Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-05-19
SOUR MASH.
The True Inwardness of Windows
Whisky Bill.
the PIciings Come From,

The. Washington Evening Crit,
publishes the following:
The Critic this morning bumped W
against a prominent statesman at the
Capitol, who is usually informed as to
what is going on around him, and
asked him promptly what the Window
whisky Investigation would amount to,
THAT depends" sententiously re-
piled the statesman. There is a lot
Of choice meat in this matter, if only
the committee can get at it."
DO you think any OF the CORE
spondents are mixed upin it2"
II haven't said SOL remarked the
statesman, with a significant smile.
But" he continued, 1.-THE committee
might find out, say, from Mr.. John
Nj. Carson, Clerk of the Ways and
Means Committee, why it is that
the Whisky Bill slid through the
committee so expeditiously, got into
the House without any particular
report, and was sneaked through that
body without an aye or nay vote being
demanded or taken. Then Mr.. Nord-
hof may be able to furnish a satisfae-
tory explanation Of his sudden and
frey zeal in this matter after the
protentious silence OF theHerald while
the job was going through the House.
Again, there is General Boynton, who
represents a prominent paper in Gin
cinnati, the Gazette, a large whisky
manufacturing center. General Boyn-
ton and his paper were omiRously
silent about this latest job of the
wisky ring, and Boynton himself sin
gularly Indifferent to the bill. The
whole thing looks bad, and l believe
that these parties, and others whom |
could name, can furnish evidence
enough, if they will, to justify all that
Window charged"
Saying which, the statesman and the
scribe smiled simultaneously, and
each went his way.
Another of the Critic staff talked to
a member from a heavy w~hisky-pro-
ducing State on the effect the bill, if
passed, would have on the whisky
trade.
We'll" he responded to the propo-
sition that the amount of whisky in
bond would largely increase, Il be-
lieve it will be doubled, aye, quad
rupled within ten years if this bill
becomes a law. | remember when
the distillers and second dealers first
asked Congress to make a period of
reasonable timein which whisky might
be kept in boud. This was asked BY
the sour mash distillers. They claimed
that they should have a bonded period
for their goods, which must have age
before use, in order that they may be
enabled to cope with the sweet mash
distillers, whose goods are suitable
for immediate consumption. The
bonded period was fixed at three
years, as it now is. Well, the amount
of stock liquor has more than doubly
increased. Now the distillers and
their allies (the dealers who take it
from first hands) asked to have the
bonded period entirely removed"
And that will be an incentive to
keeping large amounts Of whisky in
bond?"
Most assuredly-and there is no
predicting the amount that will be in
bond ten years hence. 1t will be enor
nous. There will only be an invest
ment of fifteen or twenty cents on the
gallon then, whereas it is from 81 05.
to 81 10 on the gallon now. Then
there will be no accumulation of in
terest on the tax, and the government
assumes all the loss by shrinkage, and
so it will just pile up and become a
speculative article, growing better
as it gets older, at the expense of the
government"
well, what will be the result 2"
THE biggest whisky ring the coun-
try ever heard Of. That's one OBJ
%ject."
But we will have old whisky al
most as cheap, ten years hence, as we
now have the new article" mumbled
the Critic scribe, his tongue floating
about at random.
I'VE should have that, it is true,
but that margin will go straight into
the pockets Of the men who have been
trying to get this bill through Con-
gress."
'0h, everything seeks its level,
and time will bring it down" con-
tinued the news man, who wanted a
glass OF ten year-old rye for a nickel
That is one thing that will not
find a level. The interest on the tax
and the shrinkageP True, there is a
big margin. Let's see: We figure on
ten years. There will be the differ
ence or the ninety cents a gallon tax
for ten years. Then the new bill
provides that the whisky shall be
gagged when il is withdrawn, whereas,
1t is now gagged when deposited,
and a small per sent Of shrinkage
allowed, which the distillers claim is
four times too small. Well, with
that interest for ten years on the tax.
the discrepancy in the shrinkape |
figure up hurriedly in my mind over a
dollar a gallon the government gives
away by this bill on the teu-year old
whisky"
And this money goes"
TO the corner men,"
Will tho Senate pass the billP"
With amendments; probably ex
tending the bonded period to five
years-not as it is now will they pass
A timely use Of Browns Iron Bit.