Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-03
TO MEET THE DEFICIT
Proposed Restoration of the
Stamp Tax.
SENATOR DICKS VIEWS
OPPOSITION TO THE REVISION OF
THE TARIFF.
Belief Held by Some That the Expendi-
lures Can Be Cut Down to the
Receipts.

There is seemingly a pretty strong drift
special stamp taxes of the Spanish war to
meet the treasury deficit of over $4,000 600
that Is threatened during the fiscal year
that Is just beginning
With a deficit of about s24 nOOOSD in the
year that has just closed and no possible
doubt as TO larger deficit in the present
nscai year, 1t is wise that the leading fig
ures or Congress should begin plans for
making the receipts and expenses more
nearly balance each other in the fiscal year
1907
There are suggestions of a revision of
the tariff laws so as TO produce more
revenue, but these do not come from the
men who rule the Senate and House. There
are treasury watch dogs in both bodies of
Congress who believe that expenditures can
be cut so that no additional taxation will
be necessary, but the practical men cam
not see where much can be accomplished
IN that direction, certainly not enough to
meet the threatened deficit
View Of Senator Dick.
So the easiest method therefore. is to mt
small stamp tax on a variety of things in
daily use Senator Dick of OHIO is in Wash
'ngton for few days. Asked his views as
came to the conclusion that about the best
thlns Will be to impose the Spanish war
revenue taxes on numerous articles espe-
claliy the stamp taxes, where the taxation
Is barely felt by the masses of the people
injustice is less likely to be done in that
way than by imposing larger sums unon
various lines of business and making A Few
lines carry the whole thing l have moi
gone INTO the subject in detail, but my idea
would be to affiX a stamp tax on checks
p1f
clneS and all such things as that
Senator Warren of Wyoming and MANY
other strong men of Congress prefer the
method proposed by Senator Dick 10 any
other, although there are others who sug-
gest an additional customs duty on tea and
coffee, believing this would be an easy and
less troublesome method than the ether and
resting so lightly upon the great mass of
eoffee and tea drinkers as not TO be felt
"Cut Expenses" Another CRY.
Senator Hemenway of Indiana, for long
time chairman of the appropriations COM
mittee of the House, and Representative
Burton of Ohio. chairman Of the rivers and
harbors committee of the House, are con-
sidering the question of bringing the ex-
penditures down to the receipts, and have
some idea that this may be done They
do not commit themselves to this plan but
will become the, leaders of a retrenchment
policy If they feel that they are likely to
their inclinations are toward special taxes
of such light nature as will not be ap-
preciable to the buying public. Mr.. Burton
is chairman of the committee that In past
years has distributed the largest pork bar
rels" in that body, although in the last
session of Congress he was forced to hold
appropriations for rivers and harbors down.
Spanish War Stamp Tax.
The war revenue taxes imposed by Con-
gress in 1898 yielded over 800 900 600 each
fiscal year for three years ,and in the
fourth year, after amendment. produced
nearly s62,OOO,000 The stamp taxes which
Senator Dick refers to were largely on
documents of various kinds, but there was
also tax on medicinal proprietary articles
and preparations, on seats in parlor or
palace cars and berths in sleeping cars, on
legacies and distributive shares of personal
property, ETC., including playing cards
During the fiscal year which ended June so,
1889, the first year of the operation of the
war revenue act, the stamp taxes under
schedule produced s3S,61S 0S1, and sched-
ule B $5,219,737, while legacies brought In
over $1,O0O.000. The three schedules put
together yielded about s45,0000O0 of reve-
nue., which would be fully sufficient to
meet prospective deficits, provided expendi-
lures are not materially increased In the
next five or six years above what they will
be in the present fiscal year.
The taxes ranged from l cent up to $40
and took in stocks, bonds, bank checks
bills Of exchange, drafts, bills of lading
certificates of profits charters, contracts,
agreements, conveyances of all kinds, dis
patches, entry of goods in warehouses, in
surance of all kinds, leases, mortgages
steamship tickets, powers of attorney, pro-
tests, telephone messages warehouse re-
ceipts, bottles, boxes, packages of proprie-
tary medicines, champagnes, legaces. The
medicine tax was apportioned according to
the retail tax, varying from one-eighth of
one cent on five-cent articles, up to five
eighthS of one cent.