The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-03-29
Lager Beer in Congress.

The proposition to tax lager beer one
dollar per barrel elected quite a racy
debate In Congress, on a motion to reduce
the tax to 1 ct. per gallon. One member,
Mr.. Fessenden, advocated so high
tax as to amount to prohibition
of its manufacture, upon which half
dozen other members took fire, and
launched forth in extravagant praise of
the delightful beverage
Mr.. Pendleton said: l desire to saw
that l have never known any beverage
which is more healthful and deliciously
refreshing than lager beer. / may be
considered as a specimen of the result of
lager beer. [Laughter.1 Its praise ought
to be sung by all good and generous men,
Mr. Blair professed himself an equally
enthusiastic admlrer and free drinker of
the beverage.
debate that the influence of the whisky
and it would seem, too, contrary to the
general theory, that lager beer is rather
intoxicating. Laughter. l think it is
my duty to say word because l happen
te know something on the subject of lager
| beer, as l own a lager beer establishment
myself Renewed laughter In three
wards of the city where reside my con-
stituents are threefourths Of them lager
beer drinkers There is no better class of
people; none more industrious or more
honest They will not dirk whisky or
strong liquors when the can get the clear,
cold refreshing lager beer.
Those who own a lager beer establish.
ment know very we'll how lager beer is
made. 1t is fermentation Of barley and
hops alone. 1t is therefore, different from
other beer in that respect but still it is 4
fermentation OF barley. 1t is conceived to
be better than other beers, because none
of the drugs are infused into it, if honestly
made, which are infused into other beers
at least, that is the way lager beer is
made at my establishment. Laughter
But ] must say its effects are sometimes
eccentric and amusing. The tavern which
sells it, and which | also own, is next to
my own house, and | must saw that
have many night looked out and seen
the honest men who go there to drink
beer stumble up against the fence Once
they knocked the fence entirely down.
Laughter | should. therefore, desig-
nate the effect of lager beer as not ntoxi
eating out rather as exhilerating.
4 Member-It has the effect of exalta,
ton. Laughter.
Mr.. Stevens-Ies sir; exaltation La
ger beer gets its name from the verb lager,
to lag, as those VINO understand German
as we all do well know. 1t means that
the beer is made and then slowed away in
vaults thirty feet under ground. and kept
there until fit for use Some men may
drink only glass or two and feel its
effects very sensibly, while others can
drink dozens of glasses with impunity
| drank one or two glasses once, and
must say that its influence on me was
very high. Laughter. a constituent
OF mine, OrthIneer by name, came to see
me on New Year S day. How are you
Ware goot. ! have frank my twenty
seven glasses lager" Great laughter
The glasses out of which they drank this
beer are small. There are round tables
in the lager beer saloons, and these men
90 in, take 4 seat at table, call for a glass
Of lager, and never utter word, excep;
10 call for another lager when their glass
gets empty. OF course, in one evening
they drink several glasses of lager each
How Insignificant will be the tax upon
them in this bill If the tax be left a,
one dollar a barrel they would not have
; to pay each more than one mill glass.
For fear that we 90 on with this debate
and lose sight OF the BILL move that the
committee rise 10 close the debate on thi:
, section
The motion was agreed to