Washington sentinel., 1898-06-18
Concerns Using Pipe Lines Must
Pay Tax.

Concerns Using Pipe Lines Must
Pay Tax.
War taxes, revenue stamps and excise
assessments have come to vex the hap
piness and try the ingenuity Of the mer-
chant, the manufacturer and the con-
sumner. The war tax revenue bill went
into effect on Tuesday, and when the
text OF it became a matter Of current
knowledge. many were shocked beyond
measure.
For, be it known, the war tax bill is
a concesling wood pile for several
EthioPians of prodigious size. "Vested
interests and monopolies which had
secured presumptive exemption by
reason of excellent lobby work in Wash
ington found themselves by the adroIt
wording of an interpolated paragraph
or two condemned to pay some portion
OF their proper share toward the nations
defence.
There are jokes IN The war tax bill
several Of them. One OF the most
laughter evoking is contained in Section
27, which is as follows:
"Section 2z-That every person, firm,
corporation or company, carrying on or
doing the business OF refining petroleum
or refining sugar, or owning or control
ling any pipe line for transporting oil or
other products, whose gross annual
receipts exceed S2So, 600, shall be subject
to paw annually a special excise tax
equivalent to one-quarter of one per
cent on the gross amount Of all receipts
IN excess OF said sum OF $2So, o,ooo-"
Every one has read of the frantic
efforts made by the emissaries of the
Standard Oil and the Sugar Trust to
| prevent the Incorporation of Section 27
in the bill. But the Populists insisted
anu in the House-Senate conference it
was adopted
Some one read Section as, andscasu-
ally asked: "What about the pipe lines
which transport gasp
And somebody else added: "Or
private water supply systems"
The adroit wording OF section II
means the utter negation ana undoing
of the efforts of the gas manipulators.
The original provisions OF the war tax
bill included a special excise tax upon
the receipts OF gas and transportation
companies. The powerful moneyed
interests affected promptly filed the
lobbies OF both Houses of Congress with
argumentative persons whose business
1t was to convince Congressman and
Senators OF the sinful hardship which
such taxes would inflict upon bond
holders and stock holders IN the various
companies which make the supplying OF
gas and transportation facilities their
business.
There are one or two other concealed
surprises IN the war revenue act. One
of them was inserted at the solicitation
Of the flour milling magnates Of the
Northwest, Messrs. Washburn, Pillsbury
and others. II is aimed at the manu-.
facturers OF the so called "patent" sell
raising flours sold under many proprIe-
tary names, most of which are manu-
factured by the Hecker-J Jones' Jewell
Milling COMPANY, the so called "New
York Flour Trust"
The Westerners helped Uncle Sam
and themselves by getting inserted into
the revenue act a provision levying a
special tax OF $40 upon each manufac.
turer of mixed -four and in addition, a
special tax OF cents upou each 2oc
pounds of his product. The stamp tax
is the rub,
Those sections OF the new revenue bill
which levy a war tax on beer, tobacco
cigars and cigarettes became operative
Tuesday, but their practical effect will
not be ielt just yet by the consumer
owing to the fact that the dealers have
loaded up with stock under the old
rates.
The consumer will get less for his
money than formerly. and he will get
poorer quality.
Cigars, which are now made IN
most instances 'of Heaven know:
what" as a prominent tobacco mar
phrased Il, will henceioTth be consti.
tuted, to pay the new tax, OF fearful and
wonderful ingredients.
The war tax will hit the cigarette fienC
hard. Cigarettes are taxed s. SO wheT
a thousand weigh more than thret
pounds and $500 thousand when les.
than three pounds. The American
Tobacco Company (the Trus;J which
has always maintained that it has nevei
made any profit, has anticipated the wal
tax by slowly and quietly withdrawing
certain brands Of cigarettes from tn,
market. These brands will not re-
appear.
Proof is not wanting that at midnigh
on Monday there were burnt up in the
Trust factory, IN West Twenty.seconc