The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-21

see the condition of the country. There
had been shrinkage i'll grain and stocks the last
few years amounting to billions of dollars.
There had been a shrinkage of $50 600, 600 in the
value of this warehouse property. England, one
of the great purchasers of American grain had
during the last year, supplied herself from India
with third of all the grain she needed, and it
is predicted that in less than three years she
will be independent of the United States. What
would become of the hundreds of millions of
bushels of grain raised in this country which
was now consumed in England if this bill failed,
and if these distileres closed and the demand
was cut down. The time would come again
when farmers would burn corn for fuel in the
Western States. AS plain. economic question.
as recommended by the Secretary of the Treas
ury and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
he asked the House to pass the bill.
He was going on to show the amount of tax
derived from whisky, when he was interrupted
by Mr. MilGken with a question as to how many
taxes whisky had made.
Mr. Willis replied that the question had no
connection with the pending BILL but 1t gave
him opportunity to say much of the opposi-
ton to the bill came from men who wanted to
make whisky free He stood here for dear
whisky.
Mr. Bount said, though member of the com
mittee on ways and means, he had refrained
from bringing in a minority report preferring to
state his objections to the bill in the open House.
The House was asked to extend the time for the
payment of the tax on 20 600 gallons OF
v,
600. The present depression of the whisky in
terest resulted from over production, but over
production was not peculiar to that industry.
He expressed his sympathy for the troubles of
the distillers, but opposed the bill the princi
pie of public policy, regarding it as proposition
to lend them $685. 900. If the government
did not need this tax for public purposes, 1t had
no right to collect it. The tariff war tariff
and should be reduced The government had
no right to continue it III order to lend money to
anybody in distress. He did not believe this
bill was going to remedy the evil with which
distillers were afflicted; on the contrary, he be
lieved the extension would only aggravate the
evil and that the proposition was not in the in
terest of public policy. The allegation that the
legislation of the country had been hostile to
distillers would not bear examination. There
growing disposition to repeal internal
revenue taxes. While he did not concur in it
entirely, the time not far distant when the
country would repeal these taxes. Suppose
that in 1887 they were repealed By
if this bill passed, would amount to $500, 900 900,
and Congress would be asked to grant rebate
on those taxes 1t would be argued that as the
internal revenue law had been repealed, TO com
pei payment of these taxes would be absolute
confscaton.
Reese, Cox of New York, Broadhead and Bel
ford participating.
Pending action the committee rose.
As tomorrow is private bill day, and it will
require wo-thirds vote to take up the bonded
extension bill, it is not probable that its consid
Grafton will be resumed before Saturday.
The Speaker laid before the House a commu-
nication from the Secretary of War, transmit
ting an estimate of 500 900 for the pedestal of
the statue of Gen. Garfield, to be erected in
Washington by the Army of the Cumberland
Referred. Adjourned.