St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-06-27
EDWARD ATKINsoN's PLAN.

EDWARD ATKINSON is a man whose
well-earned reputation as a tinaneier
and stati5tician antilles his opinions to
respectful consideration. He is not
alone a student of economies. but he is
practical man of affairs, OF large bust
ness experience as manufacturer, and
of late years in insurance. Sentiment
has small place in his makeup. He is
pre-eminently practical man. To this
is due the fact that while he is thorough
paced free trader he lacks the impetuos-
ity of others who. seeing the wrong eX-
listing and the benefits to come, would
sweep away distractions with scant
consideration. and makes HIM admit
that the path to free trade must be a
gradually travelled one.
Following his recent article on the
treatment OF the pension problem, he
gives the country his conception Of the
proper fiscal policy to adopt, which
would, as he says, make free trade the
objective point at distance of ten or
twenty years, and make the beginning
of the movement toward it upon so
sound and sure a basis as to secure the
active support or tacit assent of reason
able men of both political parties"
The first step is the removal to the
tree list of all those articles now taxed
which are the raw material of the great
industries, either absolutely raw or
relatively such, to be accompanied at an
interval of few months, to permit the
manufacturers to work Off accumula-
lions of stock made under present con-
ditions, by reduction OH the manu-
featured articles commensurate with
the release of taxes on materials. AS
in his former article, he finds the main
obstacle IN the way of reform the pen
sion expenditures, and he repeats his
suggestion of considering the first pay
ments, which cover arrearages, as a
debt to be met by certificates of indebt-
edness bearing low rate of inter est
and redeemable at will. If this is done.
he sees no financial difficulty in the
way.
He would increase the revenues to
cover any present deficit by an increase
OF the tax on beer to double its present
amount, or to 50 barrel, viii CHI would
give from $50, 100000 to $50, ZOO, 900 rev.
enue. This tax. unlike those proposed
on coffee, tea and sugar, is not only a
small and almost inappreciable tax, but
tits a voluntary tax which no man need
pay unless he wish to. With his talent for
detail, he shows that the present tax is
q per cent on a half pint of beer retailed
at five cents, or Gne-tiftll OF cent, and
! if the tax were doubled it would be but
! s per cent, or less than half a cent on
! each half-plnt retailed.
No free trader expects that the gov
ernmentS will cease TO make the bibu-
| lous habits Of men bear Il share OF th &
public burden. and, while considering
| anv tax on consumption as wrong In
| principle, they find in the absence of
| compulsioa, in the entire freedom &c
pay or not 20 pay taxes OH liquors, as
! the citizen himself elects, compensation
| for the violation Of their fundamental
j principle. Mr.. HARrER, when asked
| by Republican in congress how he
! would provide revenue if we had free
trade, submitted a statement in which
! he showed that it was feasible for the
expenses of the federal goyerpmenteve
on its present scale of expenditure, &c
/! be defrayed by excise taxes alone.