The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1884-03-22

Coinage, Weights and Measures,
reported q bill limiting the coinage
of double-eagles, and; diseontinuihg
other United States gold coins.
Then the long expected struggle
over the whiskey bill began. Black
burn, calling Springer to the chair,
moved to 60 into committee Of the
whole on the revenue bills. Randall
demanded ) cas- and nays. Motion
agreed to; yeas 137, nays 1l8. It was
decided to consider the bill, and the
committee resumed its session. Nor
risOn took the floor In support of the
bill, but before he had finished q
sentence. however, White Ky. lose,
saying he had moved that the eom-
mittee rise for the purpose of bring
ing a privileged matter before the
House
The Chair stated that it had recog-
nized the gentleman from Illinois
(Morrison), and on White taking an
appeal, refused him notice on the
ground that an appeal was not In
order upon question of mere recOg-
milton by the Chair.
T.ereupon White rose to q point
of order, and said q member Of the
whiskey ring was now on th e floor,
when he had previously given his
pledge that he had NO
interest In any bill before the House.
Within q few days from making that
pledge he appeared before the Com
mittee on Ways and Means..i in de-
fence of the bill, and was aOw on the
floor of the House. He was also the
editor Of q paper In = town where
more whisky was In bond than In
any other town In the United States.
Blackburn submitted that this was
not a point of order, and said his
colleague knew he had 20 right to be
heard upon 1t.
The chair ruled it was not a point
of order. Z
White.-I say am entitled to be
heard on question Of privilege. The
gentleman from New York (Dor.
sheimer) has decided I'm not In Or
der, and he must take the response
bility. You may bulldoze this bill
through, but remember The bali
ance of the sentence was unheard.
Morrison then made statement as
to the purpose and object of the bill.
If this business of converting grain
into: alcohol existed only to be taxed,
then the benefiQiaries of this bill
were entitled to no confederation
here. Regarding 1t as legitimate
branch of the manufacturing indus.
try it was entitled to q place on an
equal basis with all other industries.
From this industry the government
derived more than One-fifth Of all its,
revenue. Within the next few.
months there would De forced out Of
warehouses two million gallons
which must pay tax, and In the next
few years seven million gallons, for
the most of which there was no mar
ket. The Commissioner of Internal
Revenue estimated that the surplus
for which there would be no market
would amount IN the next two years
to 45,OOO0N gallons. In the years
when this whisky was made every
thing Was overdone. Excessive pro-
ductlon was not alone in this indus
try, but was common to all the largeI
producing interests of the country.
Producers were obliged to COM
pete ia the sale of alcohol in Euro
pean markets with Germany. This
country fought the German people
with protective tariffs, and nad to sell
in foreign markets in competition
with subjects of ill-natured Bis
marck. suppose this surplus was
purely the result of speculation in
spirit by our people? Was that a
good and satisfactory reason why an
industry of this country should be
forced to pay taxes, when the govern
ment had nothing to make by this
enforcement?
It was said this was a class of
legislation in the interest of special
few; that was not fact. This legis-
lation was to undo, as far as it went,
special legislation against this indus
try and put it az near.y as might be,
on an equal with all other articles
that paid internal revenue tax. He
believed with the Commissioners of
Internal Revenue, if there was any
thing else than whiskey there would
have been 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 Government one single cent,
and it would not add to the burdens
of a single perssn of the 50, 0,00O. 900 of
people to the extent Of hundredth
part OF a farthing. Friends OF the
bill did not wish to push it through
by any railway scheme. If there
was anything wrong about 1t they
wanted it to come out. He therefore
yielded to Black burn, who, with the
expressed hope that the cOnsidera-
tion of the bill would be concluded
to. morrow. moved that the commit
tee rise. The motion was agreed to.
and the House adjourned.