The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1895-12-06
SPIRIT OF Thu PRESS.


The New York Herald says: "A dis
patch from Vienna saws that the great Eu-
ropean powers are i'll perfect accord on
general principles as to what ought to be
done in regard to Turkey, but that they
differ in details. The differences are I'M
doubtedly very great, and these differences
or dissensions or the reason why the Sui
tan is lust now saved the int1iction of hav
ing a fleet of English, French, Italian,
Greek, Austrian and Russian ships anchor
ed in front of his palaces on the Bosphorus.
There is really no good reason why eX-
ira guard ships or ships of war should pass
through the Dardanelles to Constantine
pie at the present moment, for the reason
that the riots there have ceased. Nor is it
absolutely necessary that English warships
should 90 through the straits to protect
her missionaries on the southern shore of
the Black sea. Russia has a fleet on hand
quite large enough to take care of all the
Christians in Armenia, and she could safe
ly be intrustcd with the task. If the Eu-
ropean powers would not agree to this,
they could ask the Sultan to permit our
own cruisers to enter the Black sea for the
purpose, and thus save Europe the trouble
and expense.
England who has so persistently insis-
ted on Russian warships being cooped up
il the Black sea and having the Darda-
nelles closed to her, now finds herself
caught in her own trap. Her first attempt
to send war vessel through the straits
might possibly be met by response from
Russia that would startle the world"
WHAT CONGRESS SHOULD DO.
Harper's Weekly says: No one denies
that the Government should have revenue
sufficient to meet its necessary eXpendi-
lures. No one will deny that experience
proves that revenues, whether from in
ternal or customs taxation, tend to increase
by the mere weight of population and the
growth of wealth. The margin between
revenue and expenditure is now so narrow
that another year under the existing laws
should cover it and again give the Treasury
small surplus. Why, then, impose new
| taxes? All that is needed is some means,
readily applied, for meeting temporary
| deficit The Treasury is not in the posi-
| ton of an individual 1t has no assets on
which it can raise a short-term loan. A
large propertyholder, it cannot pledge a
building, a plot of land, IA ship, or any
form of its property. Nor can it pay interest
| for a temporary loan. because there is no
| law making provision for such interest
On one occasion Treasurer Jordan eX-
| changed with the banks six millions of
| fractional coin for like sum in gold. the
silver being in fact worth. in bullion, only
| four millions. But such a transaction was
| exceptional, and could not now be repeat
ed. 1t emphasizes, however, the power
| lessness of the Government to meet a
contingency by any other means than the
! existing laws permit-the sale of long
time bonds at comparatively high rates of
interest. The power to negotiate a
temporary loan when needed is not capa-
| BILE of abuse, for publicity controls every
| operation of the Treasury. SO long as
| there is a surplus the power will not be
used, and when deficit impends it offers
| ready instrument of checking the usual
| concomtant of deficit, financial unrest
| and business disturbance. This is a matter
which takes precedence of any scheme for
| increase in taxes, for it will bring us one
step nearer a rational and permanent
| system of government finance