The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1909-04-23
NEWS FROM THE
NATIONS CAPITAL
NEW TARIFF BILL Is WEAK IN
REVENUE.
MUST REDUCE EXPENSES
Harsh Criticism by ex-Lieutenant for
Pacific Coast Revenue Cutter
Service.

Washington-lt is charged that
the tariff bill will not raise revenue
enough to run the government-th
government must cut its expenses TO
Al the income.
That is the position of the SEN
ate leaders They have decided that
they will permit no revenue measure
other than that of pure tariff to go
into the bill 1t IS their firm belief
that in a short time business will 50
revive that the income Of the gov
eminent will equal that OF 1907, but
they are prepared to cut expenses
until the expenses fit the income.
Just how this will be done they
will not say, but there is likely to be
q retrenchInent in the army budgets,
fewer public buildings will be erect
ed In country villages, the cost of
administering the various depart
ments of the government will be "a
duced, and economy will be the
watchwOrd everyw here
Tariff debate in the senate began
Monday morning, Immediately after
the close of routine business Sena
tor Aldrich, chairman of the com
mittee on finance, made a general
statement supporting the bill and
was followed by Senator Daniel,
senior Democratic senator, who out
lined the Democratic position. The
Democrats declare that the weakness
of the Payne-Aldrich bill is that it
will not insure sufficient income to
permit the governmental business to
proceed without the addition of
other features. They will also urge
an income tax as the most rational
and most prolific means OF increas
ing the receipts.
Judging from present Indications,
the Payne tariff bill as it goes TO the
President for approval will carry
duty of 81 per thousand feet on
rough lumber. This figure is not
satisfactory to the high protection
lists representing lumber-prOducing
states, nor is it satisfactory to the
delegations from the prairie states
of the Middle West. or the free-trade
states of the South, which do not
produce lumber in large quantities.
1t is purely compromise rate. but
the longer the situation is studied
the more the extremists Of both
classes are inclined to accept the
cut from 50 to 81 as reasonably
satisfactory adjustment Of very
troublesome schedule.
Charges made by James A. Burns,
formerly a lieutenant and engineer
officer in the revenue cutter service.
will likely lead to an investigation.
His statements relate largely to Pa
cific Coast matters and have been
filed with secretary of the treasury.
Burns charges the service is not
properly equipped to carry on the
work OF life saving; that officers
have frequently refused to move to
the rescue of sinking ships until Or
dered to do so at Washington: that
the service exists without reason in
that the insignificant duties per-
formed do not warrant the large APP
preparations made for It's mainten-
Nnce, and finally that the work of
l.,
caily nothing but protection of the
business of the American CONNER
cial company, private corporation.
Burns charges that at the time of
wreck of the liner Valencia, in Janu-
ary, 1906, there were three revenue
cutters within radius of 200 miles
that remained riding at their an
chors three days until ordered to go
to the relief of the stricken ship by
xhe treasury department. He says at
the time of the San Francisco earth
quake the captain of the cutter Nc
Cullough moved his ship away from
the harbor and refused to partici-
pate in the rescue work.
President Taft, who believes that
the chief magistrate of the nation
should keep in as close touch with
the people as the duties and require
ments of the Office admit, is planning
a notable trip during the late sum-
mer and early autumn, provided con-
xress decides to continue the annual
appropriation of $4,000 for travel
ing expenses allowed during the
closing years of the Roosevelt ad
ministration. The trip the Presi-
dent desires to make to the West
during the late summer will be en-
1irely too expensive to be paid for
out of his own pocket. 1t is said
the cost Will be in the neighbOrhood
Of 1000. If he goes West, Mr..
Taft will include Alaska in the jour
ney. No President has ever visited
.he far northern territory, who for