New-York tribune., 1894-04-22
iBY CABLE TO THE TRIsrN1
Copyright. 1884,: BY The Tribune AmocistionJ

to the House Of Commons on Monday is to create
the reputation Of Sir William Harcourt fin-
ancler. Heretofore he has been thought an anna
teur. Now he takes his place among the ex-
perts. His opponents. whatever they may think
Of his new schemes Of taxation, frankly admit
that they are the work of a man who under
stands finance In the large sense. He had def
icit for the 'ent year Of about 225oOoOo TO
provide for. 1t announced beforehand that
he would find the money by democratic
Budget and this prediction has been amply full
filed. Democratic, in the mouths Of English
Radicals, bears, when applied to finance, mean
ing not very remote from coniscaton. what
gratifes the Conservatives is the fact that tho
discrimination against the rich and the moder-
ately well-off is less than they feared.
Sir William to begin with, gets rid Of nearly
half his deficit by approprlating what he calls
the new sinking fund This he did with splendid
audacity, after rebuk!ng Mr.. Goschen for touch
ing moneys set apart for the redemption OF the
debt 1t appears that II you lay hands on one
sort of sinking fund to meet current expenditure,
you are little better than highway robber; II
you avail yourself OF another Sort you are per-
forming a patriotic duty. Both sorts have the
same degree OF financial sanctity. The distinc-
ton Is established by calling one old, the other
new Another million of deficit is met by new
death duties. The duties or land and the duties
on personal property are first equaizsd. and then
graduated. The duty begins at one per cent on
estates from $500 to $500; is fixed at two per
cent from $500 to $1,000; three per cent from
$4,000 to $4,000; four per cent from s5oOOo TO
sl2J 900; then an increase of one-half per cent
for each si25 900 up to $500 900; and by rreSu-
lar and arbitrary gradations till you reach So,-
900 OO0 Estates over that amount pay eight per
cent.
The Socialists hail this an affirmation OF
their own principles. The principle OF gradua-
ton had. however. been long since established In
the income tax. and is now still further EXTENDED
in the new scale fixed for that iniquitous i'm
post. The present income tax is seven pence In
the pound 1t Is now raised TO eight pence, or
about three and one-quarter per cent on eacn
fully taxed income. But here. again, "democ-
racy" steps in incomes under $500 will pay no
! tax The present limit OF exemption Is 900.
! The abatement on incomes between $500 and
| 5000 Is raised from $500 to $500. Incomes be-
tween $1,000 and 81, 800 allowed an abatement
of $500 All incomes over $500 pay the full tax
Of three and one-quarter per cent
The effect OF this is remarkable. The extra
penny now put would normally produce about
81. 900 600 The abatements absorb all but slooo'"
O00 II comes to this, therefore, that IN order
70 obtain sl,65O000, which will be the net prod
uce Of the extra penny, tax Of s9,oOo,0Oo1s lew
tod. and IN order to relieve incomes under $500,
the nossessors OF incomes exceeding $500 are
taxed the enormous sum Of s,550,0Oo. To put
II in another way the whole s9,OOoOoo. less
$3.50 900 comes out OF the pockets OF taxpayers
whose incomes exceed $500 This, OF course.
Laws m, full burden on all professional incomes
which Mr. Gladstone long since admitted ought
10 be exempt Il is democratic" finance with
! 10 In
every man .hould not pay in proportion TO his
means. nor why the State should adjust its tax
alton on eleemosynary principles or sentiments.
nor why I'm time OF peace there should be any
income tax at all.
Lastly comes the increase on beer and spirit
duties estimated at S. 1000 900; sixpence per gall
lon on spirits sixpence per barrel on beer. The
outcry was instantaneous. Ireland and Scotland
protested in the interests Of whiskey. The Eng
lish workingman perceived that his beer would
be either dearer weaker and he too protested
Sir William Harcourt promptly climbed down. or
half way down, limiting the new tax to single
year Nothing is more liltSy to damage gov
ernment than the hostility of powerful trades.
reinforced by the workingmans grumbe. Even
now there is thought to be danger.
The Budget once launched. an Irish week fol"
lowed in the House of Commons, ending with the
really important and long-expectei bill for tha
relief Of evicted tenants in Ireland. II must be
called important even II II be destined. like the
repeal OF the Crimes act by majority OF sixty,
and so many other interesting measures 10 fail
ure by the lapse OF time which is called obstruc-
tion or by rejection in the House Of Lords.
which the Radicals now prefer to speak Of as =
veto. The Radicals have strong preference for
an unscientihc nomenclature. 1t exposes them to
fewer contradictions.
The Evicted Tenants bill was introduced on
Thursday by Mr. John Morley. in a speech of
studious moderation and Of as much clearness as
the complicated provisions Of his proposal would
| permit It is a bill for setting up more Land
| Court in Ireland or. as Mr. Morley prefers to
saw Board Of Arbitrators. He speaks Of them
as constituting a neutral body, which rather
makes one wonder where he expects find
| them Any tenant who has been evicted since
1879 may apply TO this court. The court will.
II there be no new tenant in possession. and II
the Old one makes out a prima facie case. issue
a conditional order for his reinstatement. The
landlord will then be notified. II he does not
object the order becomes absolute. II he does
object the case will be tried out before the
Board II they think the landlord has been ''un-
reasonable" they may put the tenant back al the
old rent allowing the landlord two years ar
rears and no more. whereof the tenant shall pay
one-halr and the State one-haf. Then the old
rent. though judiciay settled for fifteen years.
may be revised The landlord, however. may re-
ouire the tenant to purchase his holding outright
II he will not all proceedings fall to the ground
and the tenant stays out. He has no further
remedy II he does purchase. or II he goes back
as a tenant he may have, II needed. a grant OF
$3.50 to rebuild his house. 1t is safe to say there
will not be many cases In which this urgent
need will not occur.
Then comes the large class Of which
have always been thought to constitute the cruz
OF any conceivable evicted tenants bill, the cases
where the land has been taken by new tenant