Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-05
SeNGte.

Morrill,, from the committee on finance,
reported the house bill to reduce internal
revenue taxation, with an amendment en-
bracing an entire revision of the tariff and
of the machinery for It's collection. He
said so far as internal revenue taxation
was concerned, the committee felt bound
to report it as it was left by the senate,
whatever might have been their own views
as to the amendment granting a rebate Of
the tax on tobacco. He gave notice
that he would ask the senate on Wednes-
day next to take up the bill and consider
it to the exclusion of all other business
till it should be disposed of.
Mr.. Walker, from the committee on
public lands, reported bill toproyide or
the sale of the Cherokee reservation in
Arkansas, and asked for its immediate
consideration, but upon Mr.. Sherman's
objection, it went over
Mr.. Edmunds reported the bill provid-
ing additional compensation to witnesses
in United States courts, and said as it was
necessary to compensate witnesses from
beyond the Mississippi in the star route
cases, he would ask its consideration at an
early day.
At the close of the morning hour,i Mr..
Sherman moved to postpone the calendar,
in order to take up the bonded whisky bill.
Mr.. Logan proposed to call up the West
Point academy appropriation bill.
Mr.. Sherman said the failure to pass
this bill now would create widespread dis
tress not only to the whisky interest but
also to other important commercial inter
ests.
The motion to postpone the calendar
was agreed to: Ayes, ~; nays, 10.
Mr.. Sherman then moved to take up the
bonded whisky bill.
Mr.. Logan asked unanimous consent to
take up the West Point appropriation bill.
Mr.. Sherman objected, and insisted on
his motion, which was lost: Ayes, %;
nays, 90.
By unanimous consent the West Point
appropriation bill was then taken up and
passed.
It was then unanimously agreed that a
vote should be taken on the Eltz John
Porter bill on Tuesday next.
On Mr.. Sherman's motion, by a vote OF
33 to 16, the bonded whisky bill was taken
up.
Mr.. Hale moved to amend, so as to limit
the proposed extension of time to whisky
entered before January 1, 1881. His OBJ
iect in Offering the amendment was to test
the sincerity of the professions that this
bill was merely designed to
relieve distress and to ascertain whether
relief of distress or the securing of an in
definite extension of time for the whisky
men was the real object 1t was the bour-
bon whisky interest that swas urging this
bill, but all whisky of that kind entered on
or before July 1, 1881. was protected for
one year by the existing law and his
(Hale's) amendment would give it two
years more. Mr.. Sherman said that if the
whisky interest came oftener to congress
for relief than others it was because no
other interest except tobacco was so taxed
by congress. The tax on spirits
was 500 per cent. of their cost.
In other words, 1.-THE government said to the
manufacturer of spirits, "Within three
years from the time you manufacture your
product yea shall pay in taxes five times
as much as that product COSTS" This was
an exceptional tax, yet these manufactur-
ers did not ask for its repeal but merely
for an extension of time in order that they
might have an opportunity to find mar
ket for their product before they were re-
quired to take it out of bond and pay tax
upon it; and in asking even this they
offered to pay interest upon tax
at rate of per cent. Any man having
lien upon the property of another, and
refusing an extension of time on such terms
would be regarded as Shylock.
| Mr.. Maxey asked what reason there was
for granting this extension to distillers
which would not apply equally to import
ers of distilled spirits.
Mr.. Beck said the importers had already
several advantages, and further, they did
not use American grain or other American
materials. The whisky men had paid into
the treasury thousand millions of dollars,
and the class of manufacturers
now complaining had never
cheated the government out
of dollar. 1t was entirely proper that
whisky and tobacco should be taxed; and
he Deck certainly would never ask that
they should be relieved from taxation so
long as the poor man is taxed 100 per cent.
upon his blanket and 80 per cent. on the
sugar he used in his tea. He was in favor
OF keeping the whisky interest in con-
dition to be taxed and pay taxes, so that
other burdens pressing heavily upon the
people might be reduced, and the relief
granted BY this bill was necessary to keep
it in thet condition.
The amendment was finally rejected:
Ayes, II, nays, "a.
Mr.. Hale offered another amendment
providing that the duty on all distilled
spirits, when the same are Withdrawn,