Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-30

ton is secured this winter. His selfish
ness should no longer be allowed to block
the public business.
THE WHISKY BOND EXTENSION act.
The representatives of the whisky inter
est made another desperate effort yester-
day to secure action by the house on the
whisky bond extension act, now on the
speakers table, and propose to antagonize
all other measures before that body until
it is disposed of. AS the taxes on the
whisky now in bond falls due early next
month, there is no wonder that those inter
| ested are anxious to have some action.
There are, at the same time, some urgent
reasons why the house should not act upon
the bill, or if it considers it at all, should
deny the extension.
The law permitting distillers to bond the
product of their stills for certain time
without payment of tax was passed at their
urgent solicitation on pledge that when the
time expired the tax would be promptly
paid. Under the operations of the law the
distillers have been enabled to manufac-
ture more spirits than the trade demanded.
They have therefore sold the greater part
of it for future delivery-say in two or
| three years from the date of its distilla-
ton. Thus they have been enabled to sell
new whisky for old, at largely advanced
prices. The only cost to them has been
the expense of its distillation, about twenty
cents gallon. All the time that the goods
have been lying in the warehouses
the government has been kept out
of the tax due, amounting in the aggre-
gate to about two hundred millions of dol
lars. The interest on this sum is not a
small matter, even for a government like
ours, and it amounts simply to bonus to
the distillers. Now that it is proposed to
extend the bonded period two years longer,
it is about time to ask the questions: Will
it pay to do so? Is it fair to other tax
payers who meet the requirements of the
law promptly, to accord this privilege to
the distillers?
| 1t is urged that to demand the payment
| of the tax at this time would cause great
hardship in the liquor trade. This may
be the case, but it is certainly no ones
fault excepting that of the owners of the
spirits They have known for years pre-
cisely when they would be required to pay
the tax, and if they are not prepared they
have no one to blame. During all the
time that the liquor has been lying in bond
it has been ageing and augmenting in
value, and is to-day worth more by twenty
five per cent. than when they first placed il
! IN the warehouses. Besides saving the in
terest on the amount of this tax they are
therefore SO much the richer, and it i'll
becomes them to demand further extern
sion of two years or more. It is DELHI
crate fraud upon the government and ar
injustice to other classes of citizens who
pay their taxes when they are due. II
should not be tolerated for moment by
congress, and will not be if the member.
are at all considerate Of their duty.
1t is more than suspected that there is g
hidden purpose in this movement for ar
avoidance of the immediate payment Of
the tax due. 1t is we'll known that for some
time past the whisky lobby at Washington
has been moving in the direction of secur
| ing material reduction of the tax on spir
its. The arguments in favor of such 6
change in the law are many and varied
and are used upon members with cunning
| born of the large interest at stake. If the
! tax should be reduced within the next two
years, of course all the liquor in bond will
share in the reduction, thus adding millions
| to the profits of the owners, and to like
| extent impoverishing the government. This
view of the matter has been persistently
and, probably, purposely ignored in the
discussions in both the senate and house
for it will not suit the purposes of those
who are engineering the scheme to give il
publicity. Whisky is taxed lightly enough
| at present, and any reduction of the rate
would not be approved by tho people. MOI
is there any reason why distlllers Of OF
dealers in liquors should be especially IA
vored by congress in the payment of their
taxes. These taxes should be paid when
due. or the penalties of the law enforced
without restriction.