The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-13
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT SAID TO
APPROVE PLANS TO REDUCE
REVENUES
CHOP ON INTERNAL REVENUE
Secretary Gage Reported to Re in
Favor of Ratification OF Pending
Reciprocity Treaties When
Congress Meets.
ANXIETY ABOUT THE MESSAGE
GLOBE WASHINGTON BUREAU,
Post Building, Room 10.

e. A.
tive Lands, of Indiana, was in Washing
ton last week. and the first place he went
was to the White horse. MIR. Lands be-
lieves in taking a dilemma by both horns.
ana he did so IN making that call upon
President Roosevelt. Ever since Roose-
velt was nominated for vice president.
the Democrats in his district have been
poking fun at Landis When Roosevelt
made mis- tour of Indiana during the cam
palgn of 1900 and entered Tie Lands dis
trlct, the Democratic politicians hunted
up the bad things he had said about the
young New Yorker had them printed in
poster form, and flooded the Roosevelt
train with the posters. 1t wasn't any
wonder the president should remember
What the congressman had said, and that
Lands wanted to know where he stands
with the administration. He was greeted
heartily, and almost the first thing the
president said was to refer to an edi-
torial Lands had written and printed In
his paper. the Delphi Journal, in April,
1887. Roosevelt laughed over it and so
did Lands, in relieved sort of way
Lands was then invited to come again
Here is the editorial that caused the In
dianian so much trepidation the other
day:
Theodore Roosevelt, commonly known
as Teddy, has posed before the people
OF this great country during the last lif-
teen years as reformer The chief ef-
fort for OF Teddy has been to discourage Of
fice-seeking. Teddy is afflicted with
nightmare about eight times a week, iu-
telfering with his sleep and disturbing
his dreams. all on account of a morbid
fear that too many people in America
want to hold Office. This, at least, -
what Teddy would have the people be-
lieve; from Maine to California and from
Canada to the gulf, every county, town
ship or precinct may be searched and no
case of office itch half so bad as Teddy's
own could be discovered. 1t is both
chronic and acute. Teddy has held office
Tor many years, in fact, ever since he
was old enough to hold office. He was
member of the state legislature In New
YORK. He was a candidate for mayor Of
New York. He was civil service commits
sioner at Washington and subsequently,
police commissioner at New York. And
MCKINLEY was no sooner elected than
Teddy started campaign for assistant
secretary of the navy, to which he was
appointed a few days ago. And during
all these years Teddy has been wailing
against the ofice-seeker. How long, .
Lord, must we endure these shamss'
Internal Revenue to Be. Cut.
1t was announced. with an appearance
of authority, that the president has ap-
proved the proposed plan to cut down the
internal revenue taxes This is the
%
ways and means committee in the house
One thing is known, that Mr.. Serene
Payne. of New York, has gone home with
the announced intention to draw bill
reducing the internal revenue schedules
The idea of Mr.. Payne and others Is to
prevent the accumulation of an enormous
surplus, but to do this without disturb
ing the commercial and industrial condi-
tion of the country.
AS might be expected, the commissions
er of internal revenue, W. c. Yerkes, of
Kentucky, does not heartily indorse this
move. He has been suffering all summer
in consequence of the last whack con-
gress took at his revenue system Every
time the revenue law is amended new
stamps have to be issued, old ones re-
deemed and all kinds of labor performed
to put the new law into operation. Incl
dentally, it costs the government about
$1,Oo0,OO0 to make the change.
Secretary Gage, of the treasury, is not
enthusiastic for the amendment of the
revenue law, either Mr. Gage thinks it
would be much wiser to cut down the
tariffs on industries, wkicE no longer
need the duties. He does not think the
taxes are at present falling with too
great weight on the makers and consum-
ers of tobacco, beer and whisky. The in
ternal revenue tax is derived principally
from these sources; the tariff tax falls
indirectly on the farmer. The secretary
of the treasury believes that if there
must be any reduction it will be much
more wise to take the burden from the
necessaries of life and leave it on the lux
uries above named
When congress considered revenue re-
duction last winter the experts on finance
figured that the proposed changes would
reduce the revenue $47, 100000. The COM
missioner of internal revenue says this
estimate was not far wrong; but the Gus
toms revenue have increased so enor-
mously and the expenses of the war de-
partment have been reduced so much
that the government is still accumulat-
ing surplus as rapidly as before. 1t is
now a question, therefore, whether to
take another s4o,OOOO coo from the whisky
and tobacco taxes or take off some of the
general taxes which are contributed to
the steel trust and the other great man
ufacturing interests which are thriving
on the tariff.
Gage for Reciprocity.
The secretary of the treasury is
strong believer in reciprocity. He is
confident that if congress fails to make
sCme concessions to the countries of
Europe these markets will soon be closed
against us. An example of what may be
done in the way of retaliation was
shown when Russia took umbrage at the
ruling of the secretary as to sugar.
Higher duties were at once put into ef-
feet against the principal articles of
manufacture which We were sending TO
Russia. The protest which went up from
the manufacturers in this country will
be well remembered. A retaliatory move
more to be dreaded would be the closing
of such markets as Germany, France
and Austria to American wheat and
meat products The secretary of the
Continued IN Fifth Page.