Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1897-03-15
Presidents Message.
GSpecisl to the Gazette. |

EcSlucuLS WlCSSttSc.
Special to the Gazette
WASHINGTON, March 15.-Une1-
pectedly the Presidents message was
sent to Congress at 3:15 this evening.
1t is full of statistics about the deficit
in the revenue and recommends the i'm
mediate enactment of tariff bill to
raise the requisite amount. No refer.
ence is made to the Cuban or to any
other foreign or domestic question.
The following is the full text of the
message:
To the Congress of the Uni
ted States: Regretting the neces-
sity which has required me TO call
you together 1 feel that your as
sembling in extraordinary session is
indispensable, because of the con-
dition in which we find the reve-
nues of the government. It is con-
ceeded that its annual expenditures
are greater than its receipts, and that
such condition has existed for more
than three years. With unlimited
means at our command we are present
ing the remarkable spectacle of increas-
ing our public debt by borrowing
money to meet the ordinary outlay in
cdent upon even an economi
cal and prudent administration
of the government, and an examination
O the subject discloses this fact in eve y
DETAIL and leads inevitably to the con-
clusion that the condition of the reve.
nue. which allows it, is upjustitiable and
should be corrected. We find by the
report of the Secretary of the Treasury
that the revenue for the fiscal year en-
ded June so, 1892, from all sources
were $425, SOS, $50, and the ex-
penditures for all purposes were S4l5,-
953, SOC 56, leaving an excess of receipts
over expenditures Of $9, 914 1853 66. Dur
ing that fiscal year $40, $40, 4679S were
paid upon the public debt, which has
been reduced since March l, 1889,
$3.50, 076 $50 and the annual intert st
charge decreased 81, 1854 $500. For
the first half of the present
fiscal year the receipts of the
government, exclusive of postal
revenue, were $157 ,507 ,603.76 and its
expenditures, exclusive of postal SER
vice, $195, 410,00O.22, or an excess of
expenditures over receipts of $37 ,902,-
1856, "a. For January of this year the re-
cepts were exclusive of postal reve-
nue., S24, 316. 99405 and the expend-
lures, exclusive of postal service,
$50, 269, 3S9. 90, deficit of S., 952 1895 "a
for the month. In February of this
year the receipts, exclusive of postal
revenue, were S24, 400, 997.3S, and
expenditures, exclusive of postal
service, were SOS, 796 056.66, deficit of
81 ,395 ,059.2S, or total deficit of $780,
060,5S044. For the years and S
months, ending March L, 1897, not only
are we without surplus in the treas.
ury, but with an increase in
the public debt. There has been
q corresponding increase in the amount
of interest charged from 500, 1898, 1888 20.
In 1892 the lowest of any year since
1862, S34 ,3S7 ,297 60. In 1896 an in.
crease of $11 ,493, Ala 40. 1t may be
urged that even if the revenue of the
government had been sufficient to meet
all its ordinary expenses during the last
three years the gold reserve would
still have been insufficient to meet
the demands upon it and that bonds
would necessarily have been is
sued for its repletion. Be this
as it may it is clearly without
denying or affirming the correct
ness of such a conclusion that the
debt would have decreased in at least
the amount of the deficiency and
business confidence immeasurably
strengthened throughout the coun-
try. Congress should promptly
correct the existing condition.
Ample revenues must be supplied
not only for the ordinary ex-
penses of the government, but for the
present payment of liberal pensions
and the liquidation of the principal and
interest of the public debt. In raising
revenue duties should be so levied
upon foreign products so as
to preserve the home market as
far as possible to our own producers; to
revive and increase manufactures; to re-
lieve and encourage agriculture; to
increase our domestic and foreign
commerce; to aid and develop mining
and building and to render to labor
in every field of useful occupation liber-
al wages and adequate revenue to which
skill and industry are justly entitled.
The necessity of the passage Of a
tariff law which should provide am
pie revenue need not be further ar
gued. The imperative demand of
the hour is the prompt enactment of
such a measure and to this
object l earnestly recommend that
Congress should make every en-
deavor Before other business is
transacted let US first provide sufficient
revenue to faithfully administer the
government without the contracting of
further debt or the continued disturb
ance of our finances.