The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-16

looks a good deal like Mcses. seem to
want to write into this bill a new COM
map6ment-to tack onto the Ten Com
mandmenis another one which shall read:
Thou shalt not drink anything except
water without paying tax The Chair
man of the Committee ON Ways and Means
was opposed to cutting down the tax on
beer aud he is opposed to cutting down
the tax on tea. Now. water is all well
enough. and a good drink when it is pure,
but it is not always pure. The papers
are telling us that 1t is productive of
typhoid fever. and there are good many
people in this country who believe in
drinking their water boiled and who be-
liere that the best way to drink it boiled
is to drink it in the form of tea.
81 received letter the other day from
an estimable lady in my district, saying
that the tea leaves with which she used
to keep down the dust when she swept her
parior carpet were costing too much. and
the tax on leaves which used TO keep the
dust down ought to be kept down, in
stead OF the tax being put on to raise the
dust for Subsidy bill or something of
that kind. Laughter and applause.l
THE people of the country at large
want tea, and the society people are in
favor of taking down this tax so that
they can have cheaper tea fer their pink
teas. Now, member of Congress ought
to be in favor Of cheap tea. Prof John
son said that tea eXhilarated without
ipsensibly intoxicating 1 think that kind
CT beverage is q good kind of beverage,
and that every Congressman ought to be
in favor of getting it as cheaply as pcs
sible. Prof. Johnson also says that tea
excites the brain, increases activity, and
produces wakefulness.' Now. every Con-
gresham wants an active brain, and
have sometimes thought that we needed
something to keep us awake as we lis
tened to the ponderous Websterian
speeches" Laughter and loud applause.l
Mr.. Fitzgerald's amendment was lost
&c TO So
Mr.. Levy Offers n Substitute.
At the close of the reading of the bill
Mr.. Levy offered as a substitute bill
providing for reduction of the revenue
of ssS,0o0,G00. He supported the substi-
tute with few remarks.
Mr.. Fitzgerald offered an amendment to
the substitute 10 strike Off the tax from
wines. MIR. Payne raised point of order
against the amendment, which was not
sustained.
The substitute was rejected without a
division and the committee then rose.
A separate vote was demanded by Mr.
Payne upon the amendment agreed to By
the Committee of the Whole yesterday,
providing a tax of / cent on steamboat
and railroad bills of lading and express
receipts. to be paid by the companies
upon monthly statements of business re-
ported to the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue.
On yea ard nay vote the House re-
jected the amendment. 125 to 1S9.
Mr.. Powers amendment was voted on
and agreed TO.
recommit the bill with instructions to the
Committee on Ways and Means to report
bill reducing the revenues under the
War Revenue act at least the sum of
10000. .0t9, the taxes remaining to be so
apportioned as to more equally and justly
distribute the taxes and to remove them
from the articles most near the necessi-
ties of life. and which enter most gen.
orally into consumption. The committee
will also include in the bill a provision
so framed as to accomplish the just ends
OF an income tax and yet escape the de-
cision of the Supreme Court Of the Unit ed
States in the cases growing out of the
Wilson Tariff law
Mr.. Hopkins said the instructions were
subject to G. point of order; they required
the Committee on Ways and Means to
so frame the income tax as to escape the
decision of the Supreme Court, an impos-
sibility.
The motion to recommit was defeated
131 to 155.
The bill was then passed without di-
vision.