Rock Island daily Argus., 1892-10-04
NATIONAL AFFAIRS.
Department Estimates, as Usual,
Are Tardy.
RUsK ASKS FOR ONLY ss,ooo,ooo,

And Evidently Thinks 1t Beggarly
Sum-Fifty Millions About the Figure
NettIeton Gives Some Information About
the Direct Tax Refund-The Statement
of CirculatiOn-Th The Per Capita Nov
&24.23-A Patch of Ground for Settlers
in Michigan.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 4.-The department
estimates of expenditures of government
,or the next fiscal year ending June 80,
1884, under the law should have been in the
hands of the secretary of the treasury, who
is charged with their transmission to con-
gress, on the 1st inst, but they have not
yet made their appearance. AS "a matter of
fact they do not generally reach the treas
ury much before the date of meeting of
congress. Secretary Rusk has practically
completed his estimates and they only need
a revision to make them ready for the sec
ret:ry of the treasury. He says they do
not vary materially from the appropriations
made By congress for the current year,
total of about sS, 100000
should Give Him $50, 900. 900.
Some slight additions will be recon-
mended in order to carry on the work made
necessary by the extension of the scope and
purpose of the department. "If congress
should do what ought to be done to ad-
vance and encourage the agricultural in
terests of the country" said Secretary
Rusk, $50 OOO, 900 would be appropriated.
But as it is, all that vast interest, the
greatest in the land, has appropriated for
by the government is S, 900 year.
Why, single vessel for the navy costs
more than that, and several of them are
being built every year"
Secretary Fosters Calculations.
to the operat ions of the currept wear
which will include nine months of the last
year of the present administrative term,
Secretary Foster calculated that the treas
ury will show a balance of 80, ,0OO, 900 on
the 30th of June, 1898. The financial state
ment for September shows that the cholera
scare had not appreciably affected customs
receipts, so that in all probability the esti-
mates of revenue made last year will be
fully borne out by the facts.
Wants Interest on the Tax.
Assistant Secretary Nettleton has
ceived several complaints that commissions
are being deducted by state >Sffcers for
making payments from the direct tax
fund. One of these letters is from w. H.
Eggborne, Eggbornevllle, Va. Replying
to this latter, Nettleton writes: "You say
that the treasurer of your county is refund
ing only the direct tax, and is deducting
five per cent as his commission and you
ask if you are not entitled to interest on the
direct tax beng refunded. In reply you
are informed that only the direct tax
collected has been returned to the states.
In states where the tax had been collected
from individuals il should be returned in
full by the state authorities to the persons
from whom it was collected or to their
heirs or legal representatives.
And Is Likely to Want 1t.
"Howeyer, since the tax was paid to the
states the attorney general has rendered an
opinion to the effect that all penalty and
interest collected should also be returned
to those from whom it was collected in the
same way. The department is therefore
preparing to refund to the governors of
states the penalty and interest in the same
manner and under the same conditions that
the tax was refunded 1t must be under
stood, however, that the interest mentioned
is that which was collected with the tax
and not interest accruing since"