The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-09-18
SENATOR VOORHEES,.
An Explanation Of His Vote on the Bill Rails
Ing the Whisky Tax.


To the Editor of the Indianapolis journal:
In prominent editorial in your paper Of yes
terday / am called on, in spirit Of bitter &C
cusation, to explain to the people of Indiana
why, in January, 1854 / voted against the
amendment offered by Fernando Wood, of New
York. to the revenue bill III. R. No 1921 pro
yiding for an additional tax on whisky already
distilled and on which the tax already required
by law had been paid. As you have no reason to
treat me with personal injustice, address this
communication to you with full confidence that
you will cheerfully publish it
The Thirty eighth Congress, in which this
measure was considered, met on the It'll of De-
cember, 1863, the Senate being composed Of
thirty six Republicans and nine Democrats. In
the House Schuyler Celfax was elected Speaker
BY vote Of l0l to 81 for all other candidates.
the real majority of the Republican party being
about twenty -fve, as shown by repeated test
votes. On the l4th Of January following Thad-
deus Stevens chairman of ways and means, and
the acknowledged leader Of the House. moved to
suspend the rules and take up for consideration
the revenue bill in question, which he had intro
duced prior to that time. In explaining the pro
visions of the bill, Mr.. Stevens, among other
things said:
The gentleman will see that all whisky that has
paid tax is exempt from this increased taxation.
We did not think we had right TO 60 back and tax
that which had been taxed by the government,
whether it is in a warehouse or not. But wherever
the distiller has failed to comply with the law
doubt from fraudulent purposes; where he has not
made his monthly returns, and paid his tax, i'm
pose this duty on him and we impose none on the
distiller who has made his return paid his tax.
On this principle the bill came from the Repub-
hcan committee of the House. On the 22d of Janu-
airy the amendment offered by Mr.. Wood to tax
whisky on hand, and which had paid one tax,
was adopted by the House, with my vote against
it, in company with Thaddeus Stevens James
g. Blaine, Henry Winter Davis, William a.
Wheeler, George S. Boutwell, and others Of
lesser note on the Republican side, and with
William S. Holman. Samuel j. Randall, George
H. PenGleton and other distinguished gentle
men my own side of the chamber. Do you
think all these eminent men wanted the rebel
lion to succeed DO you assume that it would
have been gall and wormwOod to their souls as
we'll as mine to have seen the revenue increased
When this bill. thus amended, reached the
Senate it was. under the rules. referred to the
finance committee of that body, Of which VIM
Pitt Fessenden was chairman. You will hardly
doubt his patriotism or his ability, even for the
pleasure of striking a political opponent. He
reported the bill back to the Senate with the
Wood amendment stricken out, and, in the
course of debate, he said:
To tax an article Of this kind on hand and, more
especially in the hands Of an owner whether inn
ported article whether article subject to internal
domestic duties which has already paid tax, OF
which, perhaps has not thing entirely now in the
revenue system of any country. lam told and au-
thorityf have not personally examined it myself be.
cause | was told there doubt
about the fact--that il has never been done
introduce It here it will Be the first time in the history
Of amy sysem Of this kind that yon take article Of
property winch mas already gone through the hands OF
government and paid this tax to government and again
tax upon it in the hands of the owner am
told it has been done at all heretofore in any
country, and consequently should be introducing
entirely system and one which might he at
tended with considerable embarrassment.
On vote in the Senate Mr. Fessenden and
the committee on finance were sustained and
the principle of repeated taxation of the same
article was condemned, by majority of more
than two to one; the Two Senators from indiana
Henry S. Lane and Thomas A. Hendricks voting
together against it. When the bin was re-
turned to the House, with the Wood amend
ment stricken out, Mr. Stevens called it up Feb
Is and said:
It will be recollected that the committee on ways
and means recommended that after the 18th Of Janu
AIRY, the time the bill reported, all whisky dis
titled and sold, removed for sale should pay forty
cents per gallon in addition to the present tax Of
twenty cents, The House, motion of the gentle /
man from Now York Mr.. Fernando Wood, changed
that to put the tax upon all stock hand With
out reference to the time when the was dis
TILED or whether i had been taxed or not. The
House adopted that amendment and in that shape
the bill was sent to the Senate
The Senate acted upon the bin, and they. in short
amended the bill 50 that i should be entirely pros
IS whether the House win accept the
amendments Of the Senate viii adheYeto their own
bill. The committee ways and means
are clearly Of the opinion that the House ought to
accept the Senate bill, first, because it is con
sstent with the principles Of taxation adopted by this
and every other government in laying a tax upon
future products and because it is consistent with
the pledge which Congress made to the community
at the time they passed the tax law.
Upon such reasoning as this the House con
CURED with the Senate in striking out the
amendment offered by Mr. Wood, and which
was at first adopted. I simply agreed with Mr.
Stevens Mr.. Fessenden and other able leaders
in both branches Of Congress in opposing
aprineipleof continuous taxation, which involves
the right Of coufscation; and if for this you
think best to assail me before the people Of In
DIANA / am content for you to do so. This is
my explanation, which you demanded; and if it
is different from what you expected it is because
my record is better than you thought it was.
have the honor to be, very respectfully, yours,
D. w. VooRHEEs
TERRE HAUTE, Sept II, 1884.