The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-02-22

manufacturers o. the United States
gave their annual dinner at Delmon-
ic0's tonight. Senator-clect y. 3.
Scott. OF West Virginia. and ex-com-
missioner OF internal revenue. was pre-
sent by special invitation, and respond
ed to the toast, Our Internal Revc-
nue." He spoke In substance as fol-
lows:
Since entering upon the discharge OF
my duties as commissioner OF internal
revenue Ga little more than year ago)
have learned that the Office is n much
older institution than was aware OF.
have secn records OF the Office more
than hundred years old. including let
ters OF Mr.. Tenche Coke. commissioner
OF the revenue. written In 1895 and ad-
dressed 10 certain supervisors OF the
revenue In this vicinity. namely: Ma
thanel Appleton, Of Boston. Mass: John
l.. Dexter, OF Rhode Island: Aaron Dun
ham. Of New Jersey; John Chester, Of
Connecticut. and TO Nicholas Fish. OF
this city, doubtless the ancestor OF
Hamilton Fish. President Grants sec
rctary of state. and OF Hamilton Fish.
Jr.. one Of the heroes of Santiago.
In one of Commissioner Coxe's letters
the question of taxing tobacco and snuff
Is discussed and the proposition Is mad >
rs TO whether II would not he prefera-
bic 10 tax the snuff mills rather than
the snuff itself. II is evident from these
facts that the article OF snuff was even
then of more account than In the time
OF Harry Hotspur. who deridcd the am
bassadO- who gave the contents OF his
pOunCet box 10 his nose.
After the lapse Of more than 4 gen.
Grafton, a period so long that the mem-
Dry OF any taxation by the United
States other than by customs duties had
passed away. and the people had be-
come almost unaware NJ the support
given by them to the general govern
ment. the Internal system of taxation
r"appeared In our history. ut the mo-
ment OF the Country's supreme struggle
for existence as It great and powerful
nation. and Of its resistance To- that dis
iRteSratioR which meant only ultimate
ruin. The people responded as cheer
fully to the financial call upon their
purses as they had done 10 the martial
call to arms.
Men found themselves paying stamp
taxes which they had always associated
with the refusal OF the revolutionary
fathers TO endure them, ana buying IL
cenSes to pursue their daily vOcatIOns.
with which no official had ever mcddlcd
before within their memory. Every ar
ticlc OF luxury and most things Of COM
m0ncst Use soon paid their tribute TO
the treasury.
Magnificent Showing.
,,sg.1 l,,.
the end OF that fiscal year S3S.000. 900
had been collected. although only 2i.-
100000 OF the people We're accessible for
the purpose OF this taxation.
But the collections speedily increased
and In the fiscal year succeeding the
close Of the great civil war reached
the immense sum OF 1910. 1000. 5000. pr
nearly sl.OOO.OOo of each secular day OF
the year. This was "A magnificent show
ing of the resources OF the government
and Of the patriotism and wealth OF the
country.
lu: this vast income exceeded the
wants of the country and successive re-
duCtiOns relieved substantially every
thing but luXurles. and so the rcCOlcc-
tiun of civil strife and the burden IL en-
tailed. gradually faded away together.
Aud now. within Il year, the nation.
confronted by sudden war. this time
with an alien 70" and upon Il foreign
soil, again turns to Its Internal re-
sources 10 furnish the needed supplies
10 maintain its arms and uphold the
cause in which II fought, The response
Of the internal revenue system affords
II fine example of the ease with which
the nations means can he made availa-
Ia II ...l al z1,
extent OF the resources upon which 50
comparatively mOdcrat" II demund re-
turns such Il volume ol supply. From
$40. .O00.000 for the fiscal year OF 1885 we
may confidently look fOr an increase 10
S%1O. 900. 900 for the year now current, Il
great uplift OF tloO 0OO.O .OG0 per annum.
The income OF the United States from
Internal revenue during the past gener-
alton has exceeded $1,000. .OO0. .00O. and by
the close Of the present fiscal year will
have reached the sum OF $3.50, ,O00 600.
The great Increase In recent years In
the quantity OF our manufactures and
the marked improvement In the quality
thereof and the expansion OF our terri
tory warrant the conclusion that our
Internal revenues will hereafter he
mainly relied upon 10 supply the funds
needed for the conduct OF that great
and growing machine known as the
government OF the United States.
Our Manufactures Finest.
The outside world is rapidly finding
out that In many fields our tnHnuffC-
lures are the finest. l know to-day us
Il practical glass manufacturer that we
make the best glass In the world. and
you know that for many years the prod
~ hs, la.
more artIstically manipulated here than
anywhere else. and now that we have
Cuba, to whom we have so lately lent
n helping hand. for our friend and ally
and have secured by one grand stroke
the Philippines for our very own, ""
Will soon have Abundance Of the finest
tobacco In tn" world to manufacture.
And this brings me 10 the second Of my
two reasons why relative To the internal
revenue the tariff is losing ground and
wilt continue to lose ground as Il rev
cnuc producer.
Many years ago u great statesman,
the governor OF your state ami after
wards Linculn'S great premier. dream
ed II dream which lie called Manifest
dcs,iny"-a dream that this country
would extend westward until It covered
the world with Its bcnc:iccnt instliu-
tions.
As in the one grand stroke referred to
We obtained Il scope Or territory that
would more than cover our original
thirteen states and tenming with pop
ulDiIun three times m great. and ~ we
had already acquired our great Pacific
slope possessions. including Alaska and
Hawaii. Il does look rs though the Gus
tnmg revenue bids fair iu fail ere long
by reason of the simple fact that there
win be nu foreign country TO Import
from. Then. indeed. viii no pcnt-up
Utica contract our powcrs-for the
w.