Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1888-12-05

claims of our citizens will continue to be
urged upon the CHILEAN government,
and. it is hoped, will not be subject to
further delay.
Proclamation was duly made on
Nov. 8, 1887, of the conventional ex-
tension of the treaty of June 5, 1875,
with Hawaii, under which relations OF
such special and beneficent intercourse
have been created.
The president announces an advanta-
geous treaty of amity with Peru, and
the satisfactory settlement of claims OF
American citizens against Ecuador and
Denmark and Hayti by arbitration, and
the extension of time for the ratification
of treaty for rehearing of claims
against Venezuela. He advises re-
ciprocal commerce treaties with South
and Central American countries and
with San Domingo and Hayti. A meet
ing of the maritime powers in Washing
ton in April to devise means for the
greater security of life and property at
sea, is approved. A special message
viii be sent to congress on the subject OF
tonnage duties.
Revision of the Naturalization Laws.
With the rapid increase of immigra-
ton to our shores and the facilities of
modern travel, abuses of the generous
privileges afforded by our naturalization
laws calls for their careful revision. The
easy and unguarded manner in which
certificates of American citizenship can
now be obtained has induced a class, un-
fortunately large, to avail themselves OF
the opportunity to become absolved from
allegiance to their native lands, and yet
by foreign residence to escape any just
duty and contribution of service to the
country of their proposed adoption.
Thus, while evading the duties of citi-
zenship to the United States, they may
make prompt claim for its national pro-
lection and demand its intervention in
their behalf International complica-
tions of serious nature arise, and the
correspondence of the state department
discloses the great number and complex
ity of the questions which have been
raised.
Reorganization of Consular Service.
The reorganization of the consular
service is matter of serious importance
to our national interests. The number
of existing principal consular offices is
believed to be greater than is at all nec-
esSary for the conduct of the public bust
ness. 1t need not be our policy to main
tain more than a moderate number of
principal Offices, each supported by a
salary sufficient to enable the incumbent
70 live in comfort. so distributed as to Sc
cure the convenient supervision through
subordinate agencies of affairs over
co!2sid2r2a,e district.
3Ie Washington Centennial.
An emphatic Endorsement is given to
the proposition for the centennial cele-
bration on April so, 1887, of the inaugur-
alton of Washington in New York.
Finances of the Nation.
The report of the secretary of the
treasury exhibits in detail the condition
of our national finances and the opera
tons of the several branches of the gov
eminent related to his department.. The
total ordinary revenues of the govern
ment for the fiscal year ended June 80,
1888, amounted to $a!9, 266, 974.76, of
which 219,091, 172.6 SO was received from
customs duties and 1924 1896, S71.9S from
internal revenue taxes.
The total receipts from all sources
exceeded those for the fiscal year
ended June 80, 1887, by 1882, 797. 10.
The ordinary expenses for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1888, were $780,
653, 95S. 81, leaving a surplus of $119,-
612, 1860. The decrease in these ex-
penditures, as compared with the fiscal
wear ended June 80, 1887, was SS,27S,-
Ego. 80 notwithstanding the payment Of
more than So, O00, 900 for pensions in ex-
cess CT what was paid for that pur-
pose in the latter mentioned year. The
revenues of the government for the
wear ending June 80, 1889, ascertained
for the quarter ended June 80, 1888.
and estimated for the remainder of the
time, amount to $377 200, 900, and the
actual and estimated ordinary expendis
lures for the same year are 272, 600 900,
leaving an estimated surplus of $104,-
100000.
The estimated receipts for the year
ending June 80, 1890, are s577, 000, 900,
and the estimated ordinary expendi-
lures for the same term are $275, 49,
1884, showing surplus of S1O1 ,s32..
511.66. The foregoing statementss.o of
surplus do not take into account the
sum necessary to be expended to meet
the requirements of the sinking fund
act, amounting to more than $4,000
900 annually. The cost of collecting
the customs revenues for the last fiscal
year was 2.44 per cent. For the year
1885 it was 2.T per cent.
The excess of internal revenue taxes
collected during the last fiscal year
over those collected for the year ended
June 80, 1887, was 60, 4S9, 174.a6, and
the cost of collecting this revenue de-
creased from "a per cent in 1887 to less
than 3.2 per cent for the last year. The
tax collected on oleomargarine was $723,-
94S.04 for the year ending June 30,
1887, and 1854, 1888 for the following
year.
The requirements of the sinking fund
act have been met for the year ended
June 80, 1888, and for the current year
also by the purchase of bonds. After
complying with this law, as positively
required. and bonds sufficient for that
purpose had been bought at a premium
it was not deemed prudent to further
expend the suplus in such purchases I'M
til the authority to do 50 should be more
explicit. A resolution, however, hav-
ing been passed by both houses of con-
gress, removing all doubt as to execu-
tive authority, daily. Bond purchases
were begun April 90, 1888, and have
continued until the present time. By
this plan bonds of the government not
yet due have been purchased up to and
including the Both day of November,
1888, amounting to 1874, 70O, 400, the pre-
MUM paid thereon amounting to
ST., sos, 6l3.08.
The premium added to the principal
cf these bonds represents an. investment
yielding about 2 per cent interest for the
time they still had to run and the saving
to the government represented by the
difference between the amount of inter-
est at 2 per cent upon the sum paid for
principal and premium and what it
would have paid for interest at the rate
specified in the bonds if they had run to
their maturity is about $37, 165, 900. At
first sight this would seem to be profit
able and sensible translation on the part
of the government, but as suggested by
the secretary of the treasury, the surplus
thus expended for the purchase of the
bonds was money drawn from the peo-
pie in excess of any actual need of the
government, and was so expended
rather than allow it to remain idle in the
treasury. IL this surplus under the OPP
Grafton of lust and equitable laws had