Washington sentinel., 1900-11-24

necessary, and unnecessary taxa
ton is unjust. Brewers point {,
the fact that receipts tor this yea
are $50, ooo, 900 in excess OF appro
priations, and they were assured
that when this condition wa
reached their industry would b,
relieved OF its onerous burdens
Their case should receive first at
tention because the old tax was il
itself a war tax and thus they are
paying not merely war tax but
double war tax.
Brewers invite attention to the
tact that oil the SaIo, ,ooo, 900 col
lected under the war revenue bill
beer has paid SIS, 900, 900, or more
than one-third Of the whole. II
any further argument were needed
to show that their industry has
borne more than its share Of the
expense entailed by the Spanish
war, it is found in the fact that the
present beer tax represents two
fifths OF the average selling price
Of barrel Of beer. Appeals for
reduction IN behalf OF other artI-
cles affected bY this bill are based
on the ground that the tax is an
noying and burdensome. Their
appeals would be entitled to con-
sideration did they show anything
approaching this presentation Of
the brewers case. What a howl
would be raised if a bottle OF patent
medicine retailing for a dollar were
taxed 40 cents, or a telegram cost
ing IS cents was assessed 10 cents,
and other things in the same pro-
portionl A moments comparison
should be sufficient to show any
unprejudiced person that the levy
on beer is annoying, is burden.
some, is costly, is unjust, and what
is more important still, is throt.
ting the industry, hampsring its
growth and killing one OF the best
revenue-producing articles on the
Governments tax list.
How long can a business subsist
under such an impostp That this
tax has been a milestone around
its neck is proven by the decrease
OF 1000, 900 barrels in the con-
sumption Of beer during the past
year, in the large number Of sus-
pensions in the same time, in the
passing of dividends by the larger
concerns engaged in the trade, and
in many other ways.
In the hope that the cessation
OF war would bring reliefin a short
time, brewers made no attempt to
collect the tax, or any part OF il,
from their customers. This was
notably the case with the Wash
ington brewers. A continuation
Of the measure will make a change
in this respect necessary. In all
other cases the people have had to
pay the tax. The people will have
to pay this too before long. BY
people is meant the working
classes. Is not the workingman
taxed to the limit noW1 OF all bus
mess men brewers alone have vol
undertaken to assume
these charges. They haye done
so upon the strength of promises
made them. When those promi-
ses are uniulfilled d it is not in human
nature to expect that they will
to do so.
The Spanish war is over. The
prolongation Of the war tax, not
Tor the object for which it was
levied. but to provide means to
carry out a Ship Subsidy bill or
to build the Nicaragua Canal, is a
violation Of the good faith OF the
Government. II Congress in its
wisdom shall decree the passage
of these measures the first Of
which will entail an estimated
OF $4,000, 900 a year
tor thirty years and the second a
gross cost Of SIso, 900, 900, spread
over a period OF years-brewers
will not object. They ask, how
ever, that the war tax shall be
wiped out, as the occasion which
called It into existence has disap-
peared. And then, if money is re.
quired for the defence of our new
possessions, to extend trade or to
build up a merchant marine, which
are all matters foreign to the Span
ish war, let it be provided in new
legislation, let there be a rear
rangement of our sources OF rev.
enue, placing the cost equitably
on all. II is unfair that revenues
raised for war purposes should be
continued after the war has ceased
and used to furnish means to
carry out projects not eontem-
plated when the extraordinary levy
,yas made II IL not o,arel,, v,Ja;r