The Coconino weekly sun. [volume] (Flagstaff, Ariz.) 1891-1896, 1895-12-26
SILENT ON THE REVENUE.
The Presidents Message Avoided tho Most
ImDortant Point.

The Presidents Message Avoided the Most
Important Point
At the time of the enactment OF the
Wilson-G orman tariff law now in force,
President Cleveland denounced it as al
together unsatisfactory, and as involv-
ing party peridy and party dishonor."
In the message recently read to congress
ne applauds that tariff as positively ben
eficent.
The present tariff has been in opera
ton for period of Is months. Invent
into effect under exceptionally favora-
BILE conditions. In the expectation Of
large reductions of duties under the
new law, merchants had imported only
such amount of dutiable goods as were
absolutely necessary, and the result
was that when the Wilson-Gorman act
became law there were enormous i'm
portations, and, according to the prom
ises of it's trainers, there ought to have
been great increase in customs re-
ceipts. But instead of this there was
a falling off in revenue. Under the first
Is months of the Mckinley law the re-
ceipts were $45l, 299 POI, and under the
last IS months, $500, 661, 800, while dur
ing the same period under the present
law the receipts were S373,19G,64s.
There have been only two months in the
entire history of this law in which it
did not produce 4 regular monthly def
cit. The total deficit, including both
internal revenue and customs receipts,
has been approximately, $72,000,C0o.
This is the result of a law which Mr..
Cleveland commends in contrast with
the Mckinley law, which produced not
only sufficient revenue to meet all the
expenses of the government, but also q
handsome surplus.
The expenditures of the government
under the present administration have
exceeded the receipts by Sl27.927,2 54.
During the same period the bonded in
debtedness has been increased 10y S162,-
315, 400, ostensibly for the purpose of
preserving the greenback redemption
fund. The estimated expenditures sub
mitted in the annual book of estimates
for 1897 show an increase over the esti-
mates for 1896 of more than SIC, 800, 900,
and nearly S21 100000 over the appro-
priations made by the last congress for
the current year. The supreme ques-
ton of the hour is as to how the grave
financial emergency thus presented
shall be met-how revenue adequate to
the needs of the government shall be
provided? But as to this matter of
dominant national concern Mr.. Cleve-
land makes no suggestion whatever.
From the beginning to the end of his
message not one word of recommended
ton is offered concerning it.
But amazing as this omission on the
part of the president certainly is, it is
not more astonishing than his refusal
to recognize plain and obvious facts
when they conflict with his personal
opinions. Thus. in face of the figures
showing that the Mckinley tariff pro-
duced ample revenue for all the pur-
poses of government, he declares that it
was inefficient" for that purpose.
Then, with the same persistent con-
tempt Of the truth of history, he
charges all the industrial depression
and distress, the monetary derange-
ments and the embarrassments of the
treasury, of the last two years or more,
to the greenbacks and treasury notes!
1t has often been claimed for Mr.. Cleve-
land that he is man of courage. If
obstinate adherence TO opinions which
have nothing in reason or fact to sup
port them is an evidence of courageous
character. then the presidents intrep-
idity is undoubted. But to most people
his treatment of the financial and in
dustrial questions will, we suspect, be
regarded as neither honest nor coura-
geous. 1t displays rather the audacity
OF the arrogant and headstrong man
who believes himself to be the one wise
man in all the world.-Leslie's Weekly,
1.-THE belated and disappointing re-
port of the secretary of the treasury
shows perfect accord between Mr.. Car
Isle and President Cleveland, not only
as to the ills that affiict the treasury
but also as to the final and only COM
plete remedy for them. The secretary
also upholds the president in the asser-
ton that spasmodic and menacing ex-
haustion of the gold reserve is not due
to decline in income from customs re-
ceipts or any other source, and he main
tains that, although there will be def
icit Of $4,000 for the current fscal
year, next year there will be surplus
of nearly $1,000 OOO Unfortunately
Mr.. Carlisle's sanguine former prophecy
on this head has not been fulfilleti.-
Chicago Times.Herald,