Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1888-08-17
A BLOW AT TIE MILLS BILL.
The Whisky Trust Investigation Causes
Damaging Revelations,

washington Special (Aug. u
The Mills bill got severe blow
today during the investigation of the
whisky trust by the House committee
on manufactures. Mr.. Greenhut of
Peoria, president of the whisky trust,
was on the stand and was being
cross examined by G. r. Breckin-
ridge. one of the trainers Of the Mills
bill. One of the questions PROFOUND
ed by Mr.. Breckenridge was unfortu.
nate for the Mills bill. He asked
Mr.. Greenhut what effect the provis-
ion of the Mills bill allowing distiler-
les which mash only rs bushels OF
grain day to pay tax simply on
their capacity would have upon the
whisky trade. Mr.. Greenhut's
answer was clear. There was no
doubt in his mind that the large and
legitimate distillers would be driven
out of business aud that the result,
would be the escape of more than
one half the whisky product from in
ternal revenue taxation.
"Ihere would be little distillery
on almost every farm Throughout. the
grain DISTRICT" sad Mr. Greenhut.
''They would become as numerous il,
the North as the fruit distileries are
in the South. The government,
would lose millions of dollars oil
revenue if tie provisions OF that bill
should become law. The little dis
tlleries would pay a tax ON a cnpac-
ity of Is bushels a day. There
would be no government officers to
watch them. BY forcing their mash
they could run through four or five
times as many bushels of grain as
their measured capacity. The,
would not get as much spirits pei
bushel as they would if the mash
were not forced, but they could afford
to lose when they escaped the pay.
ment of a 80 cent tax per gallon
Even if they did not get half as much
spirits from their grain rs the regular
distillers their saving of the internal
tax would be SO large that they would
still have the legitimate dealers at a
disadvantage"
This was severe blow to the Mills
bill, and Mr.. Breckenridge was SHARP
enough to see it. He therefore at.
tempted to recover himself by asking
if these small distillerips would moi
be esta blisEed in the Northern States
his object being to show that tbs
Mills bill was not framed in thu
interest of the Southern moonshiners
This was even more unfortun ate
field Of investigation than the first
one invaded by Mr.. Breckenridge
Mr.. Greenhut said that grain was
being used in the so-called fruit dis
tiIleries of the South. Fruit dis,il
lation, he said, was confined to few
DAYS in the year, and after that grair
is used by the small distillers. The
use of grain in these fruit distilleries
is illici, work, but according to the
testimony Of Mr.. Greenhut thousands
of gallons of spirits are now being
made from grain in them each year
The provisions of tbs Mills bill allow
ing the small grain distilleries to rur
without the supervision of the
government officials would make the
work they are now doing illicitly
perfectly legitimate, and that was
probably the real object of the
trainers of the bill. They wanted te
take care of their moonshiner con
stituents.
This feature of the Mills bill i.
likely to cut big figure in the cam
psign when it becomes thorough,
understood. 1t would not only oper
the door to fraud on the interna
revenue of the country, but woulc
flood the country with free whisky
and drive the legitimate distiller;
from the market. The trainers of the
bill are themselves only just begin
ming to realize the almost crimina
folly of their measure.