The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1888-01-19
Letter from Washington.
Correspondence of the journal. |

Correspondence of the Journal
WASHINGTON, D. T., Jan. 49, Congressman
Milliken had an interview with ssistant Sec'y
of the Treasury Maynard, in regard to the
Customs Service in the Belfast District, after
having presented to that official Collector Cush-
ing's letter upon the subject. The result was
that the Assistant Sec'y informed Mr.. Milliken
that he would SO modify his order, which was
to abolish all the offices in the District except
that at Belfast, as to retain them all with per-
haps one exception. Camden and North Haven
are to be saved. and also Vinalhavcn. and it is
not determined whether the office at Searsport
is to be abolished or not Mr.. Milliken claimed,
and cndeavored to show to the Secretary, that
the curtaiment of the Customs Service in the
Belfast District as designed by the order
recently issued would very seriously embar-
rass commerce and afford such an opportunity
for smuggling that the probable loss from that
source would depletc the government revenues
many times the amount of customs expenses
in the District. 1t would surely leave a large
extent of coast and islands, with innumcrable
hiding places, almost entirely unprotected by
any surveillance of government officials
Mr.. Mlikcn introduced into the House on
the 9th instant, bill! for the reduction of the
surplus. 1t abolishcs the tax upon tobacco
and the manufacture thereof repeats the duty
upon sugar and provides for a bounty to be
paid to sugar producers in the United States
equal to the present rate Of duty upon their
product, having regard both to standard and
quantity. 1t provides also that the repeal of
4 l,, .I,,+ ~
product of countries which shall lay an export
duty upon sugars imported into this country;
| nor to the sugar product of any country which
shall not give us the same treatment as to light.
house and other charges that we give them;
nor 10 sugar imported in vessels other than
those of the exporting country or the United
States of America; nor to the sugar Of any
country which shall not make as liberal terms
for the entry of our products as it makes for
other countries the most favored by it.
This bill Mr.. Miilikcn says will not cripple
any American industry, but on the contrary
stimulate both tobacco and sugar growing 1t
is fair to all sections of the country since the
consumers of both sugar and tobacco are
! found about equally distributed according to
favor no class. since tobacco is used by all
classes. and sugar is an article of prime neccS-
Sity as well as The largest food charge in every
~, family; and especially is this true of the work.
ing people and the poor. Moreover. the latter
provisions of the bill, If they shall be adopted
and enacted into law, cannot fail to materially
| help cur commerce and carrying trade.
| Its no; little suggestive that the democracy
while looking about for chances to reduce the
| duties upon imports never think Of sugar and
rice. both of which are articles of necessity
and the duty upon which is among the highest
| imposed. The sugar duty is about IS per cent
| upon its cost and that upon rice is one hundred
| per cent. But we hear nothing from the free
trade democracy touching them. Oh. no, they
are Southern productions, eN-rebel productions.
and hence must be sacred; but our free traders
have a thoroughly wolsh appetite for the in
offensive sheep, wool-growing, and the lumber
interests and other Northern industries like
iron and bituminous coal, which they seem to
have a wonderful mania to destroy.
Two things are pertinent in this connection
The Industries which the free trade democracy
are 50 anxious to destroy are northern indus
tries, and then too they are such as England,
which backs up the freetraders with brains and
money, is engaged in, while sugar and rice are
neither the one nor the other. The sugar duty
for the last year aggregated $4,000 900 and is
| increasing and will continue to increase If it is
not repealed. as our country becomes more
| populous and Il greater sugar consumer. To
| pay bounty equivalent to the present rate of
duty upon all the sugar produced would require
I but little more than $4,000, 900 and the tobacco
tax is S'0, 900, that Mr.. Milliken's bill
would reduce the annual revenue about S94 .000,-
600, which is quite as much as is desirable.
| see proposals published in some of the
newspapers to repeal the duties upon almost
all tlutiable articles. 1t should be remembered
that this cannot be done, and 4 revenue at the
same time be collected sufficient to pay the
! Congress is slowly getting at its work. That
it will have enough TO do presently no one can
doubt who has noticed the fact that already
| bills enough have been introduced to keep it
busy for the next two years if they were all to
receive proper consideration.
We have had during this month, all kinds of
weather ever produced in all the zones of the
| globe, but no one kind lasting full day. There
is a sufficient variety of climate in Washington
to suit the most fa>tlious. The weather is as
cosmopolitan as the people