The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-07-05
REVIVE STAMP TAX no MEET
GREAT DEFICIT IN ETREA SLRY
Congress Will Probably Reenact Law Passed 70 Help
to Raise Revenue to Bear Costof
&* a0 .l Spanish War.
Spanish War.

Rican and Philippine berry free a . This
helped to kill the proposition TO tax cof-
fee. RI 4 re- "a .s','I,s !,
It is not believed there will .n,,ch come
OF tho third proposition, to reduce OK
penses. Thoro Is nothing moro difficult
10 carry out than q policy OF retrench-
ment. This Is the unbroken experience
Of those who have tried to reduce the
expenses OF municipal and State governs
ments, and when men have arisen who
have undertaken to induce the Congress
to enter upon COURSE aimed at reduce
ton OF the expenses OF the national gov-
eminent. they have nearly always failed.
A treasury watch dog Is rarely popular.
Hemenway at Work.
Senator Hcrnenway, OF. Indiana, is
studying the subject OF national cx-
penscs. with n view to trying to Induce
the government to retrench but the re-
suit OF his studies Is not known, Mr..
Hemenwny has served for. years as chair
man OF the House Committee on Appro-
priatlons, and when he takes his scat in
the Senate this year he should be one
OF the best equipped men In that body
on matters concerning tho expenses OF
government There is not the slightest
doubt that nobody In the country knows
better than he TINT there arc many ways
In which the cost Of government could
be reduced. but none knows better than
he also that reduction in any way is
almost impossible to effect
There arc too many mon In office,
but tho number cannot bc reduced with
out making enenies for the party in
power. Many people In this country be-
llevc we are spending too muce money
for our navy every year. but 1t is per-
fectly plain that the policy OF having a
Ia rcyo M, In A.
publican party cannot turn back now.
1t Is doubtful II the Democrats. should
they gain control OF the Congress. would
undertake any radical retrenohment In
the matter OF naval expenditures. The
rural free delivery system is costing the
country over n quarter OF a million dol
lars n year, and It Will cost sixty millions
a. year before the next decade passes.
And so It Is all through the departments
OF government. Seventeen hundred men
are employed in the pension bureau. that
Is. the names OF this number OF men and
women. arc on the payroll OF the bu-
reau. Men In tho bureau have not the
slightest 'hestancy In saying that five
hundred OF these employees could be dis
missed without the slightest detriment
to the service. But the force will not
be cut down, nor Will the number OF
employees in any Of the departments be
IeSseHeu.t ana
made by the next Congress will prob
ably be greater in the aggregate than
those made by the Congress which ex
pired on the fourth OF last March
It WOULD seem that stamp tax is
about all that Is left the party In power
in the way OF means to cover the deficit.
a stamp tax and an Increase. possibly
In the tax on beer. This tax was In
creased a dollar a barrel during the
Spanish war and added enormously to
the revenues. without increasing the
price OF beer to the consumer. But tho
brewers OF the country succeeded In hav-
Ing the additional tax taken off pretty
promptly, and 1t is we'll assured that
they would fight any proposition looking
to an Increase The lobby which the
brewing interests maintain at Washing
ton is extremely powerful. Representa-
tive Babcock. OF the Milwaukee district.
and chairman OF the Republican National.
Congressional Committee. no longer re-
sents the charge that he Is kept in office
by the brewing interests. 1t is believed
that Mr. Babcock pledged the brewers
last fall there should not be an increase
in the beer tax,
SO. in reality, only tho stamp tax Is
left as a means OF getting the treasury
balance on the right side OF the ledger.