Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-07-28
WEDNESDAY.......JULY2 %, 1886.
oleomargarine-Internal Taxes
Tia fact that the President has sub

The fact that the President has sub
mitted to Attorney General GARLAND
the question whether the oleomargarine
bill Is constitutional or not will be
accepted Is IN indication that the Pre-
sident will sign the bill II the opinion OF
the Attorney General shall be in favor
of its constitutionality. In his speech
on the subject in the Senate Mr..
EvARTs said that all the senator's
agreed that the bill was constitutional.
When another distinguished senator
was asked whether rs judge he would
decide that the bill was unconstitutional,
hs replied in effect that IS Judge he
would assume that Congress passed the
bill a. . revenue measure, and that
therefore it was constitutional but as
the question arose in the Senate 1t pre-
scented, he said, . different aspect.
II Was argued when the bill was be-
fore the House Of Representatives that
inasmuch as the bill, as first reported,
fred the tax at ten cents per pound on
oleomarearins-as much or more than
Il cost-thsrefore the bill was plainly
intended to put down an industry, and
was consequently not . revenue mea-
sure, but An unconstitutional attempt
to protect dairymen At the expense of
the manufacturers Of oleomargarine.
(But as the bill finally passed both
houses, the tax was fixed at only two
cents.)
We cannot concede the soundness of
that argument. Twenty years ago to-
bacco was taxed forty cents per
pound--two, three. or four times as
much Is the weed was worth IS leaf
tobacco. In fact, the present tax Of
eight cents on manufactured tobacco is
moro than the average price Of leaf to-
bscco. The tax on whisksy is two or
three times a. much as the original cost
Of the liquor.
Mr.. O'FERRALL is the only one Of
the Virginia Democratic congressman
Who voted for the oleomargarine bill as
1t first passed the House of Representa-
Gves. The prospect is that he will on
TIRE first ballot be nominated for re-
election-we do not say for that reason.
There are abundant indications that the
Virginia congressman who opposed the
bill will be called to account for it by
their Republican opponents. We take
it for granted that they will defend
their votes on the ground that they had
in tfi,c ct been instructed to vote for the
abolition of oil internal taxes, and did
not desire to add to the taxes Of that
description.
General GRANTS famous dictum
that the best way to get rid OF bad
law was to enforce it rigidly may be
modified and applied to the question
now under consideration. We think
1t almost certain that Virginia could
long ago have got rid Of all taxes upon
her tobacco if she had made the repeal
of the income tax and other taxes OBJ
iectionabls to New England depend
upon the repeal Of the tobacco tax.
And so il tho President signs the oleo-
margarine bill, the tobacco-growing
States may refuse to repeal that law
SO long Is tobacco is taxed, and thus
bring up to the support of bill repeal
ing the tax on tobacco the immense in
fiuence which the manufacturers Of
oleomargarine can exercise upon Con-
eyess--an influence which surprised us
when the bill TO tax oleomargarine was
still under discussion. 1t was claimed,
We think, that two hundred millions Of
pounds Of oleomargsrine were annually
made in the United States. And every
pound Of it Was eaten as butter, we
suppose. vireinia's annual share Of
that sort of butter is about six millions
Of poutds Have you eaten your
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