The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-30
MAY NOT REDUCE TAX
REPUBLICAN SENATOR'S FEAR TO
CUT WAR REVENUES.
APPROPRIATIONS TOO LARGE.
WOULD DEFEAT RIVER AND HAIR
bon BILL, SAYS ELIxINs.

can Members of Finance Commit
tee Very Doubtful on the Subject.
Growing Goodness Towards ship
Subsidy BiII--An Extra Session
Seems Unavoidable.
Washington. d. c., Jan. EFF we in
sist on passing the bill providing for the
reduction of the war revenue at the pres
ent session. it will prevent the passage OF
the river and harbor bill. For my part
! am opposed to the passage of the rev
enue bill at the sacrifice of the river and
harbor bill, and unless the former is made
a strict party measure, | am disposed to
vote against its consideration at the pres
ent session"
This significant statement was made to-
day with all seriousness by Senator Ell
kins of West Virginia. who. in addition
to being a member of the Republican
Steering Committee. is also a member of
the Senate Committee on Commerce.
II do not see how we can avoid an eX>
ira session." continued Senator Elkins,
'if we expect to put through all the leg
islation that is mapped out for us. There
are all of the big appropriation bills yet
to be considered. and. in addition, the
President is insisting that Congress shall
act upon the new constitution for the gov
ernment of Cuba. and also that there
| shall be some definite action by Congress
in connection with the government in the
Philippine Islands. All these subjects are
OF great Importance. and should not be
disposed of hurriedly or without serious
deliberation. individually, l am opposed
to an extra session of Congress, but
do not at present see how 1t can be avoid
ed unless we defer action upon some of
these great questions which are now be-
ing urged for immediate consideration.
Il am not prepared to say what the
Finance Committee proposes to do with
regard to the bill reducing the war rev.
enue tax" said Senator Elkins "But
am in favor of deferriug action on that
measure rather than see the river and
harbor bill fail l have been unable 10
discover a universal demand for the re-
peal of the war tax at this time, and,
| In my judgment, it can be continued
without serious injury to any one unit!
we know what our expenditures during
the present session are going to be. So
| 4
demand for the repeal of the war tax
except in a few instances, and, in my
judgment, there is not likely to be any
| serious injury inflicted upon any of he
interests involved by a continuance of the
present tax. There is however, good and
| sufficient reason for the passage of a
river and harbor bill, and. as / said be-
fore, l am inclined to oppose the passage
of the revenue bill If 1t is going TO
/ he ma ggq pa nj he a a p.
| Dor bill.'
Senators Allison, Aldrich and other Re-
publican members of the Senate Finance
| Committee are averse to committing
| themselves as to the ultimate fate of the
pending war revenue bi |. 1t can be stated
without fear of coatradi ton tLat there
exist grave doubts In the m nds of ssv-
| eral of the committeeman whether it is
advisable to press the pending measure
| to a final con fusion during the present
| session. The fact has been brought home
| to the members Of the committee that If
! Congress, during the pres mt ion, sus-
| tains the demand made upon the treasury
| by the pending appropriation bills. there
| is apt to be a deficit rather than surplus
| in the treasury department.
A member of the Finance Committee is
| authority for the statement that the re-
cords of the Treasury Department show
| that under the existing tariff laws here
has been a gradual and continual falling
| off IN the receipts from imports. Under
| the circumstances 1t is not deemed safe
| or advisable to blindly curtail or dimin-
! ish the revenues of the government un-
| til 1t can be definitely ascertained what
expenditures will be necessary to carry
| out the policy of the administration Ex-
| perience has demons rated that while a
| high protective tariff works to the ad-
vantage of h me products and increases
| the amount Of exports, II also reduces the
| amount of revenue derived from imports
| This subject is receiving serious consid-
| Grafton by the majority of the Senate
! Finance Committee in connection with
the pending revenue measure. and II Is
! asserted that the adm nisttation is not
disposed to urge the passage of the pend
ing bill IL there Is the slightest possi-
| biity of creating a deficit In the treas
| ury.
Senator Teller. who is member of the
| Committee on Appropriations, states that
| he has made a careful study of the i'm
| portant appropriation bills to be acted
! upon during the p esent session, and he
is convinced that Congress cannot safely
reduce the revenues at present. Instead
| Of a large surp US in the treasury at the
| end of the present session, he predicts
| there will be large deficit, providing lib
| eral provision is made IN accordance with
| the estimates submitted by those In au-
! thority. Under the circumstances he is
inclined to doubt the propriety or the
| wisdom of radical reduction in the rev.
| enues of the government under existing
| conditions. He does not hesitate to say
| that in his judgment the friends of the
| administration are not as eager for the
passage of the bilI reducing the war rev.
| enue tax to-day as they were In earlier
| periods in the session. He Is opposed to
an extra session Of Congress, but he ad-
mits that the indications for an extra
session are daily growing more and more
| pronounced.
To-day's developments in the Serate in
| dicate clea y that unless the ship uosidy
| bill Is disposed of within tn next few
| days. 1t W II have 10 be abandoned or I'm
| extra session Of Congress II be the re-
! suit. There is an apparent lack OF inter-
est In the shipp ng bi /, on the Re u e.
! can side Of the chamber, and several
Of the recognized leaders are q po ed to
sidetrack the shl ping bin rat 1er than
force an extra ses ion of Congress. n
ator Frye increased the efforts of TIE
opponents to the shipping b II to-day
when he openly anucur ced at ha con-
cusion Of the con ider tion q he Indlin
| appropriation bill that he would r OF con-
sent 70 the putting aeide Of ~ ship Ing
bin for any other MEASURE. Lime lat ly,
Senator Pc tigrcw dom mlnded a call Of the
Senate as an evidence OF his intention 10
! hubuster.
In the meantime Senator Turner OF