Mr. Folger, the Republican Secretary to the Treasury, while declining
to recommend immediate redaction of the Tariff, except in the matter of wools for carpets, admits that the- country does not desire a reduction in the internal revenue duties on alcohol and tobacco. The revenue, at the same time, is so large, that the surplus applicable to the reduction of Debt will this year, after all the efforts made to deplete the Treasury, be 217,000,000 sterling, and ultimately the revenues of the nation must be limited by lowering the duties on imports. Mr. Folger repudiates all plans for distributing the surplus revenue of the country among the States for any purpose whatever, de- claring that "it is not the legitimate function of the Federal Government to raise taxes in order to give them to the States." This sharp official snub is directed against the pro- posal to assign to each State a grant-in-aid proportioned to the ignorance found still prevailing among its citizens. Mr,. Folger would continue to pay off Debt, but would ask the nation to pay all pilotage dues, and either to allow foreign ships to be bought free of duty, or to grant bounties upon all cargoes carried in American bottoms.
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