Daily Republican., 1888-06-26


They were war taxes, and the war
has been over almost twenty five
years.
They just equal the surplus In the
Treasury; fact that proves that the
government does not need them.
They disturb the finances OF the
country by locking up a vast sum OF
money that ought 70 be In circulation.
They pervert tie legislative con.
science by presenting an immense
revenuc as a reason for the continn-
ance OF a tax on the poor of the coun-
TRY.
The taxes are oppressive t, those in
dustries that use large amount OF AL
cohol In their processes, compelling
them to pay treble or quadruple
lprlce for raw material.
They aid and abet o tremendous
monopoly.
They support an army Of officials at
an expense Of "a. 600, 900 annually.
They protect business that does
more than all others combined to ruin
manhood and good citizenship.
The brewers and disiillers do mot
wish them removed. The inference
10 plain that the taxes help their bust
ness. What benefits them 1t 10 i'm.
possible for temperance people to ap.
The system Cot internal revenue)
begun under Washington lasted nine
years. That begun in 1918 lasted four
/ years.
That begun In 1862 has lasted, with
many repeats and changes for twenty
five years. 1t has lasted far beyond
the period when the government
needed Its revenues, and when there
remained any good excuse for its con-
tinued existence. II remains simply
because there Is a powerful interest
that desires 1t to remain for the ad-
vantage OF few persons. Politicians
do not wish to lose the patronage OF
the Internal Revenue Bureau; whiskey
distill r. do not wish 10 lose the mo-
nopoly given them by the perpetua
ton of the tax on spirits.
Total extinction of the whiskey tax
would not reduce the price Of whiskey
at retail, and would not make one more
Idrunkard. Doubling the whiskey tax |
would not increase the retail prica and
would not keep single tippler sober. |
The tax upon distilled |
spirits Is not special tax upon whis-
key drinkers and saloon keepers; but
II Is q direct tax upon the entire popu-
lation of the country, drunk and sober.
The fact Is kept in the background |
that alcohol, made from distilled spir-
lis, is an essential ofimportant branches
of American industry,
To retain that tax on the one hand.
for the sake Of reducing the protective
tariff on the other hand, ia not unlike
hunting industry with double bar
relied gun. The administra
ton of the American free trader for
European methods breaks off sLortI
when the adoption of those methods
promises to relieve home industry of q
heavy burden. How heavy this bur-
den is may be estimated from the cost
Of a 46-gallon barrel of alchohol to a
chemist would be $19.2s without the
tax while, with the tax, 1t Is s94 8S.
That is to say, the TAX levied on
barrel OF commercial alcohol is STA
or more than four times its intrinsic
value. The people pay this tax whenl
they buy the products Of the industries
(mentioned above).
They pay II when they use perfum-
cry; when they take chloroform; when
they consume drugs. The
tax is tax on honeat and decent In.
dus ry, and that is good reason why
it should be taken off.
The attempt to use the sentiment for
In an effort to help the
listillers to have the tax retained Is an
sffront to public intelligence.
CHAs HEBER CLARKE.