A further
reduction of expenses, in addition to a reduction of interest account,
may be relied on to make this practicable. Revenue reform, if it means
this, has my hearty support. If it implies a collection of all the
revenue for the support of the Government, for the payment of principal
and interest of the public debt, pensions, etc., by directly taxing the
people, then I am against revenue reform, and confidently believe the
people are with me. If it means failure to provide the necessary means
to defray all the expenses of Government, and thereby repudiation of
the public debt and pensions, then I am still more opposed to such kind
of revenue reform. Revenue reform has not been defined by any of its
advocates to my knowledge, but seems to be accepted as something which
is to supply every man's wants without any cost or effort on his part.
A true revenue reform can not be made in a day, but must be the work
of national legislation and of time. As soon as the revenue can be
dispensed with, all duty should be removed from coffee, tea, and other
articles of universal use not produced by ourselves. The necessities of
the country compel us to collect revenue from our imports. An army of
assessors and collectors is not a pleasant sight to the citizen, but
that or a tariff for revenue is necessary.
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