Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-03-13
THE TOBACCO TAX.
Additional Features OF the Reductio
The Bond Required.

A cigar dealor said yesterday, referring
to the cigar article in yesterdays REGISTER:
IF the cigar makers know when they are
we'll of, they will let things alone" but he
declined to say why.
The change in the tariff which most al
fects tobacco dealers" said dealer yester
day, sis the increase of the duty on leaf
tobacco. This will effectually stop the i'm
portation Of Sumatra tobacco, which had
caused apprehension among American
producers, " is q comparatively new to-
Dacco, and Is admirably adapted Tor wrap
perS Although sold at 81 40 per poun5 It
completes with American wrappers sold at
80 cents pound because of its better fit
ness for the purpose. There were 1000
bales of it imported last year. The fact
that tie new rate does not take effect until
July will let in one more large importation.
The increase was made at the instance of
the producers Of Connecticut, Pennsylvania
and the Middle States. While the domes-
tic tobacco raised is not as good as the for
eign wrappers, it serves the purpose, and
the supply is so great that there will be no
difficulty in filling the market with the
home product. The pressure of the home
producers was too great to be resisted.
las TO the effect of the increase, some
manufacturers assert that it will be
serious embarrassment to them because OF
the demand for foreign wrappers. They
say that premium is given to foreign
manufacturers, because there is no cor.
responding increase OF duty on the manu-
featured article.
The chief interest in the tobacco trade
centres in the change in the internal
revenue law, which has reduced the tax on
cigars and manufactured tobacco so per
cent. The cigar tax goes down from Sc to
S. a thousand, and the manufactured tObac.
CO tax from l6 cents to cents a pound.
The opinion of the trade seems to be that
cigar smokers will not get much benefit
from this reduction because ii is so small.
The reduction on tenCent cigar would be
so trifpg that it could not be measured to
the consumer.
with manufactured tobacco the case is
different, as the quantity for q given price
can be increased An effort will be made
10 produce cigars of little larger size to
to give the consumer the benefit OF the tax,
but il seems TO be conceded that the prin.
cipal benefit will go to the jobbers.
las regards the tariff there is not so
much difference of opinion in the trade as
there is with relation to the internal reve.
nue.. The large manufacturers did not de-
sire to have the internal tax removed alto
gether. They wanted the law retained
Wnlcn requires pond from the manutac-
turer. This, OF course, prevents small man
ufacturers or individuals from making
cigars, owing to the difficulty of procuring
bonds. In olden times any cigar maker
might buy few pounds of tobacco and
make few cigars to sell The argu.
ment for the retention of the bond
system has been that without it the
tax could not be collected, because cigars
would be made in all sorts of out CT the
way places. The Internal Revenue law
has thus kept the manufacture Of cigars in
the hands Of capitalists. 1t is not Demo.
cratic. 1t is an incubus on trade that ought
to be removed, so that cigarmakers could
be free to do their work at will. The work
ingmen ought to take hold OF this subject
and compel their representatives to give
them freedom 10 labor. There is, however,
a strong political influence at work to keep
the officials of the Internal Revenue De-
partment in power. Until this is overcome
the poor cigarmsker must continue TO work
for some capitalist. A few poor men, who
were in the business when the law was first
passed. have fortunes, but there is no chance
for others until the Internal Revenue law
is abolished"