1888, amounted t,
the vast total of SS790O0,OO0, NOR
than 100000 afday. The whole
/ burden ofthis taxation was borne
1 by the consumer
Although the Government expen
diture for that year was extraordi
narily large in many ways--as, fol-
instance, in the payment Of pen,
sions, the building of Il new Navy,
and other Department lines-yet
this revenue was in excess of our
needs by Sll9,OOO,0Og. Those fig
urss represen. the amount unjastly
wrung from the people in that one
year through the continuance Of
war taxes in time OF peace.
Atthe commencement ofihe fis-
cal year in question there was al,
ready great surplus In the FEEDER,
al Treasury. and ifthis $l19,O00,000
of excess had been added to it and
retired from circulation, wide
spread disaster would have follow
ed. But the Democratic Admins
tration of the Treasury Department
has so managed through the pur-
chase of bonds and the placing of
money in Government Repositories,
as to keep the Treasury surplus
down to q matter of $103000,000.
But this evasive policy is now diff
cult, if not impossible of continn-
ance. The circumstance are full
Of peril. lit is a situation, not a
theory which confronts as
The Democratic party seeks the
remedy in the reduction of Taxation.
OF our total revenue for the year re.
terred to more than $4,000, 600
came from custom duties. and less
than $i25,000,000 from "internal
revenue The Democratic party
proposes, by the Mills bill, to cut
down the internal taxes by some
$25, 100000 and the customs taxa.
ton by some S50,O00,000 making a
total reduction Of about SIS, 100000.
The first item it secures by taking
the excise from tobacco, save as to
manufactured cigars and cigarettes.
The second item is distributed as
follows Articles which paid duty.
last year amounting TO nearly $20,-
0D0,CG0 are placed on the free list,
and there is reduction In the tar.
iff on articles still dutiable aggre-
eating little over $30,0J0,000.
The average tariff as now existing,
is over II per cent. The average
tariff under the Mills bill would be
over - per centum.
That is the Democratic platform.
The Republican Platforms SO shaky
and variable that it is difficult Of
description. Ever since the war
they have been publicly promising
reduction oftaxation and private
ly opposing it. At Chicago they
declared that they did not think
much of reduction was needed
any way; but if it should become
necessary, the tax should be taken
off of whisky and continued ON the
necessaries oflife. Stree then they
have become terribly frightened
over the great popular approval
with which the Mills bill has been
greeted. They are in panic.
The Republican managers are in
panic. In the Senate many Of
them are trying to persuade the
others to absolutely overthrow the
Chicago platform, and to introduce
reduction bill Of their own oy way
of substitute, not with any expec,
tatlon or intention OF its passage,
but purely for buncomba. The
fight among them is fast and furi-
Gus. Agreement, if reached at all,
can be had only under the caucus
whip and the peril Of the situation.
Driven from every position they
have hitherto taken, they nov pro-
fess to propose to become taIiff re-
formers. Meanwhile the country
waits for their advertised "substi-
.tute.p