Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-31
THE WHISKY TAX
It Occupies a Good Deal of Atten-
tion in the House.
VARIOUS AMEN NDMENFS PROPOSED
That Offered by Mr.. DingIey Fl
nally Adopted
AMID MUCH CONFUSION.

The chaplain in his prayer at the open
ing Of the session of the House this morn
ing invoked divine guidance in the close OF
the great tariff debate. Before the con.
sideration Of the internal revenue amend
ment to the tariff bill was resumed Mr
Black QGa) secured unanimous consent and
had passed a bill increasing the pension OF
Jane Thompson of Jefferson county, Ga.
The report of the committee on elections in
the Settle-Williams Is. c. contested elec-
ton case was presented.
The House then went into committee CT
the whole. Today. according to the special
order. was devoted to debate under the five
minute rule. the whole internal revenue
amendment being open to amendment. Mr..
McMillin attempted to reach an agreement
10 vote upon such amendments might
be pending at o'clock this afternoon. but
Mr.. Burrows objected temporarily, until he
could confer with his colleagues.
Against the Whisky Tax Increase.
The first amendment offered was one by
MIR. Tate (GaD to strike out sections ~
81 and 81. relating to the tax on whisky.
the increase of the bonded period and man
ner of collecting the tax. Mr.. Tate ex-
plained that if this amendment were adopt
ed the law would remain it is. He was
opposed to the increase of the tax On
whisky. He was opposed to the provision
which postponed the imposition of the IN
creased tax on whisky one month, which
would give the big dstillers opportunity
to get their whisky out of bond at ~ cents
Q gallon, while the small diStillers, uIable
to take their whisky out of bond imme-
diately, would be forced to pay 81 a gallon.
1t would drive small dealers out of busi-
ness. He also objected to the increase Of
the bonded period, which permitted a less
or eleven gallons in forty.
Instructions to the New York Delega-
Mr.. Payne On. ", who got the floor os-
tensibly to oppose the amendment, took the
opportunity to have read some resolutions
passed by the New York legislature in
structing the New York congressional dele
cation to vote against the Wilson bill. He
did not suppose the resolutions would be
needed nor that the election of a republi-
can in the congressional election in New
York yesterday would be needed, but he
wanted the democrats to know that tine
first fruits OF tariff reform had been the
election of a republican in the Gibraltar OF
democracy.
MIR. Outhuaite's Amendment.
Mr.. Outhwaite offered an amendment to
the amendment to increase the tax on
whisky from ~ cents to 81 when in bond
one year, sl.lO for two years and S1.3O for
three years. the bonded period to cease at
the end Of that time. he had no intention,
he said, of pressing the amendment. The
provisions OF the bill were wrong. In the
interest of reform a few days ago the
bounty on sugar had been abolished, now
1t was proposed to give bounty to the
whisky industry of this country.
1t was proposed to increase the bonded
period from three to eight years at a cost
OF 10 cents gallon.
do 1 understand this bill increases the
bonded period to eight years?' asked MIR.
Dockery.
1T does"
Then ii should be voted down.
Mr. Outhwaite went on to hotly inveigh
against the proposed extension. There
were. he said. 14I .OOOOOO gallons in bond on
June l last, 35.OOO.OOO gallons of which
ought to be taken out of bond in one year
are now to have an extension of five years.
lie demanded to know why this extension
had been proposed and what influences were
behind it.
Mr.. Montgomery Ry), a member of the
ways and means committee. in defending
the whisky provisions of the bill said that
he must assume that the House was fair
enough and broad enough to deal with this
manufacture on the same principle it dealt
should be shown He knew that some
perhaps, would be Influenced by prejudice
against the whisky traffic. But IL ought to
be treated with common fairness. why
tax on his product be compelled to get
money In such times as these for the priv
tlege Of selling his product? In the manu-
tacture OF whisky the process Of aging was
as much a process as running II through
the still. This bill goes further in the
burden 1t imposes on the whisky distilIers
than any bill ever presented 1t imposes an
additional tax of 10 cents on whisky in
bond as well as that to be hereafter manu-
factured.
Ought to Have Fair Treatment
Whisky was taxed 900 per cent. 1t ought
to have fair treatment. If a distiller had
capital of $4,000 he must have s125OOO to
pay the tax upon his product. 1t was un-
Just TO compel him pay that tax before
mis- whisky had ripened and a purchaser
could be found. The extension Of the bond
ed period was desired to enable distillers to
age their property. Mr.. Bowers CNC)
Bynum and Holman und) supported the
Tate amendment in brief speeches.
The former declared that the pressure for
The extension OF the bonded period came en-
tirely from the big distillers in whose inter
est IL was framed
The small distillers did not want it.
Mr.. Ellis (ky.), in defense of the proyis-
ions of the bill. said that, in his opinion. a
misunderstanding existed as to its effect
There were two classes of whisky One was
ready for consumption as soon as manufac-
tured- This was the whisky of the trust
and the provision in the bill would be a Sc.
we're blow at the trust. but it would give to
the manufacturers of honest whisky an on
portunity to have their product perfected by
age Mr.. McCreary CKy.) also defended the
committee proposition.
Mr. Caruth of Kentucky made an eloquent
plea for the extension of the bonded period
In the interest Of the blue grass distillers
Mr.. DinGIey's Amendment.
Mr.. Dingley offered an amendment to
strike out all words providing for an exten-
Sion OF the bonded period. The utmost con-
fusion followed when the voting began.
The Outhwaite amendment and one by
Mr- Bland providing for an extension of
tne bonded period beyond three years upon
Ine payment by the owner to the Secretary
OF the Treasury of the estimated cost of
expectation and reirnportation were sue
cessively losl
After great deal of cross-fring the COM
nhttee nj ally voted on the Dingley amend
Hlent 10 the Tate amendment to strike out
the extension of the bonded period and ii
carried. lOf-t9. The Kentucky members
souSnt 70 snatch victory from what looked
IKE inevitable defeat The vote was about
70 occur on the Tate amendment as amend
cd by the Dingley amendment 6the Tate
amendment being to strike out all proyis-
IONS with reference to the increase of the
.dN or distilled spirits and for the ex-
tehsion OF the bonded periodD, when various
I,ioilncatons of the pending propositions
were suggested.
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