Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-26
STAMP TAXES FAVORED
Representative Livingston's
Suggestion to Meet Deficit.
WOULD CUT EXPENSES
THINKS CONGRESS SHOULD RE-
WISE THE TARIFF.
Declares That Many Articles Are Com
pletely Excluded ty Prohibitive
Duties-Republican Views.

The Republicans have a pretty stiff prop
osltion on hand in the next Congress in
meeting the deficit of the treasury for the
present fiscal year and the ensuing years"
said Representative Leonidas F. Livingston
of Georgia to n Star reporter at the treas
ury today.
Mr.. Livingston has for years been the
ranking democratic member of the House
appropriations committee and is one of the
Few prominent democrats of the House He
has been in Congress fourteen years.
In closing my speech upon the appropria-
tons of the last Congress- went on Mr.
Livingston. II told the republicans plainly
that there would be a deficit in the fiscal
year Just closed and in the present fiscal
year, and urged them to meet the question
then and there without putting it off an
other year. i do not believe in waiting until
the storm has come to get in out of the rain
lhey dld not see fit to take my advice with
the result that the treasury is running be-
mind right along. The deficit for the pres
ent month of July is already approximately
SIS, 600 O0O''
dehclt and leaving the treasury with a sur
pius?"
Stamp Taxes Suggested.
1 see good many plans proposed If
the republicans are not going to touch the
tariff, and they will be wrong if they don't
DO not know any better way than by re-
ducing appropriations as far as consistent
with reasonable appropriations for the gov
ernment service, and then add some of the
taxes that We're imposed during the war
with Spain. / refer to taxes upon stocks
bonds, checks. patent medicines and other
things: Every transaction of this kind
including cotton, wheat and corn futures
should pay fair tax. 1t is nothing but
right that this should be So independent
of the fact that more revenue will prob
ably be needed. Taxes of this kind might
properly be levied in times of peace as we'll
as in times of war.
Il have seen suggestions that an addi-
tional tax be imposed upon beer. tobacco
and other articles, but l am not in favor of
anything of this kind. Beer is bearing a
large taxation now and the taxes on tobacco
are pretty heavy Why should these inter
ests be required to carry all the load while
other interests that ought to be taxed
escape? The man who is able to buy stocks
and bonds is able to pay a tax upon them
So is the man who is able to draw check
upon a bank
Favors Tariff Revision.
My own belief is that the republicans
could not do better than reduce the duties
on inhibited articles, and thus produce more
revenue that way. There are many articles
which are completely shut out of entrance
into this country by reason of the excessive
tariff charges. If these charges We're low
cred there would be a considerable addition
to the revenues. In instances of this sort
the present tariff law confers a monopoly
upon home manufacturers and dealers and
the monopolies would be checked while rev.
enues would be brought in. am satisfied
that President Roosevelt himself favors leg
islation of this character, as he does not be-
lieve in the monopoly to any extent.
"A policy of this sort would mean re-
vision without revolution to the tariff
and would not be inconsistent with the re-
publican party's doctrine of protection.
There is no question that there are many
articles upon which the duties should be
lowered, while there may be some upon
which they should be raised. An adjust
ment is essential strictly upon a basis Of
fairness to all concerned. Reasonable
changes in the tariff, along the lines sug-
gested. together with some additional taxa
ton upon articles not now bearing taxes.
would turn the deficit into a surplus. 1t
will not be possible for many years for the
annual surplus to amount to what it did
three or four years ago."
Reduce Expenditures
That the majority of republicans will
fight to prevent any tariff revision is GER
tain from the remarks of republican lead
ers The hope of many of them is that
they will be able to reduce expenditures so
to overcome the deficit that way Rep
resentative Patterson of Pennsylvania has
joined Re preventative Burton OF Ohio, SEN
ator Hemenway and other republicans in
the talk OF cutting expenditures.
I'VE appropriated entirely too much
money for battleships and the navy the
last time, he said, "and l think we will
be able to make a large cut in govern
mental expenditures of all kinds If we Will
only try. That is my remedy for the def
icit. l do not think IL is impracticable.
either II we find that can't meet all
the deficit that way We can look in other
directions, but l am in favor of pruning
expenditures first"