The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1899-08-24
PAYMENT OF
INCREASED ARMY
-
Treasury Officials Concerned
Over Meeting Expense.
MILLIONS ARE NEEDED
Bonds May Be Issued snd Additional
War Taxes Imposed Proposal
TAX SloI Machines.

Secretary Gage 10 engaged In the
task OF ascertaining whence the funds
are 10 come to pay the largely In
creased army recently determined upon
by the president and Secretary Root
This increase makes demands upon the
treasury that may well cause some
concern among It's chief officials. The
receipts OF the government did not
meet the extraordinary expenditures
when the army was smaller and the
| problem Of how 20 meet the cost Of
$1,000 additional troops gives the
treasury department some uneaaincss.
These increased expenditures cannot
even be approximately figured out,
The mere question OF pay In easily de-
eided. but to this must be added the
enormous expense OF additional trans
purtatlon. the cost Of subsistence
which. with the army thousands Of
miles away, will require the expendi-
turr OF millions Of dollars. the added
cost Of new equipment for $1,000 men
and the innumerablc Items that 20 to
make an effective lighting army. prop
erly clothed. thoroughly equipped FOR
duty and well fed, all these things are
expensive and their cost Is more or
less conlcctural, Paymaster General
Bates says It would be impossible to
give "a rough idea Of the cost OF regi-
mrnt or of the military establishment
In the Philippines without weeks OF
careful investigation OF accounts. This
is now being done for the annual re-
port Of the secretary and until definite
figures are known. the paymastor gem
erals department will not make
guess.
With plans ma;ured, therefore. that
involves expenditures running well up
into nine ngures Secretary Rage, on
whom Is placed the responsibility OF
providing funds. has begun 90 take
his bearings and prepare TO meet these
new demands, The administration is
unwilling 10 make another bond issue.
but II Il cannot be avoided. this will
be done,
Secretary Gage has ample authority,
Il 10 asserted. TO issue more bonds for
the prosecution OF the war In the Phil
ipplnes. The war revenue law author
lEed the issue OF sloOOOO.OOO worth OF
certificates OF Indebtedness and $780,
0Oe.O00 worth OF bonds. Two hundred
million dollars worth OF these bonds
We're offcrSd at popular subscriptions
and subscribed five times over The
law says that the proceeds OF the sale
OF those bonds shall be used ito defray
expenditures authorized ON account OF
the existing war (sueh proceeds when
received TO be used only for the pur-
pose OF making such war expendi-
turesl."
II Is held by the law officers OF the
government that the insurrestion In
the Philippines Is to all intents and
purposes part OF the existing war"
with Spain, for when the law was en-
acted the present condition OF affairs
may have been anticipated. Congress,
too, authorised the increase in the
army after peace was declared at
time when II was known the only use
60 which II was TO be put was in main
tanning peace IN the new possessions
and duelllng instructions. For these
reasons II has been held that the sec
retary Of the treasury has full authors
ty stin further 70 encroach upon the
securities authorized by the war rev
enue act
II can be said on the authority OF
treasury officials who have been Civ
Ing the matter careful study for sew
eral weeks. that the Fifty. sixth con-
gress will not lessen the war taxes
imposed by the act Of June Is, 1895 In
some quarters the clamor for reduc-
iion OF these taxes has already begun,
but the enormous expenditures to be
incurred in the next two years not
Dnly forblds curtailment of these spec
Ial taxes, but requires an enlargement
of the general scheme and a stoppage
of the holes through which those sup
posed to have been taxed have escaped.
From ordinary internal revenue tax
alton last year the receipts were, In
round numbers, S17s,0O0,OOO The war
revenues included In round numbers
800, 100000. With the customs duties
and miscellaneous receipts added, a big
deficit followed at the end OF the fiscal
year. 1t is admitted that customs du-
ties ought not to be further Increased
The only course, therefore from which
revenue can be derived, is
from war taxes or bonds, or both,
Errors that crept into the war rev.
anue law--errors unavoidable owing to
the haste necessary in effectIng its en-
lctment--ln some cases have defeated
the Intentions of congress- while in
others the courts have decreased the
revenues, Section 90 OF
the law regulating the taxes on patent
etc. exempt from stamp
taxes, amy uncompounded medieinalS
drug or medicine" Under a decisioni
Of Judge Brown, OF the New York dis