The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-12-29
V.-PUBLIC BUSINESS IN THE
UNITED STATES.

The receipts for the fiscal year. as
officially reported, were S2i3. .36S.O 900
from customs. and $272 $4,000 from in
ternal taxes Gncludng $43,SS7 COO from
stamp taXes), which. with miscellan
eous receipts. made a total of $5l5.652
900 collected during the year as
against $347. .721 900 for 1869. The in
crease in collections from customs
taxes was about $57, 100000 over 1S96-91.
The total expenditures rose from $780,
5000 in 1S96-97 to S4S7 694,O00 in 1900
Uhe fiscal Year,. The excess of re-
ceiptS over expenditures reported for
the year was $7Sl. 1872 900. The interest
bearing debt at the close of the fiscal
year stood at 81 .0Ol. .419.000 A gold re-
serve of Sl50,OOOOOO was maintained
during the year with total gold in the
treasury in excess of $200,00O,00O. The
currency basis was strictly monome-
tallic. with free use of silver and silver
paper on the gold basis.
Expenditures for war and navy rose
from $4,000, 900 in 1861 to $4,000 900
for the fiscal year--an increase of con-
siderably over 300 per cent. due to the
military governments in Porto Rico.
Cuba, Hawaii and the Philippines. The
entire expense of the war with Spain
and of the military system inaugural
ed after it, is stated at $336.OO0,OO OOO up
to the beginning of the year Under
the new currency act, the refunding of
the national debt as the basis for a
National Bank currency went on dur
ing the year. One of the notable fea-
lures of the new bonds is "a handsome
engraved portrait of Thomas II. Ben
ton" whose celebrity rests on his op-
position to bank notes of all kinds.
THE GOLD STANDARD FIXED.
The most important single act of
congress during the year was the law
establishing the monometallic basis.
The Republicans of both houses sup
ported it without notable dissent The
Democrats in congress made only
pro forma opposition to the bill They
could not have defeated it at any rate,
but their Radicals" We're anxious for
Il lght on 1t. which would have in
NolVed an appeal to the country on the
issue. This was carefully avoided. The
Democratic National platform at Kan
sas City reaffirmed the principles of
bimetallsm, but the fight on the issue
had been surrendered in congress.
where individual Democrats contented
themselves with merely going on
record. This Conservatism was Il
strongly marked feature of the year
un the Democratic side i'm the house.
In February, Mr.. Jones, OF Arkansas,
offered free coinage bill in the senate
as substitute for the Republican cur
rency measure, but under the Cleve-
land administration he had offered a
bin to abolish silver coinage altogether
and allow the banks to use silver bull
lion as basis for their circulation. He
had also announced on the question of
inaugurating imperialism" by annex
ing Porto Rico, that Porto Rico might
as we'll be annexed as 1t was mo big
ger than a saddle blanket anyhow"
The element of humor in radical
anti-imperialistic and nti-monometal-
lie campaign under such auspices was
certainly striking to the few who keep
political note book or have memories
equivalent to It,
PORTO RICAN TARIFF.
The Democratic managers showed
the same. lack of aggressiveness when
the question was on the organization
of Porto Rico, The real question from
the Democratic standpoint was, of