The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-04-07

Observations on tho Proposed
Tax on Coffee TO Prevent a Treasury
Deficit.

Ii is the opinion Of the New Yosk
Commercial that Congress is casting
about for additional means Of revenue"
bectu se there is 81 big deficit threat
cning. and something must be done"
As the Hous of Representatives. tliS
hody in which all bills for raising
revenue must originate" Is not ut
~ organized body. it must be- evident
that Congress is not in position Co do
much casting about" It Is true that
n Senate committee has beer authoTiz
sd 10 investigate revenue and tariff
conditions, but the Senate will not be
able this time. IS It was in !SSs. To
md ON it's files Il little internal rev-
elue bill whereuuto TO attach an elab
crate tariff scheme and send e To the
House as an amendment.
hut Is there a big deficit" or any
deficit ut all. looming up On this
point there is a marked disagreement
among those who are credited with
much knowledge of the subject. The
Post VI, not volunteer In umpire the
dispute. hut will chserfully point Ia =
surplus safely deposited i'm national
banks. an amount quite sufficient tn
obviate any necessity for "a bond isst.'
for a long time. even 4 n def ii shDu,d
show up.
It appears from what the New York
Commercial says that Congress IL
"nlacin~ fcelerS here AMI there IN III.
der tn ret suggestions a~ - tie Source
- s"2rrcs ~ additional iuCome. The
nrSt ~ these "feeler<." or 'prcn oai-
tory hints" the Commercial S..ys.
lands ~ tuc coffee trade" True.
that WoUl1 not he = protective. bur
n strictly revenue tax. 1t would strike
~" p1n~ directly ana heavily. for tho
~"r"ater part of our annual consUmp-
tsoi of SSD.tNNONO worth of coffee is
Consumed hy the families 81 men in
nol"'3t" rfr.HaistanceS Eut the nun
I'er and alGuun Of imports ON which
t3riI fa&~S eau he laid Will any pir.s-
l'ec' ot TaiSjHg revenues have been 80
reuu'I! by pgotection-by building IN
home manufactureS-that "" mast Of
'eceSS!tT take n Of these courses:
Ntl \ great reduction of expenditures.
- an Increase of internal taxes: %
such ven taxation aS II" proposed
levy on coffee.
Our New York contemporary dis
cusses the question upnn whom tn"
burden of the coffee tax will fall. Ii
says that il would naturally ppeni
that the consumer must pay 1t. Such
ia reality need not be the case. alto
gether. Market conditions mud m3nIp-
ulatio3 of traders can have much III
fiuence in shifting the additional bur
Zen. %" q portion - il. 80 u" EXPORT
~" 29d luther. Under Il tariff alsl
With v2rril@ coUdit Z IN SltplT nd
consumption the expense will undouDt-
edly be felt by the consumer in part.
Int Il gain of encouragement Is offer
ed by lie administrator IN the u z
EeS'fon that we may produce our own
coffee supply in the Philippines and
Ill Porto Rico. Ultimately that might
come TO pass, but for many years Bra
iii must be our largest source Of sup
ply. OF the grand total Of .0f3, 0U.-
600 pounds of coffee imported In 1901.
only about 100000 came from our
insular possessions
But Il tariff revision that should
leave undisturbed those schedules that
shelter such outrages as are being per
petrated d the so-called DinaIey
tariff and shonld lay a tax on coffee
would h" exceedingly unpopular.
Would it be wise and prudent for The
I'epuDlican leaders. or dtctatcrs, TO ~,
tar presume upon the impotency of the
democracy as 10 present that exasper~
alton to the masses! There are several
republican states whose people are
getting very tired of the stand-pattCr
brand of alleged protection-a scheme
Of which James q. Blaine or William
ID. Kelley ncvr heard. of which VII
liam Mckinley strove against 10 the
end of his life. Massachusetts IL II
OF those states. Our Democratic ccu-
temporary. the Boston Post. SAYS or
this coffee-taX proposition that III the
Republican party is seeking the most
effective way 10 tell the country that
II has made II mess If II. no better
way could lie found. \ tax on coffee
is one thing the American people will
not stand. They are taxed on about
everything else. and are determined 10
have ut least the compensation OF
Il free breakfast table No political
party would think of depriving them
of it, unless it had reached the most
desperate straits"
And that ii n solid chunk Of truth
Washington Post.