The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1897-06-24
BOSSES and BREWERS
The Struggle Of the Machine to
Keep from Taxing Beer.
THOSE BOGUS REFORM BILLS.

How the People ofthc state Have Been
Fooled by the Bosses-The Alleged
Reforms the Greatest Fake of the Ses-
sion-Stni Hunting for Revenue.
From our own Correspondent)
Harrisburg. June 22.-From now on
aintil the lst Of July the legislature will
work as IL has not worked before this
session. II must work. or the most
disastrous consequences to the Repub-
Ncan party in Pennsylvania will be the
result. IL the Democratic party were
not so hopelessly demoralized. the rec
ord of Mr. Quay's Legislature thus far
made would mean a Democratic vic
tory this fall and possibly in the great
contest OF one year from now.
Never before in the history of any
Legislature has there been known such
majority. Senator Quay's friends and
lieutenants have been wholly unable
to direct or control the legislature upon
any great or grave question. And yet
mis- friends have absolute control OF the
senate, and can, under whip and spur
control the house. The reason for this
condition of affairs is lack of conf
'dence in the men chosen to lead. This
persistent distrust is what is wreck
ing the machine In Pennsylvania.
Protecting the Brewers.
There is another reason for this gen
eral decentralization. The stubborn at
titude maintained by Senator Quay's
friends in their apparent determina-
-tlon to protect the millionaire brewers
OF Pennsylvania from taxation. The
brewery interests OF Pennsylvania are
To be projected: they have been pro-
.,rcted not only in the senate Of Penn
syvania, but in the senate OF the
United States.
a passive protection Of this great
and wealthy class of manufacturers
would have attracted but little atten-
tion among the people. But the open
and persistent effort to saddle tax
upon everything else in sight to the
exclusion Of malt liquors, has been so
conspicuous that every taxpayer In the
state Is cogniZant of the fact. To save
the brewing interests. suggestions have
been made to cut the school approprta-
tion, to cut down the amount appro-
priated every year to the National
Guard, to legalize the sale OF oleo-
margarine, and turn all Of the license
fees collected by the counties into the
:state treasury.
Fortunately for the people Of the
commonwealth there is NO danger that
the school appropriation will be dis
surbed. Two members Of the Seventy
six" Messrs. Young and Smith. Of
'Tioga county, have secured the con-
sent OF over one-half the members Of
lthe house to vote and work against
any such proposition. The scheme to
cut down the National Guard still re-
mains to be passed upon. Such Q cut
m appropriations to keep the brewery
interests from being taxed would mean
the loss of perhaps one-third the men,
.1ership of the guard. This Is a vital
question to the state. In these troub-
Aous times, when anarchists. half crazy
popocrats and other disturbing ele-
mcnts are aboard no one can fore
tell when 1t will be necessary to call
upon our citizen soldiery to protect the
lives and property Of our citizens. The
terrible railroad riots Of 1877 sprang
Iup into being in less than a week. The
Homestead riot was a matter of but a
few hours.
Over SI,IOO,OO IA Year.
But there is no necessity for any such
'exDedient II Senator Quay will but
order the senate to pass a bill taxing
malt liquors one cent per gallon. 1t
would raise Sl,l00,000 every year for
five years-money enough to cover the
in tra
build the new capitol besides.
But is is proposed rather than to tax
beer, to have the counties turn over all
their license fees to the state. This
wcIld mean revenue of nearly ST.
000.UO0. But the counties would lose
this income. In the case of Philadel-
phia 1t would mean over 81. 900 900 loss.
How would this be made up? BY in
,creasing the tax on real estate. 1t
would mean that every farmer. every
man that owns a home, every widow
that has a roof over the head of her
fatherless children. would have his or
her property tax increased to the limit.
And for what purpose? To protect the
EbreNing interest of Pennsylvania And
why protect the brewing interest of
Pennsylvania? Because the bosses of
the Republican party have agreed to
do so.
But II the school fund is not to be
reduced, if the National Guard appro-
ipriaIton Is not to be cut, and the coun-
ty license fees are to be turned into the
state treasury. how then shall the beer
interests be taken care Of? BY put
ting lax of or 4 cents per pound on
.oieomargaNne?
Upon the sworn testimony Of wit
nesses who know what they are talk
ing about, il has been developed In the
hearings on the oleomargarine scam
,1als that over l5.00000O pounds of boz
syus butter are sold every year in this
state. 1t will not be necessary to tax
hner one cent a gallon II an impost Of
three cents per pound is placed on oleo-
margarine. And what does ii matter
10 the bosses. anyhow. IL by putting
this tax on oleomargarine the sale OF
youfrs butter is legaliZed in the stcte
What does 1t matter II the dairy in
trrest of the farmers of Pennsylvania
which last year was worth SIG. 600. .000 Is
S7ilned. Just so the millionaire brewers
f.~as