The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-04-16

| JeffersonS Administration all internal
taxation was a6Slished. -s-.5Y-,ia s.,.. j..
The prejudicessgainst the army Of Off
GERS, who nurnbsred 1853 in all, and the
friction and paslties, which aroused con-
slant hostility were the indictments to
this action. udhn Randolph, as Chair
man of the Ways and Means Committee.
charged that itilad cost a fifth of the in.
come to assess land collect these taxes; in
fact. the cost was less than one-ninth. But
the vexation and oppression, the hostility
to the genius IF free people, and the
multiplication of officers were assigned ms
reasons for abp}ishing the who.e system
and they weressaccepted rs abundantiy
adequate. Never since, except under the
stress of war, alns the Nation resorted to
| either direct taxation or any other sys'
TEN of raising internal revenue"
REVENUES FROM SALES OF THE PUBLIC
| LANDS.
Then the public lands afforded an adj
ditiOnal argument for the abolition of, in
ternal imposts. They had begun in 1lW
to bring money into the Treasury by sales
and in 1911 the sum had reached the mag,
nitude. then unparalleled. of S1,04O.231
by 1907 Secretary Gallatin reported that
the Government had surplus of ovel
$3,O0O.OOO unapprOpriated. The debt had
become manageable. The embargo act
soon cut down the receipts from customs
and tonnage and a deficiency began to ap-
pear in 1909. The country was drifting
into conflict with Great Britain. The first
chapter in our national finances had been
written, and another was to begin, to be
succeeded by still others as the Nation ex-
| banded and time went on.
A FABRICATED FINANCIAL EXPERIENCE.
The history of American finances dur
ing the 30 years intervening between 1910
| and 1860 was picturesque. variegated and
altogether astonishing. We have space
| only for random sketches of some OF its
| significant features.
In preparation for the War of 1912, du-
ties were doubled. Partly for this rea-
son, perhaps, but largely because Of the
embargoes caused by the war, the i'm
portations, which had aggregated S13S,-
100000 in 1908. fell to S12,965.OOO in
1914. Duties had, meantime, been again
increased. until the average rates had adj
vanced from 1907 per cent. in 1910 to
69.03 per cent. in 1S13-the latter being
much the highest average ever imposed
by United States laws.
In 1916 something like n "free trade
tariff was enacted. with marked changes
in 1924 and in 1923 in protective direc-
tons. Protection, as usual. brought Ma
tional prosperity and n full Treasury
chest, so that Levi Woodbury., Secretary
of the Treasury under President Jackson,
was able, in his annual report for 1888,
to say:
can unprecedented spectacle is thus
presented to the word of Government.
not only virtually without any debts, and
without any direct taxation, but with
about one-fourth of its whole annual ex-
pense betrayed from sales Of its own I'M
incumbered and immense tracts of pub
lie lands, and no resort to even indirect
taxation necessary, except for the other
three-fourths; and the proceeds of that
indirect taxation, though largely and fire.
quently reduced. yet accommodating so fast
as to require further legislation to dis
pose of or invest a considerable surplus
on hand. Whether this State of envia-
BILE prosperity tbe justly attributable to
the form of opr,GOvernment-to the adj
ministratiOn of tito the character of our
people-the physical advantages Of our
country-Or toian combined, it is q sub
ject of strong eoHgratulation, and exhibits
very remarkable phenomenon in the his
tory Of taxation and finance"
WHAT TO do WITH A SURPLUS.
The duties then existing, however. pro-
vided for Siding scale of annual de-
crease up TO 1872, when they We're to
reach minihhl hSure seriously ap-
preaching hfree.trade basis. Discussing
the revenue pfobism 'nnh that or the SUI
plus: secretary, " oodbufy continues:
Whatever .demands on such fund
may occur before '1S42, IT IS certain, I'M
der our existing laws, as before explained,
that tie revenue from customs must then,
within n few months, be reduced in the
large sum OF nearly so,VoU'ooo. IL Is
lurther probable that our whoie revenue
from customs VIII by the close OF that
year nave 1alien TO only nine millions; and
from iands !1or pubic uses nave risen not
to much above S4,Ooo,OUO. both making
but S!3,Uo,ooo, instead OF their present
annual amount OF over S2o,Oco,oo For
tnat great ana sudden change, 1t IS very de-
slraDle that the country should then be
and nroner surnlus IN hand to meet
any probable deficiency, so as not to re-
quire new or increased taxation to defray
the expenses then necessary. 1t may rea
sOnably be expected that the Revolution
airy pension list will by that time have
been mostly extinguished: our necessary
and convenient public buildings through
out the country mostly finished. and our
Notifications and navy, if the appropria-
tons in the meantime be liberal, will have
been placed in a proper attitude to meet
any hostile aggressions without the con-
tinuance of extraordinary apprOpria tons
DIV,