The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1897-03-17
REVIEWS DINGLEY BILL.
TX POSTW1STER GENERAL WIL-
SONS OPINION or THE MEIsURE.
lie Declares 1t is Glass Taxation-Why
Harrison Did Not Find Deficiency,
All for Private Pocket.

day has the following letter.
Washington, d. c.. March Is, 1891.
TO the Editor Of the Herald:
on the Gth of October, 1890 when the
Treasury statement showed a surplus rev.
enue Tor the fiscal year ending June 80,
OF SSJ.O0O.O0O a tarin bill went into opera
ton under tho title, "A BIZ TO Reduce the
Revenue and Equallze Duties Oh Imports
and for Other Purpose In January,
1891, when a. statement for the fiscal year
ending June 80 1876. shows deficiency IN
revenue OF over S2J,ocV,QoV, certain to be
very much greater for the current year.
tarin bill Is INTRODUCED under the utle' a
Bill 10 Provide Revenue for the Govern
meut ana TO Encourage tie Industries Of
the United states"
These bills are so nearly identical in
general structure and particular items,
excepting as to tho sugar schedule that
it may be we'll TO consider the effect OF
the nrst bill on the revenue OF the coun-
trv. Both bills are vast AM yo.umlnous
scuomes Ct class taxation, the production
OF public revenue being an incident and
entirely subordinate 10 the purpose OF
taxing an the American people ior The
benefit for small part OF the people.
THE PROTECTIONlSTS ONE REM
EDY.
The protectionist has but one remeds
which he applies whether the revenue
be redundant or deficient. II times are
PROSPEROUS and more money than
needed pours into the Treasury. hc in.
crcasos taxes ly scheme that turns TOD
larger part Of their ayails into private
pockets. and this reduces public revenue
n times are depressed. and less none
than is needed pOurs into the Treasury.
he soi1es tho preteXt of increasing PUBLIC
revenues Bog adding enormously ID Tho
amount OF private cXaction. Any tax
that passes directly. and i5 controlled
ny some favorite interest from the tax.
payer 90 the Government is an abomind.
zion which DO VIII never permit ir
can Help it 90 remain upon tile statute
Loca.
ile act o. 1890 whatever its other Of
fects. diu reduce revenue. From a lara,
surplus, II swept us headlong 10 de-
neicnoy although 10 weighted the peo-
Die with heavier taxes. and although
another law, passed in July. 1890 turned
into the Treasury as part Of the general
assets, 10 bee used for paying enpendi-
lures. q trust fund OF more than my
four million dollars. which belonged 10
the national banks. and had always been
held for the redemption OF their notes.
ADDED TO THE BALANCE.
Even before the Harrison admin.stra-
ton ended. We should have been confront
cd with q large deficiency but for the
use of this trust fund and the further
fact that Secretary Foster by chang
of bookkeeping. added TO the Treasury
balance twenty millions OF token and
subsidiary coin. not before treated as a
Treasury asset. With these eNtraordl-
nary additions. even we wound up the
fiscal year, June so. 1893. with surplus
OF only S2.38l. Ga as against surplus Tor
the fiscal year. Ju.c go. 1850. OF over
$4,000 600. before the above trust iuno
and subsidiary coin We're touched. And
during the fiscal year ended June 81.
lsH, through an " which the Mckinley
bill was i'm force. expenditures exceeded
the revenues TO tho amount OF SO slJ, -1J.
Notwithstanding the fact that the eN-
pendituios of the Government Were
49, ga Jess than In the preceding Year.
ibis statement shows how absurd and
cIoundlees BIS the claim constantly made
hy the protcetionists that recent deficits
in revenue are due 90 the substitution
OF the existing tariff for the Mckinley
nll. Nothing is more certain Than that
II the bin bad been in force during tie
last three years tho annual deficit woulc
have been immensely swollen while tive
people ln season of depression and
hard times would have staggered under
much heavier burdens of taxation. Even
100 this disastrous period customs duties
under the existing law have increased
from less than Si22 00000. il 1894. the
last year OF tns Mckinley biil TO eyer
55200O.0 in 1896 and 90 oyer $6lm9y1
i'm 1895. ln the sugar schedule alone the
balance in favor of the existing law Is
about $-5.0o0o00 The customs revenue
reached nearly 10000 900. scarcely any ~
which would have been receivable under
| the Mckinley Din. and under that bin We
would have Teen paying $i5gog9 in
bonds.
NEED 40 NEW TAXES
with the accumulated moneys in the
| Treasury We really need no new imposi-
tion OF taxes ON the people 10 conduct
us 10 sufficient revenue or even a COM
Portable surplus If We will only invite
| back prosperity by giving stability "a
| business and reduce expenditures 10y a
few obvious reforms. I'm the Postohicc
| Department alone q saving OF from ten
90 twenty millions annually can be made
| hy a few simple improvements I'm tho
! business organization of the department
and q Withdrawal of facilities which tho
! postal service was never intended 10 pro
| vide and which force it TO do two-thirds
| Of IFS work for less than one-thirtieth OF
| its income.
Rut ~ it be deemed necessary to IN
| crease the customs income of the Gov
eminent by new sources of revenue. q
emit. .Fn
| crude opium viii accomplish that result
easily and surely with no upsetting OF
business no lessening of our growing ant
most promising export of manufactures
and with no added burdens on production
which always fall with enhanced we CHI
on the consumer with no ranking sens,
OF injustice among the people from III.
| feeling that the larger part of the taXe'
they pay are for the benefit. not OF thcil
| Government, but of the corporate and
| consolidated wealth that invariably
! writes the schedules Of a protection tariff
That the Dlngley bill, present condition
considered. Is the most ultra protectiv,
tariff ever proposed to be enacted in thi.
country plainly appears from Chairman
! Dingley's statement that IL levied on thu
| importat.ons OF the last fiscal year Il
would have increased tho revenue SIP
0l0 600: that is 10 say, It would hay,
gathered from am importation OF s7l5,
14 26l OF imported merchandise the enor
| nous sum or S272 600 O00 which IS nearly
fifty millions more than any Gus
toms revenue ever collected il
one year In this country I'm The
! past. And 10 say that its rates wifi
probably check dutiable imports 10 IN.
extent Of reducing tne estimate 10 so.
nln 90 Is ONLY anofhnr WV Of swing thu