The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-08-26
MORE MONEY.
The Increased Philippine Army
win Demand More Revenue.
Present war Taxes wm be Continued
and Perhaps More Bonds Issued.


New York. Aug. pa Washing ton
despatch TO the Tribune says:
| Secretary Gage lie engaged In the task
| OF ascertaintug whence the funds ara tC
come with which to pay the largely In.
creased army recently determined on by
the President and Secretary Root. Thii
increase makes demands on the treasury
that may well cause some concern among
Its chief officials. The receipts of the
Government did not meet the extraordi.
nary expenditures when the army was
smaller, and the problem Of how 60 meet
the cost OF thirty thousand additional
troops gives the Treasury Dspar tmeni
These increased expenditures cannot
even be approximately figured out. Tho
rners question of pay Is easily decided,
but TO this must be added the enormous
expense OF additional transports; the
greatly Increased cost OF adolescence.
" iich, with the army thousands of miles
away, will require the expenditure Of
millions of dollars; the added cost Of new
equipment for thirty thousand men and
the innumerable items that 60 TO make
an effective lighting army, properly
clothed, thoroughly equipped for auty and
well fed; all these things are expensive
and their cost Is more or less oonjectured.
Paymaster General Bates says it would
be Impossible TO give rough Idea of the
cost of regiment or of the military es-
Establishments in the Philippines without
weeks OF careful Investigation OF accounts.
This is now being done for the annual
report OF the secretary, and until definite
figures are known the aymaster generals
department Will not make guess With
plane matured, therefore. that involve ex-
pendisrres running wall mp into nine
figures. Secretary Gage, on whom Il
placed the responsibility of providing
funds, has begun to take his bearings and
prepare to meet these new demands. The
Administration is unwilling TO make an
other bond issue, but IL 1t cannot be
avoided this will be DONE Secretary Ga sc
has ample authority, 1t is asserted, to
issue more bonds for the prosecution of
the war In the Philippines.
1t can te said on the authority of treas :
ury officials who have been giving the
matter careful study for several weeks ,
that the Fifty-sixth Congress will not
lessen the war taxes imposed by the act OF
June 13, 1898. In some quarters the
clamors for a reduction of these taxes has
already begun, but the enormous expsu-
ditlres TO bs incurred In the. next two
years not only forbids curtailment of
these special taxes. but requires an en- :
isrgement OF the general scheme and q
stoppage Of the holes through which those
supposed to have been taxed have escaped.
1t rs become apparent to the revenue
omciais tnat III any adequate Increase In
the revenues Is to be raised it must come
from the further imposition OF stamp
taxes. just where to impose these texss
is the question now bothering those In
charge. For EeverAl weeks data has been
quietly gathered ana recommendations 20
the secretary are being formulated. The
following are some OF the suggestions that
Dud favor among the revenue officials:
The imposition OF a stamp tax on all
patent protected articles. the theory being
that the value of tine artjole is greatly
enhanced by the protection of the patent
laws Of the United States. 1t Is also
proposed to place a stamp tax on all slot
machines IN which there is an element of
chance. Another proposition that has
met with favor at the hands of the Treas
ufy department. Is one TO put a stamp tax
on all firearms, except such as are used
for national, State or municipal purposes.
This would in all probability be pretty
stiff tax, and would yield large revenue.