The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1893-12-15
WASHINGTON LETTER.
TIE TARIFF BILL.
rNTFRNAL REVENUE BILL.
Work of The I07estiga ting Committee.
From our Regular Corespondent)
WASHINGTON, Dec. II, 1908.


WASHINGTON, Dec. II, 1895.
President Cleveland was no mote
disturbed by the seeming discourtesy
of the Senate in adopting resolution,
asking for copies of all State depart.
ment documents relating to Hawaii,
than he was by the senseless clamor
which followed the publication of Sec
retary Gresham's recommendation on
the same subject some weeks ago.
Before the resolution was introduced
he had given orders that all of the
documents be copied for the purpose
of sending them to Congress with the
special message on the subject which
he stated in his annual message would
shortly be sent in. The message and
accompanying documents are all ready
and they will 60 to the Senate this
week, and some of those documents
will not be pleasant reading for repub-
licans, either in or out of Congress
They will show long series of plot
ting that is entirely opposite to what
has always been the recognized for
eign policy of the United States.
Your correspondent had a little
chat with Chairman Wilson concern
ing the tariff bill. He said that the
bill would be reported to the House
this week, probably on Wednesday,
and that he had been agreeably sur.
prised at the weakness of the demo-
cratic opposition to the bill. The
question of submitting the bill to a
democratic caucus is still an open one.
Personally Mr.. Wilson is indifferent,
being perfectly satisfied to leave it to
his democratic colleagues to decide
whether to hold a caucus on the bill
or not. He thinks that the perman-
ent benefit which the bill will carry TO
millions of our people will far out
weigh the hardships that it will tenn
porarily impose on thousands, and
that in the end it will be generally re-
garded as ore of the best tariff laws
ever placed upon our statute books.
He looks for minor changes in the
bill, both in the House and in the
Senate, but not for any changes IN It's
underlying principleS-the welfare OF
the masses rather than that of the fav-
ored few.
The internal revenue bill has not
been entirely completed, but it proba-
bly, will be this week. 1t has been
definitely decided to double the tax
on cigarettes; 10 tax playing cards,
and to tax inheritapces. The income
tax is still undecided, but the proba-
bility is that the tax on net incomes
of corporations, which was first agreed
upon by the committee, will remain in
the bill, the understanding being that
those members of the committee who
favor personal income tax instead
will be at liberty to offer that as a
substitute for the corporation income
tax and leave it to a majority of the
House to decide which, if either OF
them. shall remain in the bill Repre-
sentative Bryan, of Nebraska, who is
recognized as the leader of the demo
Gratis on the Ways and Means com
mittee who favor the personal income
tax, has not abandoned hope of win
ming in the committee. He said on
the subject: "The fact that the cor
poration tax would bear heavily Oh
many people with very limited means,
while the individual tax would be col
lected from the wealthy who escape
taxation in many forms, is having It's
influence. If the tax is levied on in
| dividual incomes the rich will then pay
their proper proportion which they do
not at present and would not under
the corporation tax" A compromise
has been suggested by which both cor
poration and individual incomes will
be taxed.
The first result of the work of the
joint Congressional committee which
has for months been investigating the
methods of the executive departments
Of the government will be seen when
the legislature, executive and judicial
appropriation bill is reported to the
House. That bill will make some
radical changes in several Of the De
partments, all in the interest of econo-
my and more prompt transaction OF
public business Among these charges
will be the adjustment of the posta
note and OF several bureaus Of the
Post Office department, the work oI
which is not considered necessary
This is only the beginning OF the worl,
of the committee, which has three ex-
pert accountants aiding it in locating
! all unnecessary handling OF public ac
counts and duplication OF work. It's
intention is to put the government
business upon the same basis as thai
| of the railroad or other big private
concerns before it gets through, but il
is already hnding it hard task as the
employees Of the useless bureaus ap