Ka Leo o ka Lahui, Volume II, Number 195, 18 May 1891 — REVENUE AND RESOURCES. [ARTICLE]

REVENUE AND RESOURCES.

The appr®priations of the last legislature exceeded the funda available, thus giving the already wellaigh omnip«tent ministry the power to use ihe public moneys for such purposes as to them might seom g#od t and leave puWie w#rks and needed iaiprovem»nts unt#uched on the plea tkat there ie not en«ugh money in the treasury. It ig strangt that while the legislature was passing the appropriations, that it did not occur io any ef tke intellectual lights of the H»use to adopt 60Dte plan to raise •ur revenue to meet the expenditures.

Tk«re &ppeftrs to be n« reag»n tho taz rate i* fixed immoyably at one per c«nt. It wo«ld be better to fix tbe rate eaab year to meet necessjary oūt!sy&, asis oaual in other co\mtrieß. Then there are numerous wajs •f increasing our ineome that would not be felt aa a burden; It is an admitted fact in political tconomy that indirect taxee are ifißB felt and ia every way Hiore desirable than «ne that is exacted directly. A slightly increase price paid fer goode b#ught ia notnoticed, and an arfcicle catt be bought or left alone as Conyenient; but the impenoua demand of r the tax eollector for eaah without tangible equivalent » odiousl The United States has an overflowing treagury by it« iariff on imported goods» We by 'our treaty with that powerare debared froi» raising a reyenue in the same way except on certain artieles. If our revenue from duties is sacrificed t« tfce sugar indmstry there is every reason why the sugar should be taxed to supply our needs.

It is well known tbat our wealth eonsists almost entirely of the sugar product. Since the tax must primarily eome out of sugar, why not tax sugar directly ? While all fiorts of difficulties are met in fixing the ralues of plantat\ons, leases, machinery, gr*wing otne, labor contracts, etc., would be the eaBiest thing e . tvable to levy and collect bo mueH on* every tbn •f sugar exported. If. drouth, or any cause reduced the yield the interprise would be iir«port]onally relieved from the burden of taxation. In California and the silver producing states mines ūte only taxed ©n the bullion produced. This single tax is oonsidered very favorable to the industry. Brazil Made §uch a treaty with4he United State» for the free admission of her coffee. But the governm«nt immediately put an exclse duty on coffee exactly equai t« the tariff remitted by the United States. Thus the whole of the advantage of the treaty accured to the government and the planters received no benefit at all. This was not bo unfair might appear at first sight; thei tariff rebate was clear gain secured j by the government, and the plant-1 «rs were in just the same p«sition 1 29 before, losing nothing by the

j transaction whieh reallv did not I affect ihem.

The United States hae violated the spirit of the recipr*city treaty and withdrawn the congideration for whieli we entered into it. It now remains now for us to terminate it as soob as possible and eolonr injpart dutieB &gain #r seek an advantgeous connection elsewhere, «r elee to seek political union with the Great Kepublic, and becoue a atate. m We haye other rtcourcef. Tkere |is ene that would lill our treasury and groatly benefit the c#u*try. Our lands are all owned and tied up, 80 that there is none for settlers, though the xnQst of it is lyi»g idle and unprofitable. This could be remedM by a per acre tax on aIL land «Keepi tQwn lotß, say one dollars per acre in ▼alue, and fifty centa an acre on all other. This would render it impoaeihle for land sharka to hold thousands of acres of idle land while the poor man has not where to set his f*ot. Such a movemeixt wotld bd A tfme raform and would ioee.t the violent opposition that usually obstr»cts the way t« progresa. We point the way atid hape the time may eome when the gilled octopus will be forced to relax its hold and withdraw its shmy temtaeles from our fair earth, the inalienahle inheritance of mankind.