（原文）
CROSS， HYDE & SHIPMAN，Attorneys at Law，750 MAIN ST.
Hartford， Conn.，January 3rd，1912.
Dr.Yung Wing，Hartford， Conn.
Dear Sir：
You have asked me for a written statement as to how much annual income the Republic of China should see before it in order that the Republic should be successfully operated.
I have no figures at hand except those of the United States， and the purchasing power of a dollar in the United States in China must be relatively considered in order to make any valid comparison.
Roughly speaking， in the United States each member of the population pays $20 for the maintenance of government， as follows：$10 to the maintenance of the national government， $7 to the maintenance of local and municipal government with its various public conveniences， and $3 for the maintenance of the state government; total， $20.
The origin of the national receipts is all indirect， as we call it; that is， these receipts come from customs duties and internal revenue duties.We have no direct taxation in the federal scheme.By direct taxation， I mean a tax assessed against a single individual by reason of his holding of property.Our federal taxes are all on privileges; that is， taxes are assessed for the privilege of importing certain goods， the privilege of manufacturing tobacco and of making and selling intoxicating liquors， etc.
For the most part， state taxes are indirect in that they are levied upon corporations， railroads， insurance companies， banks， etc.，although a considerable portion of the revenue now comes from the taxation of inheritances.
It must be noticed that the states or territorial divisions of the country do not contribute anything as states to the support of the national government.
The $7 per person， which is the municipal revenue， comes practically entirely from a tax on the holding of property.These taxes are spent for police protection， for protection against fire， for the maintenance of streets， building sewers， water works and various municipal conveniences， and a considerable portion of them also is spent for education and for relief of the poor.
The population of the United States today is something like 90 millions， so that broadly speaking it requires $1,800,000,000 to run the government in this country， national， state and local.Now assuming that the population of China is 400 million， on the same basis the annual revenue of the Republic of China， national， provincial and municipal， ought to be eight billions of dollars， less the difference between the purchasing power of money in the United States and in China， and less the difference in the scale of living in the respective countries.Assuming that a dollar in the United States goes five times farther in China， a fifth of that total of eight billions is $1，600,000,000 for annual appropriation， but the scale of living in China is so different from that of the United States that it is hard to say how much of the expenditure now made in the United States for governmental purposes would be absolutely unnecessary in the new Chinese republic.If one assumed that the requirements of the average individual in China for government aid were one tenth as much as the requirements of an average person for government aid in the United States， the annual budget would be reduced to $160,000,000.
I do not see how by any possible line of reasoning the amount to be annually raised by the government for the maintenance of federal， provincial and local government in China， provided government and the comfort of the population were to go on at all， could be reduced below that sum.
How to raise it：Customs duties are the easiest to collect.Internal revenue duties are the hardest to collect， and yet such taxation produces a larger revenue than comes from importing duties.It took the United States a long time to get this internal revenue system in economical operation.The imposition of local taxation (that is， direct property tax）is no more difficult in China than anywhere else.A large figure of expense of imposition and collection would be one per cent， on the total amount collected through local agencies.
These figures are largely guesses， of course.They are given on the assumption of a country in peace.The expenditures of a country disturbed or in war rise to prodigious figures.
Yours very truly，
Arthur L.Shipman
P.S.Assuming that the Chinese Republic wanted to secure， say， six competent men from the United States to act as advisers and superintendents of various governmental agencies for the new republic， I think such men could be secured， say， for $75,000 annual salary each， but a five year contract would have to be offered and the gross amount of the five year compensation viz.，$375,000 each， would have to be raised and put aside for the support of their respective families.
No capable man would leave his avocation at home and cut off his revenue unless he could see at least that amount put aside for his family in taking up a difficult and perhaps hazardous employment.
（译文）
康涅狄格州哈特福德，1912年1月3日
致容闳博士，康涅狄格州哈特福德。
尊敬的先生：
您曾要我就年收入多少才能维持中华民国政府的成功运转写一份陈述。
我手上只有美国的数字，而没有中国的数字。在进行有效比较时，得考虑中美之间的购买力差距。
大致说来，在美国，每人支付约20美元维持政府运转，如下：10美元维持中央政府，7美元维持地方与市政的各种公共设施，3美元用于州政府：共20美元。
国家收入的来源都是所谓间接税，也就是说，这些收入来自关税和国内税收。在联邦计划中没有直接税。我所说的直接税，是指因个人持有财产而征收的税。我们的联邦税都是基于特权；也就是说，税收是为了进口某些商品、制造烟草、制造和销售酒类等的特权而征收的。
在很大程度上，州税是间接的，因为它们是对公司，铁路、保险公司、银行等征收的，尽管现在有相当大一部分的收入来自遗产税。
必须注意，美国的州或边界的划分，并不意味着州对国家财政的支持。
每人7美元，这是市政收入，事实上都来源于财产税。这些税用于警卫、防火、维持街道、修建下水道、供水及各种公共设施，也有相当的部分用于教育和济贫。
如今美国人口大约是9000万，故宽泛地说，维持这个国家联邦、州、地方政府的运转总费用需18亿。假设中国人口是4亿，减小中美两国的购买力差距，也减小两国生活规模的差异，按同样的基数中华民国中央、省、地方的年收入应需80亿美元。假使1美元在中国相当于5美元的话，那么中国只需80亿的1/5，即16亿美元。但中美两国在生活水平上是如此不同，因而很难说美国政府花费中的多少是新中国公众绝对不需要的。假如中国政府所需的人均救助费是美国的1/10，那么年度预算将减低到1.6亿美元来维持。
通过任何可能的线索推算出为维持中国的联邦、省和地方政府，政府每年要筹集的数额。如果要维持政府和人民的舒适，不可能减少到这个数额以下。
如何筹集资金呢，海关税是最容易征收的，而国内税是最难征收的，尽管如此，国内税还是比海关税带来更多的收入。美国花了相当长的时间才使国内税收系统经济地运作。征收地方税（即直接财产税）在中国并不比其他地方困难。征收的成本应是百分之一。款项总额通过地方代征。
当然，这些数字在很大程度上是一种猜测，是基于国家处于和平状态的假设。一个国家处于动荡或战争状态，支出将上升到惊人的数字。
亚瑟·西普曼 谨呈
附：
假使中华民国想从美国得到6个能干的人作为新共和国的顾问和各种政府代理处的管理者，我认为年薪要有75000美元才够，且要提供5年的合同，总计5年每人375000美元的报酬要筹集且储蓄起来以维持他们各自的家庭。
如果没有足够的报酬来承担家庭的话，一般美国人是不会愿意放弃自己国内的职业，断了收入去中国担任一个困难并可能是冒险的职业。