Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-08-24
PITTsBURG. SUNDAY. AUG. "a, 1890.
CAN REVENUES BE REDUCEDs

The regular Republican organs which, a
few weeks ago, denounced as weak inven-
tion of the enemy the representation that the
appropriations of the present Congress will
exceed the revenue, should give their stten-
ton to Senator Edmunds. That eminent
Republican leader has made the most de-
cided statement of the result of the sessions
extravaganza, in the prediction that the
revenue will turn out on the 30th of June,
1891. to be, 1 fear $4,000, 900 in round
numbers short OF the estimated income, as
suming that we do not take the duty off
sugar"
1t is hard to imagine a statement which,
supposing any respect to be paid to the duty
of care and economy in the expenditure of
the public funds, contains severer commen-
tary on the recklessness of the present Con-
gress. The Republican party took control
OF the Government with an admitted excess
of revenues over expenditures of from SSO,-
OO0. 900 to SOC, ,OOo, 900. This was on the very
liberal basis of expenditure established
during the Cleveland administration, which
was largely in excess of the appropriations
at the beginning of the decade. A single
session of Congress has produced the re-
marksble result, according to a Republican
of high standing, that this eighty-million
surplus will be changed to a ffty-million
deficiency without any reduction OF taxation
at all worthy of mention.
Senator Edmunds' conclusion from this
state of affairs is that the duty must not be
taken off sugar; and that the Republican
party which commenced the session with an
avoWal of the necessity for reducing the
revenue must now abandon that effort and
confess the defeat of its policy by its own
extravaganza. The New York Press, on the
other hand, asserts, on what it claims to be
good authority, that the Senate will restore
the House rates on sugar and adhere to the
party plan of giving the country at least
that relief from unnecessary taxation. There
is no doubt that the latter is the proper
course. The expenditures of the present
session will largely exceed the revenue with
this tax removed; but it is the duty of Con-
gress to fulfill the pledge of at least some re-
duction of taxation and then to conform its
future expenditures to the decreased in
COuSs w lbu euCn ICOuCbAOu ds Is pTOpOb6u,
the revenues of the Treasury will permit an
expenditure which ten years ago would
have been regarded as the widest extrava-
gance.
This course is more imperative because
the present state of affairs is the best proof
Of the lavish and reckless expenditure that
is produced bv plethoric treasury. This
danger of the surplus was foretold in the
present case, as an argument for reduction
of the revenue years ago; but the misfortune
was that the extravaganza proved more
prompt in getting at work than the reduc-
tion OF taxation. The only way to stop the
Treasury raiding, which has gone beyond all
limits that would have been deemed possi-
BILE half dozen years ago, is to cut down
the revenue to an amount which will inforee
decent respect for economy, and to make
the appropriations for future years con-
form to it.
This is not only a public duty, but it is
the only party policy that is consistent with
foresight If Congress should adjourn
without reduction of taxation, leaving as
the sole summary Of its fiscal work the con-
version of an eighty-million surplus into a
fftr-miliion deficiency, it would bury the
Republican party SO deep under the adverse
votes of the people that it would hardly be
worth resurrecting.