The Washington times., 1913-02-02
REVENUE PROBLEM
TO BE PERPLEXING
Country viii Demand Reduction in Tariff While Increased Ex.
penditures Will Necessitate Democrats Making
Enormous Appropriations.
By JOHN SNURE.

help relieve the need for more revenue
greatly. The income tax bill would
take the place OF the excise bill pro-
posed last session.
The need for more revenue is so great
that the proposal to put sugar on the
free list is looked on as pohtsal bum
combe pure and simple. frca sugar
would entail a loss OF about s60, ,vJoVOV in
revenue. 1t is idle to talk of 1t unless
the Democrats are prepared to enact d
sweeping income tax law. probably on .
graduated plan, which would bring in
something IN the region of $15o,0N,0O0
One proposal Is to enact both the excise
measure Of last session and an income
tax law such as proposed b. Mr.. Hull.
Democratic leaders are concerned at
the way appropriations are mounting.
But the pressure for more money
crowds on them from every quarter
Appropriation bills are carrying more
money than last year but there seems
no way to prevent It.
Congressman Swagar Sherley of Ken
lucky. one of the leading Democrats of
the Appropriations Committee, when
asked why the appropriations were in
creasins to such a great extent said:
Great Pressure.
"of course there is great pressure
from all sides for larger appropriations
for all sorts of things. but, the public
should not forget that many Of the ap-
propriations made at the last session
were to run only until March 4. 1918,
and that this session It ts necessary for
us, In many instances. to provide for the
running of the Government from March
I. 1913, until July I, 1914, considerably
longer than one fiscal year. This win
account for some Of the increases.
Congress has no general budget scheme
Tor apporuoning appropriations-no
method by which the entire fiscal sit
uation of the Government may be sur
veyed at once and policy Of appro-
priations. as We'll as. taxation. agreed
viii continue To increase. With sep
arate measures for the army navy
Agricultural Department. Indians, pen
sions. etc, It il to be expected that
the committees intersted in those sub
5ects will see more reasons for having
money for them than others do.
Committees Have Power.
ST has become customary to let q
committee have pretty much it's own
say about the appropriation bills 1t
brings in. Then. too, coming separate
ly. the comparatively small increases
are unnoticed, and then everybody Is
startled when they are added at the
end OF the session. Under the budget
scheme, for which have been long
contending. If II Is found necessary
to increase expenditures In one branch
Uf the Government the leaders Of Con-
eress will grow accustomed to lookin.
elsewhere TO see where they can cut
on money to make up. for the differ
ence. .rsnE
.'It may be said that the natural
growth of the country accounts for
the increasing appropriations. This Ia
partly true. but II does not account Tor
the big increases Of the last twenty
years"
The country was scandalized in 1853
when a Republican Congress appro-
priated during two years d.552. 349, ,009.
This ives referred to as 1.-THE billion
dollar Congress. The howl that went
up from the country caused the Re-
publicans to cut down expenditures for
few years, and then they began to
mount again. Now. every session CT
Congress Is a ''biiIion dollar" session,
and a Congress during its lifetime of
two years spends considerably more
than g. 000, 100000.