The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-26
THE HOUSE.
Debate the Bill to Extend the Bonded
Whisky Period.

Debate the Bill to Extend the Bonded
Whisky Period.
| WASHINGTON, March 25-NIr Browne, of In
diana, called up the bill making it felony for
person to falsely and fraudulently assume to be
an officer or employee, acting under the authority
of the United States or any department thereof
Passed.
The House went into committee of the whole,
Mr.. Dorsheimer in the chair, on the bonded ex-
tension bill.
Mr. Potter briefly gave the reasons which i'm
PEELED him to support the measure
The bill was for the relief of manufacturers
in granting which relief Congress would benefit
every substantial interest. 1t was question
whether Congress would precipitate disturb
ance on the country when there was a plain,
open way to avoid it.
Mr.. Kelley thought the demand of the
whisky syndeat for relief from taxation fem
porarily was an impudent one The internal rev
enue system worked a great hardship upon small
| farmers fruit growers and cigar-makers. and
was maintained alone for three syndlcates which
had acquired three branches of industry The
| manufacturers of whisky were the chief of
these syndicates, which found this tax a sure
guarantee of q monopoly of the American mar
ket. The large manufacturers comparatively
few i'll number which had crowded out the small
cigar makers, came next, with an assured mo
nopoly The others OF these syndicates was the
manufacturers of malt liquor, and for these syn
dicates the government maintained an internal
tax and maintained an army of over 400, 600
agents to destroy the small fruit growers. He
denied the tax was kept up for the benefit of the
government. The gentleman from New York
(NIr. Potter was in favor of postponng
for two years the payment of the taxes.
He Kelley was in favor of repeating them of
wiping out the whole Internal system He did
not wish to make whisky free on tne contrary
he would regulate the use Of all intoxicants
! The United States government could not do that;
it could only tax, and tax blindly. The States
could regulate and supervise and restrict and
prohibit. In support Of his assertion that the
government did not need the revenue derived
from internal revenue, he declared that without
IA dollar derived from that source the govern
ment this year would receive enough money to
meet every legitimate demand 1t would be a
healthy day for the government when system
which had never been popular, which had been
resisted by an attempted revolution when first
established. which had Outlived its usefulness
and become disgrace to the country and age
was repealed.
Mr.. Long had changed his views on the pend
ing measure since first considering it. At first,
| it had appeared to him that its tendency was to
correct discrimination which existed against
whisky: but the arguments of the supporters of
| the bill had proven too much. The query arose
in his mind how if there was such an uiust bur
den on one commodity, it happened such an
tlluIulty httu cSCdpCu tH6 dUltnIlOl Oh FORMER
| Congresses; and he had made further,eXamina-
ton That examination had led him to the con
clusiOn that whisky was not suffering under any
discrimination, but the effect of this bill would
be to create one in its favor The three years
extension granted in 1878 had increased the evil
of overproduction. The refusal, in 1882. has
lessened it. Which example was this house
going to follow! He believed the gentlemen
from Kentucky were speaking with
most thorough convictions; but if this bill we're
passed and the time extended when the limit
was reached instead of 10000 900 gallons on
hand, instead of $66, OOOO 600 of unpaid taxes the
Then the question would be, not when the tax
would be paid, but whether it would be paid at
ALL and the question, therefore, became one, not
of relief alone, but of great public policy and far
reaching effect
Mr.. Follett supported the bill. 1t was claimed
| that its purpose was to have the government