Show THE TAX TAI A loiter letter from ono of tho the count rys most noted financiers finan ciera mr aba whorton barker of philadelphia to senator morrill is attracting at present considerable sider sid erable ablo attention in financial circles mr barker has obtained I 1 on lon dors dorse emoula to his views from many prominent men and appears determined to bring the present heavy system of internal taxes to an end the letter lit is long lengthy thy but thu the author proceeds to show in the first place that tha cho circumstances under IL rider which jho internal taxes were resorted to wore imperative but they have hav long vince ceased to gaist in loss less than thre eyears alter after the taxes were first imposed tho war had bail ended yet the method has baa over been continued until tho the amount annually collected i h at present greater than at any time fifille during the last ton years A war tax is ia hardly litt idly justifiable in time of pence peace and a time must come when the special I 1 system US os devised devi sod in in the midst of battle will become antime untimely I 1 Y that tha these taxes are unnecessary to the jan financial ancial support of the nation may be found in tho the statements of the treasury department at pros pres ent tho the surplus of revenue in in tho the cot fore fera is so enormous that it challenges the attention of tho the wl whole lole world twenty years yeara ago forty ono and a bal halt f millions of dollars would cover the entire annual revenue of the nation while tit present a surplus of twelve millions per mouth month is collected and the treasury holds over two hundred find and sixty civo avo millions of dollars with allowance for all due expenditures seventy flye five per cent of the collection of internal revenue for the rio last two fiscal years has boon been a surplus sound reabon dictates that the treasury bo be moderately supplied tor for emergencies j and that the public debt bo be liquidated by gradual steps as aa best suited to the busai business moss interests of the country rather than by hasty and sweeping strides it appears plain to us all that thy revenues are greatly in in excess of the public needs and this should bo be an all sufficient efficient reason for their dl discontinuance scon ti nuance but bat furthermore it may be easily shown that chat to continue the tax system is is not only undesirable but burdensome and objectionable the people are daily 0 experiencing x perlen tho the wars exactions and especially in the south will this system perpetuate the friction and irritation of tho the past it may bo be argued too tatt tho the calloe tion ti on of onor enormous and un unneeded rov rouea from those these taxes is is a direct incentive to extravagance and corruption excessive treasury receipts will very naturally load lead among some to wasteful appropriations anil and perchance to scones of plunder again by the abolition of the taxes nearly near I 1 y four hundred government officers would be dispensed with thus greatly simplifying the problem of reform many states are in positions of financial embarrassment today to day i andico and could ul d their taxes which the national government can well relinquish bo 41 applied to the wants want many obligations would bo be reli relieved eTed 11 As says gays an eastern journal on the clio subject we talco take these as conclusive indications that mitat there will ila soon a general stir istir ou on tho he subject ot of national revenues revenue 3 11 |