Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-12-16
OBJECT TO THE BEER TAX.

UbUECI ~ Inc bEEh I'M.
The brewers all over the country
are greatly exercised over the pros
pective increase Of the beer tax. The
beer tax, which has been unaltered
for a generation of Republican adj
ministrations, pays a lighter excise
than anywhere else in the world. But
the fact, the representatives Of the
brewing interests say, is overlooked
that.there is no country where the
local tax upon the traffic beer is so
great.
In England the local license is a
small one. In this country it is large,
and in some States the license for
selling malt and spirituous liquors is
now fixed at 81, 900 The doubling
of the Government tax on beer would
not reduce these local licenses. More
over, it is insisted that the tax upon
beer in foreign countries is rated ac-
cording to the percentage of alcohol
which it contains, that American
beer has but six per cent. Of alcohol,
while English has from twelve to
fifteen, and the German slightly
larger percentage than our own.
The tax upon beer is about S32,
600, 900 annually, and the proposition
of the Ways and Means Committee is
to double it, The brewers are be-
coming aroused, and are preparing
to make very formidable demon
stration in Congress against the in
crease Of the beer tax.
One of the arguments which have
been presented to the Ways and
Means Committee in favor of this in
crease of tax on beer is that the large
breweries of the country have in a
great measure passed into the con-
troll of British syndicates, and that
to tax them is really not to tax Amer
lean capital.
The United States Brewers Asso-
citation, with headquarters at SO Lib
erty street, New York, has sent out
the following letter throughout the
United States:
To the Members of the Tn ted States Brew
ers' Association:
GENTLEMEN-In order to fortify
the position which our own interest
will compel Us to take in regard tC
the proposed increase Of the internal
revenue tax on malt liquors, it is i'm
peratively necessary that you should
at once request all your friends and
acQuaintances who are not engaged
in the brewing industry to write tC
Hon. J. G.. Carlisle, Secretary of the
Treasury Department.; to Hon. c. +,
Crisp, Speaker of the House Of Req
resentatives, and to Hon. w. l.. Viii
son, Chairman of the Committee or
Ways and Means, strongly protesting
against said increase on the grounC
that the tax would necessarily be ar
additional burden upon the poor man
aud upon the further ground that al
attempt to raise the price or to de
teriOrate the quality of beer woul(
inevitably prove a severe blow t.
the true cause of temperance ant
10 that well-established principle
which aims at the substitution o
the mild yinous and malt beverage
for the stronger ardent liquors. ]
your friends happen to be Democrat
request them to emphasize the disas
trous effects which the proposed in
crease would bring about if adopted
by party whose strength lies in tn
support of the wOrkmen, to whom
beer is not a luxury, but one Of tn
necessaries Of life. Please attend +
this at once and thus assist in tn
necessary preliminary work of tn
association. BY order. Yours yer
respectfully,
RICHARD KATZENMAYER,
Secretary.