Bisbee daily review., 1905-06-13
Overcome Deficit.
MAKE RECEIPTS EQUAL oUTGo
If Some of the PrOhibitfve Duties Were Reduced to a Tariff For Rev enue Basis the Treasury Shortage Would Quickly Disappear.


 Would Quickly Disappear.
 One of the problems which the presi
 dent will be obliged to discussrwith tn,
 leaders of his party in congress is the
 probability of new taxes having to be
 imposed ard the best line to follow
 with such taxation If it is necessary
 The administration holds that the treas
 ury conditions need looking into even
 in the face of the rosy estimates of
 some of our Republican contemporaries that the existing deficit of practically | $3J,G0O,O00 is to be materially reduced
 by the close of the fiscal year and the predictions that the law forbidding de-
 partments to exceed their appropria- tions will hold down the expenses next year to a sum that can be covered by the amount to be collected with no change in the revenue laws.
 Many of the congressional leaders are not as hopeful as are the party or gans. They would like to see the rev enue large enough to a little more than meet expenditures, and they suggest accomplishing this by the imposition of new taxes, thereby avoiding any change in the protective schedules of the Dingley bill. Beyond question the amount of revenue needed to run the government on it's present basis of ex- penditures could be collected with only slight changes in the existing tariff. .f t,, Tai ules were reduced from an almost pro hibitory rate to tariff for revenue basis enough would be collected in GUS tocls, in addition 10 what Is now ob- tained, to more than make up for the difference between receipts and ex- penditures.
 That, however, is just what the high protectionists wish to avoid They pre- fer to have new taxes imposed in all most any line rather than to have even the most trivial reduction made in the high protection afforded such infant in dustrjes as the steel and tobacco trusts or a host of other struggling infants that might be named.
 According to the Washington rtIn1ors, a favorite proposal is an increase in the tax On beer to double the present rate, change which. it is estimated. would bring in S35.OOO,OOO year more revenue. A further tax is also suggest ed on whisky, though the amount that tax would bring in is probIematical, it being q question whether the present tax is not close to the point of satura- tiOn-that is, the limit at which the greatest revenue is obtained.
 Of course, the proposition to put an Import duty on coffee Is again brought forward. Ever since we obtained DOS session of Porto Rico the wisdom of imposing an import duty on coffee pur- chased from foreign countries has been frequently suggested, the Porto Ricaus doing everything in their power to call attention to the coffee crop of their island and the extent to which if could be developed if the Por- to Rican berry were given a tariff ad- vantage in the United States market.
 Last year we imported more than )95. 100000 pounds of coffee. valued at T trifle less than cents per pound. or, say. just under S7O.OO0,O GOO for the to- 1 -al importation. On these figures coffee | 'an sugar close second as the most i of our imports. the sugar i'm | ports amounting to almost SIP. 100000. | With imports of coffee continuing at I such figures. a tax of cent per pound | would bring in almost S10,000O00 Of | 'evenue. That certainly would be a 'ertile field in which to grow revenue Or the filling of a bankrupt treasury.
 But is the treasury so bankrupt that | here is need of q further tax on the ,ood of the people2 For coffee is used in his country as a food. food consum- ed in enormous quantities by what are lnOwn as the labOring classes. They would be the ones to bear the burden ,f a coffee tax, which might, therefore, prove unpopular throughout the coun- IT. Last year we imported tea to the mount of q little less than 13,000,OOO pounds and of an average value of r lbout fG cents a pound. Tea also is as an article of import that night well bear a tax. During the Spanish war a tax of 10 cents per pound was imposed on tea, tax that I md doubtless encouraged, indirectly at east, the imports of coffee, which anne in duty free.
 To quite an extent the showing of he treasury finances at the close of he current year, on June 3O,. will de- ermine what course the congress is to ake. If, Gs has been predicted. May md June reduce the deficit to the vi Unity of S20,0OO.0OO, it may be held hat no legislation Is necessary. or not that reduction of the 'xisting deficit will be made must, for he present at least, be largely guess york. Judging by the figures so far if there Is to be great re- luction in the deficit, it will have to ome from an exceptionally large ex-