The National tribune., 1909-04-29
SENATOR ALDR1cH AND TAXES.


There has been much complaint by
the insurgents against the leadership
but in the debate which opened on the
tariff bill last Monday the Senator VIM
dicated by his cold common sense his
right to leadership He has this by a
more thoro study and comprehension
of the facts relating to the public reye-
nue. than his compeers. When he said
that he had made a thoro and careful
investigation of the matter of the reve,
nue. his words carried conviction be-
cause of his well-known character. The
conclusions he arrived at were that with
a proper retrenchment, and he used the
word proper in it's right sense, there
would be no need of additional taxes.
He eliminated from his calculations the
payments for the Panama Canal, and
this conclusion viii be approved. The
Panama Canal is a work for posterity,
and posterity should bear its share of
present revenues and disbursements
that there would be a deficit for this
fiscal year of s69, 9,462,450 and for the
fiscal year of 1910 a deficit of $45. .000,-
000 The bill which has been prepared
by the Finance Committee, of which
Senator Aldrich is Chairman, will pro-
duce a custom revenue of SS,000,00G a
year greater than that collected under
the Dingley act. This will be on ac-
count of the advances in rates on few
articles of luxury, such as wine, spirits,
etc. Also it will be due to the substitu-
ton of specific for ad valorem duties.
The latter will put stop to the under
valuation from which the Treasury has
suffered With the resumption of busi-
ness activity and the increase of popu-
lation in the United States, taken with
the present reduced stocks of merchan-
disc, will accomplish the increase eX-
pected. Next, there should be a reduc-
of the Government, which reduction
could be made without any injury what
ever to the public business and the
actual needs of the country He believes
that the reduction could extend to $780,
100000 without impairing the public
is thoroly in sympathy with this re-
trenchment Senator Aldrich expressed
himself strongly opposed to the proposi-
tions for income taxes, taxes on the
gross receipts of corporations and other
plans for additional burdens upon the
congratulation, and that is the bill
which Senator Aldrich's committee has
prepared will be accepted as an author
itative, well-considered measure, and
therefore receive the prompt and will
ing support of a sufficient majority. so
that the tariff discussion may be con-
sidered as virtually at an end. There
will be an acceptance by the House of
the material portions of the bill, which
in some way will be incorporated with
the House bill, and the work of Con-
gross in revising the tariff completed at
an early day. The revival of business
can therefore go on with entire conf
of Injurious legislation.
Senator Aldrich is a fine illustration Of
the Biblical precept that a man who is
diligent in his business shall stand be-
fore kings. He maintains his leadership
in the Senate by being far better in
formed on the public business than al
most any other of his colleagues and
t,se In ,ic
of the tariff debate. He
had every detail of the long schedule
at his fingers ends and for hours every
day he has withstood a running fire
of questions from Senators from every
part of the country and has had at his
tongues end a fitting answer to every
one propounded to him. The way he
the debate was theme of ad-
by all who attended the ses-
sions of the Senate. Senator Bailey,
who is only student of words, found
himself badly worsted in his encounter
with Senator Aldrich, who is a student
Of facts. Bailey tried to cover his dis
comfiture by seizing upon a remark of
Aldrich's that he had voted the Repub-
lican ticket ever since as a soldier in
the Union Army he had preferred to
vote for Abraham Lincoln to a candi-
date whose platform declared the war
a failure. Bailey went off into eide
flowing rhetoric on the number of Dem
ocrats who had served in the Union
Army and the character OF their |
achievements, which came rather as a |
surprise from the lips of the man who |
IS constantly fiuttering the Confederate |
Flag to the front and boasting of the |
services of his father and others to the
cause of disunion.
HE HAS A PIPE DREAM.