The age-herald., 1898-06-11
CONSUMER WILL
 FOOT THE BILL Kicks Registered AaSainSt tho War
 Revenue Measure. MEANS DEM0CRATICVICTORY The Bankers Complain That They Will
 Lose Business. ON ACCOUNT OF CHECK STAMP The Corporations Will Resort to the Old Cash System of Paying 0f-DeaIer in
 Taxed Articles Will Not
 Be Hurt.
ON ACCOUNT OF CHECK STAMP

The consumer will pay the expenses of the Hispano-American war. They fo md tn out yesterday when they read the full report of the conference committee on tIe war revenue bill in The Age-Herald.
 The intricate machinery of any sort of old register would have been smashed to uselessness had an attempt been made to keep tab on the kicks heard o every hand.
 Evidence that the bill Wal g. into eject at once was found in the fact that active preparations are going on in the office of 1nteInas Revenue Co lector Julian Bing nam for the collection of the new tax. New stamps all around will be prepared, as tLe rates on everything have bsen increased
 Collector Bingham said that official in- structions giving all details had not been issued, but from reading the newspapers the office force knew about what had to be done. No additional force VII be employ ed, although the duties will be much mo. ( ar0u.us.
 The work falls heaviest on the internal revenue department The officials in Washington are now busy preparing de- signs for new stamps and other stationery needed.
 The collection of the tax on beer, tobac: 0 and cigarettes outside of factory prems 8 will be done by assessment. This it is sad, will greatly simplify the work Stamps, however, will be required Tor al- most every character of comme cial trans action from fhe ordinary banh check to the first mortgage bond of a trunk liae rail- way.
 Some Things 10 Remember
 Brokers must come up with an extra $50; pawnbi okers SEQ; commercial brokers, $2D; custom house brokers, $10; p.C prletors of theaters, museums and concert halls in cities of more than % 900 population, $lOo.
 Bowling alleys and billiard rooms, $5 for each alley or 1able.
 You will get less beer for a 5-cent piece.
 When you buy cigarettes you Will get ten for a nickel.
 Cigars and chewing tobacco will suffer Ia SC.
 When you buy medicine for sick mem Der of the family you will pay more.
 If you are so fortunate as to have an inheritance you must pay tax on It.
 It will cost you two cents extra when you sign a bank check, and stamp must go on almost every kind of document.
 It Means Democratic Success
 The democrats are finding comfort by predicting that the outrageous bill, as 1t is termed, means certain victory for the party in 19OO
 There are others who are so startled that they do not quite accept the new order Of things as reality. They believe that there is some mistake.
 The banks were probably hit hardest and the heads of these institutions are loud in their words of denunciation. They main- tain that it will cut their business down and hurt the small depositors.
 As an instance of this it is cited that the larger corporations which pay off by checks will now resort to the old cash sys- tenn. This will take the business from the banks.
 The dealers in other taxed articles feel no discomfort. They know that their prof its will come up as usual and the burden will fall on the consumer.
 Some Expressions from the People
 "The tax on the insurance policies,' said Arthur Crowder, twill fall on the com panies and not on the agents. But the companies will, of course, have to increase the rates of insurance in order to relm- purse themselves for the money lost"
 'I see that they've let the real setate men alone" said s. Bethea, "as far as direct tax is concerned, but the tax of cents on each bank check drawn will fall heavily on us as we'll as on all kinds of business"
 'sThe tax that Is to be levied on the banks" said B. Steiner, lis a great hard ship We are already very heavily taxed by the state and county, and in addition to this the private and state banks, but not the national banks, have to pay a heavy city tax. And now government tax of S2 for every thousand dollars worth of stock, is too much. The tax on the depos- itors of the banks for all checks drawn. will have a tendency to stop deposits, and of course this is very injurious to our busi- ness. The banks of the south have not been making much money during the past few years, anyhow"
 1.-The insurance companies will undoubt- edly have to increase the rates or 1nsur- ance," said General Louis V. Clark. "They have been making hard fight against the part of the bill which taxed them so heavily. No, I don't think it will be felt by the agents themselves, par ticularly, except so far as the increased rates will effct the insurance business"
 A Vicious Tax
 "The stamp tax on bank checks is vicious one," said General E. W. Fucker. Ut was a stamp tax such as this that our forefathers fought against over century ago. have no special kick against the tax on the capital stock of the banks, pro- yided other businesses are taxed in propor- ton, but that check is likely to prove very obnoxious. Most of the railroads and near ly all of the big corporations in the district pay their employees with checks and If they are forced to pay tax of cents for every one of them, they will immediately begin to pay off by the old cash system, which will take just that much business away from the banks. Of course all of the big depositors will have to Keep their money in bank as they have been doing, but they will draw it out only in big Jumps. The effect on the small deposltor will be bad. as he will not want to pay the cents tax to get it out again."
 1T don't think the insurance companies will increase their rates, notwithstanding the tax; not at present, anyhow" said A. R. Dearborn.
 .sI can't believe that the report of the tax on insurance policies is true." said Cap- tain John G. Smith. The insurance rate for frame dwellings Is only three-fourths of one per cent, and if a tax of one-half of one per cent is to be deducted fromthis, you can readily see what a small amount Is left for the company. For instance, the