The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-04-09


with some difficulties Even
after the senate had emascu-
lated the Santo Domingo treaty
it failed to ratify it and adjourned,
leaving it suspended betwiXt heaven
and earth after the manner OF Moham-
meds coffin Perhaps that was only
an easy way Of letting the president
down easy The chances are That II
will never be ratified. The more people
reflect upon Uncle Sam setting up as
receiver general for all the bankrupt
republics In this hemisphere the less
they will like it, Then the idea Of
our government assuming the role or
bad debt collector for spectators in
foreign countries, as some mighty per
sonages would have us do in the \ent'
zuelan matter, is likely to prove re-
pugnant to public sentiment when cool
ing time Is allowed. On the whole. 1t
is a good time for reflection. We should
take a long look ahead and carefully
count the consequences before we take
what Benjamin Disraeli was wont TO
characterize as "a leap In the dark.
1t Is better to think first and theE act
than to act first and then think. Post
norton regrets never yet did any good
Our old policy made us great and
strong and safe Wherefore change it!
Better bear the ills we have than fly
to others we know not Of.
A Tax on Coffee.
Disguise it as they may, deny it as
they do, the Republican bigwigs are
confronted with an enormous and
growing deficit. Last fall they bella
bored ex-senator Henry G. Davis for
fatty stating in his speech of accept
ance what all intelligent persons knew
that there was large monthly def
lett. Their denial of that fact was on
a par with the preposterous statement
of the Republican commissioner OF Ia
Dor to the effect that the cost OF living
was no higher in 1904 than in preced-
ing years-a statement contradicted by
the information possessed by every
householder, male and female. and by
every boarder in the land. 1t helped TO
elect Republican candidates, just as
did the denying of deficit in the rev.
. enues. Now the deficit is so pressing
and alarming that already the Repub-
lican chieftains are casting about for
some new taxes. They can't economic.
They don't know how. Therefore they
must levy new taxes or issue new in
terest bearing bonds. Either alternative
gives them the cold shivers. But it is
condition and not theory that con-
fronts them. Hence the search for ar
43cies on which to clap new tax to
raise the revenues rendered necessary
by their wicked and wanton waste of
the public revenues. They are consid-
ering the feasibility Of taxing coffee.
but they shrink from that idea because
this is the greatest coffee consuming
nation on earth, using more than one
half Of the worlds output of coffee.
Nearly every American man, woman
and child. drinks coffee. Habit. good or
j. bad, has made 1t necessary. Put up the
price of that universal beverage, and
howl will 60 up that will not only star
tie the man in the moon, but, what is
more to the point, will elect Demo
cratic house at the next election, per-
Torrance which gives the Republican
bigwigs a buck ague every time they
think Of it. for Democratic house In
the hands of brave and resolute men
would conduct such thoroughgoing in
vestigations into the corruption and
malalninistration of certain depart
ments as to furnish the campaign ma
terial with which to elect Democratic
president In 1908. Consequently the
Republican leaders will think a good
while before they clap a tax on coffee.
Every merchant will be compelled to
explain to every woman who buys a
pound of coffee that the wicked and
reckless Republicans have forced him
to raise the price. She will explain it
to her husband, sons and brothers. It
will be q clear case, one out Of which
no Republican statistfcian can lie. Con-
sequently the chances are that they
will not dare to tax coffee, but will per-
haps try to raise certain taxes which
will not make so clear a case-new tax
es which they can confuse with old
ones and whose influence on the cost Of
living they can in some way falsely
charge to Democrats with some hope of
concealing the truth
Unless they cut down appropriation
bills-which they seem utterly power
less to do-they must in some way in
crease the revenues by somewhere
from $50, 100000 to 500, 100000 a year.
That's clear, NO matter bow much or
how skillfully they try to conceal it.
The Washington Post, a thoroughgo-
ing tariff advocate, seems to think that
because the government has large de-
posits with certain favored national
banks there Is no deficit. 1t is not Ger
tain, but rather inclines to that opin-
ION Usually the Post rs well posted,
but it appears to have overlooked the
fact that these deposits are all account
ed for In the treasury statements.
Again. it Is not the actual cash on hand
that determines whether there is a def
icit. The way to ascertain that 10 to
compare current revenue receipts with
current expenditures. That the current
revenues are not equal to current ex-
penses Is not to be gainsaid.
Admitting deficit for the sake Of
An--