Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-03-20

ResOloed, That the House accepts these res
/ olutions and directs that they be spread on
/ the journal.
After a repetition of the debate which
had just ended upon the former resolu-
tions, the latter resolutions were adopted
without division.
GARRISON VS.. MAYO.
/ Mr.. Turner, of Georgia. Chairman of
/ the Committee ON Elections, reported a
| resolution in the contested election case
| of Garrison VS.. Mayo, from the First Con-
! gressional district of Virginia, declaring
the contestant, Mr.. Garrison, entitled to
the seat. He asked for its immediate con-
slderation, but the sitting member, Mr..
Mayo, desiring to make a speech in his
own BEHALF the matter was postponed
until tomorrow.
The Committee on Appropriations re-
/ ported the Indian appropriation bill, and
1t was referred to the committee of the
whole.
THE WHISKY STRUGGLE.
The long expected struggle over the
whisky bill began, Mr.. Blackburn, of
Kentucky, calling Mr.. Springer, of Hi
nOls, to the chair, and moved to 90 into
committee of the whole on the revenue
bills.
Mr.. Dowd, of North Carolina. raised
question of consideration, and Mr.. Ran
dali demanded the yeas and nays, which
were ordered. The motion was agreed to
by 130 yeas to 21nays, and at 3 80 O'Clock
the House went into committee, with Mr..
DOOrsheimer, of New York, in the chair.
The first bill was the bonded extension
bill.
Mr. Hiscock, Of New York, objected to
its consideration.
The objection was reported to the House,
which, by vote of 137 yeas to rs NAYS,
decided to consider the bill, and the COM
mittee resumed its session, Mr.. Morrison.
OF illinois, taking the floor in support Of
the bill. Before he had finished a SEN
tence, however, Mr.. White Of Kentucky,
rose, saying that he had moved that the
committee rise for the purpose of bringing
a privileged matter before the House.
The chair stated that he had recognized
the gentleman from Illinois, Mr.. Morri-
son, and on Mr.. Whites taking an appeal
refused to notice it on the ground that an
appeal was not in order upon a question
OF mere recognition by the chair.
MIR. WHITE SEES A LOBBYIST.
ThereurOn Mr.. White rose to a point of
order and said that a member of the
whisky ring was now on the floor, when
he had previously given his pledge that
ne had no interest in any bill before the
House. Within a few days from making
that pledge he had appeared before the
Committee on Ways and Means in sup
port of the bill, and was now on the floor.
as well as the editor of the COurjer-.JOlT-
nal, from town where more whisky was
in bond than in any other town in the
United States.
Mr.. Blackburn submitted that this was
not a point of order, and said that his
colleague knew that he had no right to
be heard upon it. The chair ruled that
it was not point of order.
MIR. White say that l am entitled to
be heard on question of privilege. The
gentleman from New York (Dorsheimer)
has decided that l am not in order. and
he must take the responsibility. You
may bulldoze this bill through, but
The remainder of the sentence was
drowned in cries Of "order."
THE OBJECT OF THE BILL.
Mr.. Morrison then made a short state
ment as to the purpose and object of the
bill; The tax on distilled spirits must be
paid according to the existing law in
three years, or as much sooner as the
spirits were removed. The object of the
bill was to extend the time for the paw
ment of the tax on spirits now in ware
houses on condition of a new guarantee
and interest on the tax extended. If this
business of converting grain into alcO-
mol existed only to be taxed, then
the beneticiaries of this bill were entitled
to no consideration here regarding it. AS
legitimate branch of the manufacturing
industry it was entitled to be placed on
an equal basis with all other industries
from this industry the government de-
rived more than one-fifth of all its reve-
nue.. In the neXtfew months there would
be forced out of the warehouses $4,000, 900
gallons which must pay tax, and in the
next few years 70,000,000 gallons. for much
of which there would be no market. The
Commissioner of Internal Revenue esti-
mated that the surplus for which
there would be no market would amount
in the next two years to 45,000,000 gallons.
In the years when this whisky was made
everything was Oyerdone. Excessive pro-
ducIon was not alone III this industry
but was common to the larger producing
interests Of the country.
WHERE IT GOES.
Producers were not able to compete in
the sale of alcohol in EurOpean markets
with Germany. This country fought the
German people with protective tariffs
ami had to sell in French markets in COM
petition with The subjects of the i'll
natured Bismarck. Suppose that this
surplus was purely the result of
the speculative spirit of our people, was
that good and satisfactory reason why
an industry of this magnitude should be
forced to pay taxes when the government
had nothing to make by this enforcement?
IL was Sald tnau TINS was class legisla- |
ton, that it was legislation in the interest
of special few. That was not the fact.
This legislation was to undo as far as il
went special legislation against this in
dustry and put it as nearly as might be
on an equality with all other articles that
paw internal revenue taxes. He believed
with the Commissioner of Internal Reve- !
nue. that If this was anything else than
whisky there would be no question about |
it. He believed, further, that whenever it |
could be done, as it could be done now.
that relief should be granted. If this bill |
were passed it would not cost the gov |
ernment one single cent, aud it would not |
add to the burdens of a single person of |
the 55,000,000 of people to the extent OF |
hundredth part of farthng.
Mr.. Willis, of Kentucky, said that the |
people of Illinois, Kentukcy and Ohio and |
of half dozen other States were deeply. |
vitally interested in the immediate pass
age of this bill, but its friends did not |
wish to push it through by any railroad |
scheme. If there was anything wrong in !
it they wanted it to come out. He, there |
fore, yielded to Mr.. Blackburn, who, with
the expressed hope that consideration of |
the bill would be concluded tomorrow.
moved that the committee rise. This mo-
tiOn was agreed to, and the House ad-