Morning journal and courier., 1888-03-07
News by Telegraph
FROM ALL QUARTERS.
WH|SKEY MADE CHEAPER
BY The New Internal Rev.
enue Bill.
PENSIONS FOR THE DISABLED
Senator ingalls, Defends
The Soldiers.
BETTER NEWS FROM SAN RENO.
No Change In The En-
gineers' Strike.
BETTER NEWS FROM SAN RENO.
TAXES OFF LIQUOR AND TOBACCO.

FAKES OFF LIQUOR AND TOBACCO.
A Reduction of Twenty Five Millions
Made by the Internal Revenue BILL
WASHINGTON, March 6.-The internal rev.
enue reform bill to repeal the tobacco taxes
and modify the liquor taxes was submitted
by the Democratic members of the ways and
means committee to the full committee to-
day. The first section provides that, ON and
after the first day of July, 1888, all taxes on
manufactured chewing tobacco, smoking to-
bacco and snuff, all special taxes upon man.
ufacturers of and dealers in said articles, and
all taxes upon wholesale and retail dealers in
leaf tobacco be and are hereby repealed:
provided, that there shall be allowed draw
back or rebate of the full amount of tax on
all original and unbroken factory packages
of smoking and manufactured tobacco and
snuff held by manufacturers or dealers on
said first day of July if claim therefor shall
be presented to the commissioner of internal
revenue prior to the first day of September
1888, and not otherwise. No claim shall be
allowed and no drawback shall be paid for
an amount less than So. It shall be the
duty of the commissioner of internal revenue,
with the approval of the Secretary of the
Treasury, to adopt such rules and regula-
tions and to prescribe and furnish such
blanks and forms as may be necessary to car
~ this section into effect.
The second section provides that on and
after the first day of July, 1888, manufac-
turers of cigars shall each pay special tax
of three dollars annually, and dealers in to-
bacco shall each pay special tax of one dol
lar annually. Every person whose business
it is to sell offer for sale cigars, cheroots or
cigarettes, shall, on aud after the LIST day of
May, 1888, be regarded as a dealer in tobac-
f6a art Of al a,o I H.
shall not relieve any person who sells cigars,
cheroots or cigarettes9from the payment of
this tax; provided, that no manufacturer of
cigars, cheroots or cigarettes shall be required
to pay special tax as dealer in tobacco as
above defined for selling his own products at
the place of manufacture
The fourth section provides that section
I, 361 of the revised statutes of the United
States and all laws and parts of laws which
impose restrictions upon the sale of leaf to-
bacco be and are hereby repealed. It is also
provided that all clauses of sectioa 3,244 of
the revised statutes, and all laws amendatory
hereof, and all other laws which impose any
retail dealers in liquors and retail dealers in
malt liquors are hereby repealed.
The bill also modi6es radically the law so
as to largely diminish the prosecutions in the
federal courts which have harassed citizens
in the South and entailed large expenses upon
the government to no purpose, The bill re-
duces the revenue from tobacco twenty mil
lions {$20, 200, 600, and from special liquor
taxes i've millions ($5, 600 900.
By party vote the bill was added to the
Mills tariff bill, making one bill of both. There
was spirited controversy in the committee
on the question of allowing hearings on pro-
posed tariff changes and the subject will come
up again at to-morrows meeting.
The presentation of the bill was the signal
for a vigorous onslaught by the Republican
members upon their Democratic colleagues
They roundly denounced the majority for
their conduct in the preparation of this and
the tariff bill and their Indignation was
heightened when proposition was put and
carried to consolidate in one measure the tar
iff and revenue bills. Mr.. Reed demanded
to know upon what precedent or by what
the Democratic members of the
committee had departed from the usual plan
of considering the Presidents message by
preparing bill alleged to be based upon its
without afording the mi
nority opportunity to discuss in detail pro-
posed changes that might involve enormous
loss and irretrievable damage to the country
Mr.. Kelley joined with Mr. Reed in vigorous
protest against the methods adopted by the
majority. Finally Mr.. Breckenridge, of
offered resolution declaring
that the committee had acted fully within
its powers in the preparation and con-
solidation of the bills upon recommendations
in the Presidents message and sug-
gestions carried by various measures intro
duced in the House. This resolution was
adopted by strict party vote, all members
being present and voting except Mr.. Scott of
1t WAS then suggested by the
in view of the apparent deter
mination of the majority to begin immediate
ly the formal consideration of the bill that
and producers whose interests
might be affected by the bill should bs af-
forded an opportunity to address the com.
mittee upon the subject. This proposition
did not seem to meet with favor at the hands
of the majority and some of the Democratic
members took the ground that any needful
might be supplied to the com
nittee by means of printed briefs or argu-
ments. Mr.. Reed, however, characterized
such a proceeding as humbuggery and
declared that no information of value
could be impaired by printed scores as had
been shown in the past. He appealed to the
committee to allow proper consideration of
the bill and not to cut off information easily
obtainabIe which would enable the members
to act intelligently and without destroying
vast interests. Otherwise the minority would
be obliged to go through the details of the
bills on their own account and with made
quate means of acquiring knowledge of the
effect of the proposed changes of the tariff
laws. The session of the committee lasted
about an hour and three-quarters and finally
without formally disposing of the question
of hearings the committee adjourned until
that the consideration of the bill by sections