The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-12-26
THE REPUBLICAN DILEMMA.

The present Republican House OF
Representative would doubtless like tc
| find some excuse for tariff legislation
Tariff legislation which would raise
tariff rates, and yet stop some what
short of the Mckinley high tariff. But
the Republicans in the House evident
ly regard both the subject of tariff leg
islation and the time for at
tempting it as surrounded with very
great difficulties. They cannot forget
the fact of course that their action in
Congress upon this subject will have
an important bearing on the pending
presidential election. The present tariff
law. owing to the Senate amendments
to the House bill, and the inability of
the House to force further reductions
of tariff rates than those Senate
amendments provided for, is already a
highly protective tariff law. Doubt
less the most agreeable thing for the
Republican House to do would be to
restore the Mckinley law; but they re-
member the country very enhatically
repudiated that infanly Of tariff legis-
lation that goes by the name of Nc
Kinleyism. and Republicans dare not
again brook popular displeasure on that
issue. Yet most Of the Republicans in
the House think they were elected to
give the country a more highly pro-
tective tariff law and therefore they
cannot in good conscience adopt Mr..
Reeds do-nothing- policy. They seem
equally afraid to advance or stand
still.
In this dilemma they turn to raising
enue of the government. They seem
inclined to abandon the principle of pro-
lection for projections sake and turn
to drawing tariff bills on revenue lines.
They insist that the government reve-
nues are below the expenditures, and
therefore the thing to do is to raise the
tariff rates. When the Republicans
passed the Mckinley law they raised
the tariff rates in order to reduce the
revenuesi The title of the Mckinley
bill is: can act to reduce the revenues
and equalize duties on imports etc
But your new Republican heraldry is
to raise tariff to increase the revenuesi
1t is true that at present the expenses
of the government are in excess of
the revenues. At the end of the last
fiscal year-June 80, 1S95-the expenses
of the government We're in excess of
its revenues, in round numbers, S43.-
100000. This deficit largely grew out of
the fact that the income tax law was
declared unconstitutional 1t is esti-
mated that by the failure of that
law the government was de-
prived of about forty millions of doll
ars; which with a decrease of about
three millions of dollars from the inter
nal revenue, accounts for the said de-
felt. Notwithstanding the loss of rev.
enue to the government by reason of
the income tax law being declared I'M
Mr.. Carlisle gives assur-
ance that by the end of the present fis-
cal year the deficit between expendi-
lures and revenue will not exceed ST.
Co., 600; and after making all due al
lowance for the probable increase in
expenses, ne expresses the
belief that with a complete
return to normal business conditions
of the country, and proper legislative
and executive supervision over expend-
itures, the revenue laws now in force
will in his opinion, yield ample means
for the support of the public service
upon the basis now established; and
upon the assumption, which seems to
be justified. that the progress now be-
ing made toward the restoration of our
usual state of prosperity will continue
without serious interruption, it is esti-
mated that there will be a surplus of
nearly 81 coo during the fiscal year
1897.
The report of Secretary Carlisle
Shows the cash balance in the treasury
on the first day of December, 1895, to
be '.S177, 406, 1852, being SOS, 072. 420.30 in
excess of the actual gold reserve on
that day and SIT, 4O6, 1852 in access of |
any sum that it would be necessary to
use for replenishfng that fund in case
the Secretary should ct any time be
able to exchange currency for gold"
With a cash balance on hand of $685. !
100000 aVallable 10 meet the current eA-
penses of the government, and with the !
revenues under the present tariff law |
gradually but surely gaining upon the
and promising to run
ahead of them by seven million dol |
lars at the close of the fiscal year
1867, we can scarcely see the necessity
FOR increasing taxation on account of
5he revenues of the government But
,ur Republican friends in Congress are
N a. dilemma, and doubtless think that
1ariff tinkering under the plea Of rails
ng revenue is the easiest way out of
I.