The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-05-18
MADE GOOD PROGRESS.
Senate Getting Along With War
Revenue Dill.
MIR. JONES PRESENTS VIEWS OF
DEMOCRATIC MEMBERS.

He Opposed the Proposition to Issue Bonds
| or Certificates of Indebtedness on
| Ground that Expenses Should BE Paid
| as War Progressed.
| Washington, May 17.-Considerable pro-
gress was made by the Senate today in
considering the war revenue measures.
Mr. Jones Of Arkansas presented the views
of the Democratic members of e..fnance
| committee. He maintained that the taxes
imposed by the bill ought to be levied
upon property and not consumption !;
that the policy of the Republican party
always had been to impose taxes upon
consumption, while that of the Demo-
cratic party was to impose itaupon proper
ty. He believed that taxation which would
raise $3.50, 900, COO, would be amply suffic-
lent to be carried by this bill and he felt
that if the exigencies of the war should
demonstrate that more money was need
Ell. Congress could provide it later. He
opposed the proposition to issue bonds
and certificates of INDEBTEDNESS far in ex-
cess of the requirements of the war an
held that the expenses should be paid by
| the government as the war progressed.
| The Senate's chaplain in his invocation
at the opening Of the session today, paid
| tribute to those who suffer. at home
through horrors of war.
Mr.. Hale, chairman OF the commlgtee
on naval affairs, offered the following
resolution, which was agreed to:
| "That the temporary appolntments
made by the President on and after April
FL, 1898, and up to the date OF the pas.
sage Of this joint resolution. OF officers OF
the line and staff of the navy arc hereby
ratified and confirmed to continue In
force during the exigency under which
| their servi3es are required in the existing
war. Provided that the officers so ap-
pointed shall be assigned to duty with
rank and pay of the grades established by
the appropriation pay of the navy"
| A bill was reported from the military
affairs comm ittee by Mr.. Carter of Mon
tana and passed, providing that the pay
and allowance of the volunteers enlisted
| in the United States army shall begin on
| the day of their enrolment at the state
camps with q proviso that volunteer
!
| one month pay in advance. 1t was ex-
! planned that the bill applied only to those
who had as volunteers entered the Unit
| ed States army.
On motion Of Mr.. Allison of Iowa, con.
sideration of the war measure was re-
sumed, Mr.. Jones of Arkansas taking
| the floor.
Mr.. Jones said that he doubted whether
| there was a man in the Senate who was
not ready to vote all the money and taxes
| necessary to carry on the present war.
| He would not perform his duty, he thought,
| If he should vots for too much money.
The problem now presented was how
much money is needed.
Mr.. Jones called attention to the state.
ment of Secretary of the Treasury Gage
that the additional expenses of the war,
over and above the current expenses of
the government would be about $25, O00,-
900 d month, a total of perhaps $500, 600, :
900 year. Secretary Alger has informed
the finance committee that the extraordi-
would be about $3.50, 600 He thought
this amount sufficiently liberal.
Secretary Long had presented to the
committee a carefully preparedi statement
showing that the war expenses of his de-
partment would be about S75, zoe, 900.
Allowing Sl5, 100000 for extra expenses
the full amount needed by the estimates
I Oh CaDlQGG OlllC6ES WAS, dCCCOFuluS W las
| figures, in the neighborhood of $40, 000
| 900. This amount was of course in ad-
dition to the ordinary expenses of the
government.
Mr.. Hale challenged this statement de-
claring that the S75, 600, 900 referred to, in
the statement of Secretary Long, did not
| include the amount carried by the naval
appropriation for the present war and It
did not include either about $40. GOO, 600
which would be included in the general
deficiency bill He was satisfied that the
amount the war would cost the navy de-
partment would not be far from $130, 000,-
900 from the present time until the first
Of July, 1899.
Mr.. Allison called attention to the fact
that he made that point clear in his
statement yesterday. Mr.. Jones main
tanned that 1t was entirely unnecessary
for all of the expenses Of the existing
war to be provided for in the pending
bill. Congress would return here in De-
cember next and il the emergency re-
quired it's presence, it could be called to.
gether by the President sooner than that.
Mr.. Jones did not approve at all of the
bill as it came from the House OF Repre-
sentatives. His figures, from the hest at
tainable estimate, he said, indicated that
| the expenses of the war during the next
year would not be more than $40, 0O0,-
| 600, yet advocates of the pending bill pro-
posed to place at the disposal OF the gov
eminent more than three times that sum
| through taxation and the issue Of bonds
Mr.. Jones declared that every feature OF
| the bill was tax on consumption. The
stamp tax was one of the most onerous
and vexatious forms of taxation ever
devised. The tax upon tobacco and upon
beer was tax on consumption. In re-
| Spouse to an inquiry from Mr.. Aldrich,
Mr.. Jones said that he did pot believe
any man could determine how and upon
whom the beer tax would fall.
"We on this side," said he, "believe,
however, that the taxes levied, ought to
rest upon property while tie bill pending
| increases the taxes on consumption, 81