St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-06-23
INTERNAL REVENUE.
Alleged Agreement to Reduce the
Tobacco and Fruit Brandy
Taxes.
The Tobacco Interests Still Hopeful of
/. Securing a Reduction This
Session.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.


WASHINGTON, June 21.-It was agreed by
the Democrats in caucus some months ago
that congress should reduce the tariff and
internal revenue taxation, the proposition
having been offered in caucus by Mr.. Car
Isle as compromise between the tariff rev.
enues and the internal revenue reformers.
The ways and means committee refused all
appeals to attach the internal revenue
amendments to the Morrison tariff bill,
SO that the two questions might be consd-
cred at the same time, but it was intimated
that the reduction of internal taxation would
not be neglected. Representatives of the
tobacco interest, including some who are
protectionists, supported Morrison in getting
his bill before the house and voted against
striking out the enacting clause, believing
that in compliance with the caucus the bill
to abolish the tobacco and fruit brandy taxes
would be brought forward in due time. They
have discovered that their confidence was
misplaced. for the internal revenue bills are
still in the pigeon holes of the committee on
ways and means, and members of that COM
mittee claim that the internal revenue ques-
ton was to be considered only in case
the Morrison bill passed the house. They
are told that it will not do to reduce the rev.
enue by abolishing the tobacco and fruit
brandy taxes, because it would be impracti-
cable to obtain reduction of tariff rates
afterward.
1t looks, says one, very much like trick
upon US. We gave our votes for the Nor
rison bill according to the agreement ex-
pressed in the Carlisle resolution, and now
because the Morrison bill was killed we are
told the agreement goes for nothing, and the
mportant interests of our constituents are
to be neglected. This is unfair, and it is
not true that the reduction of revenue by
abolishing the tobacco tax would preclude a
reduction of tariff rates. 1t would in fact
force a reduction of tariff duties in order to
increase importations, and thereby increase
the revenues.
The tobacco representative, having deter
mined to get the tobacco question before the
house for vote, have agreed to use for that
purpose bill reported by the committee on
agriculture, which is entitled: "a bill to en-
courage fruit culture" The title misled
Speaker Carlisle, who, not suspecting it was
revenue bill, sent it to the committee on
agriculture instead of ways and means, where
it would have been buried, according to the
policy of that committee. This bill proposes
to reduce the tax on brandy distilled from
fruit to one cent per gallon. 1t will be easy
to amend it by adding section repeating
the tax on tobacco if the bill can be gotten
before the house. This was attempted
Saturday, but considerable number
of those who would have voted for it were in
favor of giving precedence to the bill to reg
ulate the counting of electoral votes, which
must be passed in day or two, otherwise it
will probably not be reached again this sea-
son.
The tobacco representatives were defeated
by vote of 95 to 119, which shows that
even under adverse circumstances the tobac-
ca and brandy bill had more strength than it
had been credited with. Thirty-fve republi-
cans and sixty democrats voted to take up
the internal revenue question, and thirty
four republicans and eighty-fve democrats
against it. The representatives of this inter
est are very much encouraged and will
watch for another opportunity.