Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-03-22
THEY ALL LIKE IT. :
The Liquor and the Law Are IN
It Together.
IT'S A QUEER COMBINATION
But They Size Up On the New Revenue
Statute-Red Eye Is Growing
Better, Dontcherknow.

| "The new revenue law Is undoubtedly
benefit to the consumer of whisky as
well as the dfstil1er, not to speak of the
fact that the government gets largely
increased income. There were some dis
tillers who kicked at first on the increas-
ed rate of taxation, but, SO far as know,
now every one is satisfied" The
speaker was Joseph A. Magnus,
| senior member of the firm of Magnus &c
| Co., distillers, Cincinnati, one of the
| largest concerns In the country Mr..
Magnus is stopping at the Morris.
Where does the benefit to the consumer
| come In? WhyH in a better quality of
goods. Under the old law the dstiller
was compelled to take his whisky out
of bond in three years. Now he may let
| 1t remain in Uncle Sans warehouse for
| eight years, and no one needs to be told
| that whisky improves with age. The
extended bonded period enables the dis
tillers to carry a larger stock of goods,
! practically doing a bigger business on
| the same capital"
Doesn't the extended bonded period
| tend to increase the price of whisky"
Yes, to the retail dealer, but not to
| the consumer. The price of whisky over
the bar Is not likely to change. Now the
retail men can get a better whisky, that
| is an older whisky, for the same money
| than he did formerly. Where a retail
man bought three-year-old whisky for
| merly he can now get fve-year-old
goods for slight advance, for, of course,
| the distiller must get his money back
paid the government. At the same time
| the retail man probably only loses the
price of a couple of drinks on the gallon,
and the consumer gets vastly better
whisky. Unquestionably, the law is a
good one, and the only pity is that the
| bonded period was not Increased long
ago."
| docs the distiller really pay more now
| than formerly?"
mo; the old tax on whisky was 80
| cents a gallonj now it Is $110. A barrel of
| whisky averages about forty-five gallons,
and the evaporation is about four gallons
| the first year, in two years 1t Is about
six gallons,e and SO. on. the evaporation
| decreasing in an inverse ratio Now,
| where the distiller formerly paid tax on,
say thirty-eight gallons, when he took
barrel Of Whisky out OF bond, he now
| pays tax on from thirty to thirty-five
| ga1lons-2O cent? more on the gallon-but
| he gets a slightly advanced price for old
| er whisky. The consumer enjoys a better
grade of goods at the same retail price,
| and the retail DEALER as I said, only loses
| the price of a couple of drinks on the gal
| Ion. Now he can afford to do this. Why?
| The philosophy of the thing is very SIM
| pie When the habitual whisky drinker
| gets a good article he drinks more. He
| can afford to do 1t because it does not
| hurt him as much as poor whisky, and at
| the same time costs him no more. Now
| don't you see that the law is good thing
| all round? The government gets an in
| creased revenue, the retailer makes more
| money by reason of Increased trade, be-
| ing able to give a better grade of goods
| for the old price, and the consumer en-
| joys a vastly better drink for the same
money"
| "You have been in the liquor trade for
| many years, Mr.. Magnus; don't you think
| that the sale of whisky is an index of the
prosperity of the country?
| Undoubtedly. People don't have to
drink whisky. They can get along with
out it, and, candidly, although 1 am
| whisky man, think some people would
be better off IL they didn't drink 1t.
When the whisky business is good, how
| ever as 1t Is now, 1t is a sure indication
that the country is prosperous and that
| money is easy. A falling off of the whis-
| ky trade indicates a decrease in indus
| trial earnings, for it is the mass of the
| people, the average wage Garner, who
| supports the whisky trade. Whisky bus
mess has been bad during the last three
years that is to say. that it has been far
| below the average. A sharp advance in
| business during the past few months in
dicates reviving business, increased earn
| ings, and of course, general prosperity.
"Now take Birmingham as an illustra-
ton. While am a member of the firm
still do considera Bile travelling, and
have been coming to this town for TWEEN
ty years. / pledge you my word That my
business this trip has been equal to that
of any visit 1 eyer made here, even dur
ing the boom days. OF course the adj
vance in iron last summer helped Bir-
mingham, but the recent drop doesn't
seem to have had much effect. Birming-z
ham is solid town, and when town
buys whisky there is money there
There is no surer indication of prosper
ity, and Birmingham buys whisky On
the whole, think the new law is good
one, and whisky drinkers may look for
better goods as time passes Ten years
from now eight-year-old whisky will be
as common over the bar as three-year-old
lfouor was some time ago."