The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-03-20
BY PATTERSON sTEALEY.

| ses of the government will naturally
 increase during the next two years and | the leaders cannot hope to enforce next session the Spartan economy which pre- vailed last session In the face of the
 popular demand for public Improvements.
 Therefore, decided the longheaded
 statesmen, as the expenses cannot be
 reduced but must increase, the only way
 the deficit can be overcome Is by in-
 crea.inE the revenues The question then
 arose as 10 how this could be accom- 1 pushed, neither by increasing the ln- | tarral revenue taxes or the customs duties, or by the imposition of docu- | mcntary or stamp taxes. Objections
 were rurcrous and pronounced to all | these r:3posltions. It was represented | that there was strong sentiment
 throughout the country in favor of a | reduction n customs duties and that l any proposition to increase them would
 involve the party in much difficulty; 1 IS to iacrt asing the internal revenue | taxes the strenuous fight of the brewers l for the renewal of the additional dollar
 per barrel tax imposed during the Span l ish war, was recalled and the certainty of their bitter opposition to its reimposi-
 tion was noted. With the distillers and 1 hundreds of commercial organizations clamoring for free alcohol for use in the 1 arts and manufactures 1t was realized
 that any proposition to increase the tax l on alcohol would be fiercely fought. The l same Is true of the tobacco taxes and | the clamor which would follow the im- l position of stamp taxes in times of peace | and prosperity was unpleasant to con- | template It is understood that these | considerations led to the Allison resolu- l tion authorizing the committee on finance l to sit during the recess which was adopt l ed by the Senate during the closing
 hours of the session. 1t being the hope l Of the republican leaders that the com-
 mittee will solve the problem before
 the assembling of the new Congress.
 Tea and Coffee Considered. l It is in considering these questions that l the, attention of the members of the Sem 1 ate committee on finance and of the 1 ways and means committee naturally turned to coffee and tea as taxable pos
 abilities, and certain suggestions made
 to the ways and means committee during l the hearings on the Curtis bill to reduce l on Philippine tobacco and sugar, af- l ford what many believe will be an effec- l tive answer to any charge of taxing l the poor mans coffee pot" This sug- gestion was that instead of encouraging
 the Philippines to compete with American l sugar and tobacco interests by giving l them free entry to our markets they | should be encouraged to produce sub l tropical products which can never be 1 raised in the United States, and are now 1 imported in large quantities from sub l tropical countries which take very little 1 from us in return. Rubber, spices and l fibers were mentioned, but especially cof- l fee of which we import immense quanti- l ties. all of which, 1t was represented, could be produced in our own possessions. l Porto Rico and the Philippines. By the l imposition of a slight tariff on foreign coffee and admitting coffee from our pos 1 sessions free. 1t was argued the atten 1 tion of the Philippines could be diverted l to a highly profitable Industry, which would not interfere in any way with any
 American industry. Meanwhile. as 1t 1 would require some years to develop cof-
 fee growing in the islands. the duty would 1 raise large sums of money. afford the l desired relief for the United States treas l ury and be of inestimabe assistance to l Porto Rico.
 Meeting With Favor.
 l Since 1t Is now considered imperative l that some such measure be adopted, these l arguments have been considered by the l senators and the members of the ways l and means committee, and are meeting | with much favor. It Is argued that In | addition to relieving the Filipinos and i the Porto Ricans and, above all the Uni 1 ted States treasury. an ugly contest with l the beet sugar and domestic tobacco in- l terests may thus be avoided. Secretary | Taft is to take party of senators and 1 representatives to the Philippines this l summer among them Speaker Cannon, | Representative Payne. chairman of the | ways and means committee, and other
 members of that committee. If is proposed | that these gentlemen shall study the pos 1 sibilities of coffee culture in the islands l while there. and 1t Is expected they will | become enthusiastic over the prospects. 1 hoQ thought | well to get the idea before the public as soon as possible for discussion. It being l expected that by December they will be- l come familiar with the idea and recon l ciled to the imposition of the proposed | duty next session. In support Of the prop | osition the following statement Is made. | which Is expected to be the basis for pub | lie discussion:
 of during the late fiscal year when | there was deficit of $41. .770.671. the United | States had been still 1evying duty of | three cents pound on coffee. as 1t was | in 1871. there would have been no deficit whatever. In 1871 Congress repealed the | duty on coffee in compliance with gener- | al public demand and what was the re- l suit? Brazil immediately imposed an ex- | mort duty and transferred eight millions i dollars per year from our treasury into hers and the price of coffee remained the l same. Since then the United States has
 
 in revenue. while the Brazilian trade bal ance against the United States during that period hwas aggregated H.32S. .167.s70. 1 Brazil is used as an example as it fur | nishes most of the coffee consumed in the United States.
 Consumption is Increasing.
 The consumption of coffee is increasing hv leaps and bounds For the first seven months of the current fiscal year the im-
 portations amounted to FOG, 296,041 pounds. For the corresponding period of 1904. they
 were only s16,307. .362 pounds. while in 1903 they were SIS. 7a6, s66 pounds. That is an increase of almost 100O00.000 pounds year for three years and that for only period of seven months 4 duty of one cent pound on coffee during the past seven months would have produced s7,062. s6O; 5 cents would have produced s35.314So2. or
 more than the estimated deficit for the en- tire current fiscal year.
 Tt may be argued that Brazil would