Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1864-02-09
WhIsksY IN Congress.


The Committee eho reported the Excise Law
which has already pa.se the House Of Represen
tatiyes at Washugoa raised the duty on whis
key to sixty cents gallon, but excepted from
taia TAX oil whiskey ID store on the passage Of tbt
bill. On motion u Fernando Wood the House
however struck our The reception in the bill, and
imposed the tax on all whiskey. This produced
an immediate connection among the liquor deal
ers VINO, it ID well known, have been buying the
beverage argely Emancipation that The tax would
be only prospective in is operation, and who nov
hold quantity which would yield revenue, I'M
der the tax voted 10 the House, OF nearly three
millions Of dollars. The dealers Of course, pre-
fer to put this 'um into their own pockets, as they
would do, Il the tax j, only prospective, instead
OF into the treasury, gs they would be compelled
TO do by the bill as i passed the House, and they
accordingly a; cnce sent strong lobby to Wash.
lngion, md commenced to pat the outside pres
sure upon Congress Though whether they took
specimens Of their liquors along with thsm does
not fully appear, The result Of this movement
has already become apparent. The. Senate Fl.
nance Committee have agreed to strike out the
House amendment, aud permit the whisky deal.
ers to pocket the profile Of their speculation and
at the same time have advanced the tax on whis.
key to be manufactured to eighty cents gallon,
which not only puts into the pockets Of the deal.
ers the three m ioas Of dollars which The House
had determined should rcpenish the national ex.
chequer, but give them million and half more,
by the additional increase Of duty on the unmap.
ufacture article, thus giving these dealers even
more th'n they had asked and all at the expense
Of the Fedora treasury. Ne,h.f th. jus.ies aor
IL policy Of this action Of The Senate Commit.
tee is apparent, and we can bu. admire the sim
plicity Of Washington litter writer who saws,
An immense pressure has been brouebtto bsar
upon the Committee BY the large whiskey hold.
era Throughout! The country, but it is not RICH. 70
suspect that senators Of the character OF the mem
bers OF this committee have been Influenced BIZ
any other motives than the welfare If The cou6.
try.
Of course at % NJ, risht" to suppose that
AN immense pressure" would h,ye any effect up
on Senators, bu. The fact that the pressure" b,s
been to some purpose, ia tolera5Iy apparent from
the result aud it sno, quite easy to get rid u
the suspicion after oil.
1t is clearly absolutely just and right to make
Whiskey on hand pay the same tax as that ID be
manufactured Those holding il, viii, 40 soon a,
the tax IS laid, advance their prices the full
amount q the tax, whether they have to pay il
or not, and they would mol therefore suffer b. il
except by losing the opportunity Of pocketing
three millions in profits at the expense Of the n..
tional Treasury But these dealers can afford 10
spend money literally to defeat the House amend.
nsnt, and will do SO, and will, We fear, succeed at
laa', We hope to see the yeas and nay. on Il
however, both in tn. Senate and house, to ascer
tain who from Vermont has succumsed under hi,
" immense pressure"