Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-08-14
PAYING THE FIDDLER.
Increased Appropriations the Penalty
of Being a Big Nation.
ALLISON SEES No HELP FOB 1T.
Would Increase the Revenue by Increasing
the Tax on Spirits.
THE DUTY on STEEL RAILS TOO HIGH


Of the Senate, on the appropriations made
by the Congress which has Just adjourned
on the revenues and on the possibilities of 8
deficiency. During the course of the con.
versation, Mr.. Allison recalled an article
which was published a year ago, at the
time when the cry of "Bil-
lion Dollar Congress was first
started, in which Senator Cockrell,
one Of the Democratic members of the Ap-
preparations Committee, warned the Demo-
Gratis not to be so free in their criticism OF
the appropriations of the Fifty-frst Con-
gress, because under the pension and other
fixed laws passed by that Congress it might
be necessary for the Democratic House in
the present Congress to be party to q
greater expenditure than even the billion
for which the Fifty-frst Congress became
famous
The prediction of Mr. Cockrell has been
verihed-a fact which may not atone to
him, however, for the abuse which he re-
ceived at the hands of Democratic papers
At the time when it was made Mr. Alli-
son thinks that the increase made thus far
BY the Fifty-second Congress proves, not
that this Congress was extravagant but
that the last Congress was economical
Uncle Sam Is Getting Bigger.
"The expenses of the Government will
increase from year to year." said Mr. Alli-
son, land the appropriations must increase
with them. OF course, the postal expenses
increase very largely every year, and
although the revenue of the Postoffice De-
partment increases, too, the expenses have
TO be made part of the appropriations of
Congress, while the revenue goes into the
general revenue of the Government"
asked Mr.. Allison incidentally if he be-
heved that it was feasible for the Postoffice
Department at this time or at any time in
the near future to reduce the rate of letter
postage to 1 cent, as has often been pro-
posed. He replied that he thought it was
not.
''To reduce the rate of postage" he said,
would reduce the revenue of the Postofice
Department one-third or possibly two-fifths.
The 2-cent rate of postage is not so great
tax that it should need to be reduced"
Returning to the subject of appropria-
tions, Mr.. Allison said: 81 do not see how
the next session of Congress is to make any
reduction unless it cuts down the appro-
further or the appropriation for the coast
defenses. They are not going to repeal the
pension laws, and under those laws the ap-
preparations for pensions will increase
yearly for two or three years.
The Old Soldiers Are Dying.
''Do you think that the pension appro.
priations will begin to decrease at the end
of say three vears?' / asked "fhe general
public seems to have an idea that they are
going to increase indefinitely"
1.-The number of old soldiers" said the
Senator, will begin to decrease very rapidly
in iture. Most of those left are
The number on the widows
'ase, but ttink that the
a., .ssary for pension appropria-
will begin to decrease within three
- and then will go steadily down the
scale-unless there is more general legisla-
tion on the subject
There can be no reduction in appropria-
tions for rivers and harbors, think, con-
tinued the Senator; 'lor this Congress.
while it reduced the immediate appropria-
tinn, authorized contracts which will make
continued appropriations necessary. And
] see that The Mississippi River Commission
is going ahead with those contracts. There
might be a reduction, as have said, in the |
appropriations for coast defenses and for the |
increase of the navy, but L think that we
will 60 ahead with both of these works until |
they are completed.
No Material Reduction is Possible.
''The other appropriations are necessary
for the conduct of the business of the Gov |
ernment and the careful inspection made by |
tie Democratic House at this session Just |
closed shows that no material reduction in |
those expenditures is possible" I"
"Wlll the revenues of the Government |
be sufficient to pay these increased ex-
penses?"
81 think they will be for the next year."
said the Senator, that is, if there is not an |
extraordinary an unexpected increase in |
the pension appropriations-say Is or 20 |
millions. After this year we may have to |
meet deficiency"
"And the way to meet it will be-"
''By increasing the tai on distilled spirits, |
That would be the quickest and, 1 think. |
the hest way to meet it. An increase of 25 |
cents gallon in the tax on distilled spirits |
would bring an additional revenue of 500 |
600, 600. That is by far the easiest and |
surest way TO meet a sudden deficiency. |
The excise tax is flexible. Increasing |
it IN moderation does not affect |
the consumer The tax on beer for |
exampleS is 81 barrel 1t is
ridIculously low. If barrel of beer is |
sells for S24 by the time it gets to the con- |
sumer. Suppose we made the tax 81 25 |
The brewer might increase his price to IS 25 |
or S. 80 per barrel But that would not
make any difference in the quantity deliv-
cred to the consumer at retail or in the price |
charged him. The additional cost would be
absorbed before it got to him.
More Money From the Tariff
'Will the present tariff increase the
revenue?"
81 think that before long we ~ill have an /
increased revenue from the tariff, and that
the increase will continue regularly.
Whether it will be enough to meet the in
crease in the expenses OF the Government
no one can tell OF course the present
tariff is still largely experimental 1t NAV
he modi6ed-of course always in the line of
the Republican protective idea A tariff
never lasts long. Changes in conditions of
trade and manufacture make changes In the
tariff necessary. For example. the
duty on steel rails under the pres
ent law is far too great because the
price of steel rails has decreased under the
increase in production due in part to i'm
prnvements in machinery / do not know
that we will have any notifications of the
law in the next Congress because L do not
know what the political complexion of the
House may be. The Democrats in the
present House have not made any propo-
siI;ons for the modification of the tariff
which would result in increased revenue.
A u of the changes which they have pro-
posed would have reduced the revenue
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.
TEN BIG BARG iINs