Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1895-04-13
MUCH WORRIED
Is the Administration Over the
Income Tax Collection.
The Cabinet Was in Session a Long
Time on Friday.
At Its Close the Commissioner OF Internal
Revenue Is Summoned TO the White
House-The Law May He Suspended
Untu Congress Meets Again.

WASHINGTON, April 10. The deep
anxiety of the administration with re-
gard to the collection of the income
tax, was exhibited Friday in the
length of the cabinet meeting and in
the fact that at its close the commits
sioner of internal revenue was sum
moned to the white house.
Mr.. Miller remained closeted with
the president for over two hours, and
the disputed points in regard to the
methods of collecting the tax were re-
viewed with the utmost care. The diff
ficulties in the way of executing the
law in its present mutilated condition
appear so great that the result of the
conference is understood to have been
practically without result
The suggestion was even made that
there might be no way out of the d.
lemma, except to suspend the opera
ton of the law altogether until congress
assemblies with power to revise it and
restore to it reasonable symmetry.
This possibility is being very serious
ly considered by the president, 1t is
known that Commissioner Miller has
informed him that as the law stands in
its crippled state the expense of max
ing collections, including possible liti-
cation and delays, will be so great as
to neutralize in great degree any
advantages to the revenue which might
follow. Only Sl1, 900 has thus far been
collected.
The necessity for doctoring the law
is urgent, and IL it were not for the
pronounced aversion of the president
to having congress on his hands again
this summer, he would not hesitate to
call an extra session at once.
The urgent need of the treasury for
revenue, however, makes any temper
izing policy out of the question. The
government must have all the money
il can get. and even the diminished
collections of the income tax will be a
godsend, providing, of course, that the
expense of collection and litigation do
not prove too great.
The administration will have from
April Is to June 30 in which to observe
the operations of the law, and in the
two months and a half which remain
of the present fiscal year it will be
plainly demonstrated whether the law
is a complete failure or feeble sue
cess.
President Cleveland has filled out his
income tax blank, and will probably
make his return Saturday. In it he
has included his salary of $4,000 as
chief executive, on which the tax will
be 500, deciding to leave it to the
proper officers to determine whether
the payment of the per cent. assess
ment will be in violation of that pro-
vision of the federal law which says
the compensation of the president shall
not be increased nor diminished during
the term for which he shall have been
elected.
As TO the payment of the tax. Mr..
Cleveland has until the first of July to
do it, and as the constitutional ques-
ton affecting his salary will undoubt-
eddy have been passed on before that
time, the president will wait for the
of the matter.
Private Secretary Thurber was aske d
Friday afternoon whether the presi-
dent would make return to the ollec-
tor of internal revenue for the South
ern District of New York, but Mr.
would give no information on
the subject The tariff law directs
that the income tax shall be paid by
individuals ito the collector or deputy
collector Of the district in which they
reside"
1t is said that Mr.. Cleveland is un-
certain as to whether he should claim
Bay or New York city as his
place of residence. and that for this
reason it is not unlikely that he will
send in his return TO the deputy col
lector in Washington.