The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-10-09
MAKING THE ESTIMATES.

When it was stated that the Demo
cratic partisan tariff revision would
create deficit in the National treasury
OF from $60o00,O00 to $70,000,oo0 a
year, the proposition to enact an In
come tax was sprung to meet that de-
ficiency. There seemed to be no doubt
in the minds of the Democratic re-
created by the tariff revision, and that
deficit was made the excuse for the in
come tax legislation.
Now, however, Chairman Simmons
seems not at all certain that there will
be any deficit at all, even without the
in order to get at this basis of equality
in revenue and expenditure, he esti
mates that the government expendi-
lures for the next fiscal year will be
100000 less than the amount ap-
propriated for this year. But since the
appropriations for this year were ex-
pressly under the control Of the Demo
cratic House, and since those appro-
priations were $100,000,000 in excess of
the extravagant appropriations
charged against the previous Republi-
can total of Governmental appropria-
tions, it is not easy to SEQ how Chair
man Simmons arrives at his basis of
economies. Is there to be rigid sYs-
TEN of economy introduced into the
Democratic programmed There has thus
far been no symptom of it. On the con-
trary, while the Democrats Of the
last Congress increased the appropria-
tions by 100000, 900, the likelihood is
rather that they will keep on with a
| still further increase than that they
| will cut the appropriations short by
$40 100000, as Chairman Simmons
reckons.
| 1t is to be observed also in this
connection that in the cut of $40,000,-
| 600, which Chairman Simmons esti-
mates, he still leaves a margin of $780,
000,00 for Democratic appropriations
above the appropriations Of the last
| Republican House. This would seem,
on the face Of it, to allow of the saw
ing of s4O,O00,000, reckoned by him.
But that sort of reckoning leaves out
| Of the account also the inevitabl
tendency of the politicians to make
appropriations for their own personal
advantage and for the advantage of
their States and Districts. This is a
tendency that can hardly be curbed
now that the Democrats have bigger
taste than ever of and for "the pork
barre1.''
If, indeed, the Democrats shall cut
down their appropriations by $4,000.
900, then Chairman Simmons might be
justified in his estimate of the saving
of the $40,000000 which he reckons
would be possible. Yet the likelihood
Of this saving streak Of economy eff
fecting anything in the greed Of the
House is not very great, But if it i:
to be made, why the income taxi
Another feature IN this business has
not received its proper attention
either by the Democratic leaders or BY
their Republican opponents of thi!
tariff legislation. The reduction in the
tariff rates will undoubtedly stimulate
imports very considerably, and if the
imports are stimulated in correspond
ing degree to the reduction in the rate:
Of duty, then it is quite likely thai
the customs receipts may not fall Of
at all. In that case it would be cleal
that there was no need Of imposing al
income tax at this time. But it is z
certainty that from all the different
angles ut which the tariff revision i,
looked at and the different sorts o1
computations that are made, with re
suits varying all the way from de
felt Of $70,000,000. to surplus, a:
Chairman Simmons puts it, Of $4,000,
J 600, those who now make these com