The Jersey City news., 1898-09-06
SALOON MEN in SESSION.
Convention Of the Liquor
Dealers Protective Asso-
citation Of N. ].
THE HEAT DULY CORRECTED
President Koehler's Report Of
the Associations Work
the Past Year.
THE HEAT DULY CORRECTED
BREWERS AND TIE BEER TAX

BREWERS AND TIE BEER TAX
Crowded into a warm hall, on Union
Hill, this morning, about two hundred
delegates of the Liquor Dealers Protec-
| tive League of the State of New Jersey,
perspired at their fourteenth annual con-
vention. The gathering was enthusiastic
and none present seemed to mind the
| weather.
| Dozens of wanters were scattered
about the hall and from the amount of
| beer consumed no one would suppose that
| there was an extra tax imposed upon it.
Kek after keg was emptied. and when
the meeting was called to order the dele
gates were feeling pretty good"
/ They assembled in Coyle's Hall, Hobo
ken, at ten o'clock this morning and rode
/ to Kein's Casino. Although the conven-
tion was scheduled to open at eleven
o'clock it was long after that hour before
President August ISoehler, of Passaic,
called it to order. Easy chairs and camp
stools were provided and the delegates
| lost no time in divestin gthemselves of
unnecessary wearing apparel, because
some hard work was anticipated
Pretty warm in this place." exclaim-
| ed a delegate; guess we had better have
a drink. Hey, waiter, bring US some beer
| and in a hurry"
The beer was brought, disposed of, and
more beer met the same fate. On the
| platform We're the officers, August Koehl-
| er presiding. John McEntee, the secre-
tary. sat at his right.
| On the table were several large bou-
quets, bottles of wine and boxes of cigars.
After the President had made few re-
marks, he read his annual address. Tie
briefly outlined the work done by the As
sociation during the past five years, and
went to tell about the taxes that are lev
led on beer. He said
Scarcely had the National Association
been organized few years go, the
President and his Cabinet This bill con-
tinued among its nany provision, an in
crease of the beer tax from 81 to s2 and
the increase of the wlliskey tax from 80
cents to s1.5O per gallon.
Every exertion was put forth by the
youthful national organization to defeat
these additional burdens and as a result
the beer tax was defeated and the pro-
posed advance to $3.50 on whiskey was
scaled down to s1.10, a saving of 40 cents
on a gallon At the three following ses-
! sions of Congress the beer question came
up and was defeated each time, and only
as a war measure, when patriotism was
at fever heat, was the extra tax irnpos-
ed.
-It proved hard fight The organi-
zation is deserving of credit, and the Con-
gressmen and Senators have openly ex-
pressed their surprise at the strength
shown by the retail liquor trade, a power
which could not be resisted.
True, all the credit of the defeat Of the
beer tax is not due to the reporters. The
United States Brewers Association was
also interested, and its representatives at
Washington acknowledged the powerful
influence of the National Retailers Asso-
citation in the fight.
1t added to the breweries strength of
nearly 2e90, an army of retailers number
ing 100000 both Of whom were known on
potent factors in anelection. The grum-
blers who loudly hollered for war, and
now think that in the face Of the
absolute demand for war, the increase
in the beer tax Should have
been defeated, should remember that had
1t not been for the efforts of the National
Association the extra tax would have
gone into effect as far back as July, 1854,
l'lilyewisa tbA increase IN the wb3slrev tax
During the past four years there was
hrewed n tl,a Trnissd states abant 7so
ooo ooo barrels of heer the exfra tax af
81 would be S1So.0O0,oG0. During the same
time ffour wears, there mas been ahout
1so ag0 ao1 gallons of whislzev com
spnas which # Il baa r. nav
q ka tax insfead ~ s74n tav
,,1o,,1a t,aya .,,,r,,,,t,,7 - s1n oeo ooo
az for +,,a sa,,,e Ta,iod ,,alr,,,sy t,4a1
tav ssvad on raa,. ana yyhislTey G,,r;,,s
az st fo,,r ,-es,s of 20 oon soa ,,,,,i,,f,
ai,.;,7as t,,a son ooa ,ataiIars 1, t1is
s,,,
s i,,st q ma for +,,a 7,at fo,7
49,, ,,.as,t ~ 80 ,s,a,,-,srs