The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1899-02-18

1899 Give MONTHS. $3.50. 4GS 1851. 800
Thus from July l, 1892, to December /
OF this year, the federal government has
expended over 1894, 600, 900 more than it
has collected from taxation, and its
present state in this respect is far worse
than the first.
War will largely explain the huge
deficit of the fiscal year, 1898; but the
still larger deficit now being piled up,
and amounting to above $4,000, 900 for
the five months since June 30 last, has
been contracted after new sources of
revenue have been tapped to an es-
timated extent CT from SIPS, 100000 to
$l75,O00.00O a year, and under condi-
tions as to army and navy expenses
which now promise TO become perma-
Icnt and which this administration is
striving to make permanent. Since hos
~tilities with Spain were suspended and
half the volunteer army was ~d!sbanded
aud the navy was practically put upon
a peace footing, the monthly deficit has
averaged over $4,000, 900. 1t is now
likely 20 remain Indefinitely at nearly
that figure under present conditions of
taxation and projected policies of I'M
perial domain.
Two great revenue measures have
been enacted within Is months for the
purpose of placing the government on
a revenue-pnying basis. and the govern
ment is as far from that position now
as it ever has been in the six years OF
deficit. 1t is living on borrowed money
to as great OF a greater extent than
ever.
The actual ordinary expenditures Of
the government in the fiscal year 1897
amounted to five dollars per capita tax
of estimated population. The ordinary
expenditures o prevailing are at the
rate of nine dollars per capita of es-
timated population. The actual tax
revenues collected from the people in
1897 amounted TO about $3.50 per capita.
The actual revenues which must be col
lected from the people under the pro-
jected polio les of the Mckinley admins
tIation will amount to nine dollars per
capita yearly. We have been and are
nowpayingourway partly on borrowed
money. But this cannot continue with
out national bankruptcy. The fu!;
measure OF the new fnancial burdens
of the imperia republic is yet to be cur
rently assumed by the people.
When these burdens are fully as.
sumed through current taxation, it will
appear thai the actual federal tax bur
den upon the masses of the people has
been increased by 81 per cent.-that
federal taxes have been nearly doubled
within two years. That is the amazing
record TO be written of Mr.. McKinley's
administration as It is now shaping tn
course Of things.
These fedora! taxesare collected chief
ly from consumption-instead of from
Income or property. They consequently
fall upon the people in nearly equal
weight or amount per individual, and
are collected in unseen ways. If they
were collected by federal fax gdtherers
from door to door, the administration
of MI. Mckinley, under the policies il
has voluntarily and eagerly projected.
would be obliged to send forth its min
lens to collect $45 from each average
family throughout the nation, where
only S24 was being collected when Mr..
Mckinley came into power. The ad-
ministration which undertook that co.,
lection would not live a day beyond the
time in which the people could get at it.
and the imperial policies it was so COM
piacently promoting would be buried
under a furious popular uprising
Springfield (Mass-) Republican.