Washington sentinel., 1900-12-22

| honorable career IN lnlS house.
neither have L lived in the classic
! precincts of Iupelo; but rather that
! / come from section of this great
! countrywhich is not only progressive,
! but whose people are broad-miuded
! enough to give credit TO men who by
! honest industry have been able to
! better themselves. Because we have
! made money and have built up i'm an
| honorable manner legitimate busi-
| ncsses is 10 justification for the at
| tack made by the gentleman from
| Mississippi Mr.. Allenl.
1 favor the reduction not only of
! the tax on beer, but on all things
! enumerated in this bill.
This bill, Mr.. Chairman, was de-
! signed to raise revenue for a war.
| That war has been ended now some
| two years; Yet 10y reason Of the eN-
traOrdinary expenses resulting from
| it, and to be continued indefinitely,
these taxes are to go on. When they
will cease, no one knows. Among
these extraordinary expenditures are
those oCcusiOued by the maintenance
of a standing army of 100000 men,
provided i'm the bill which was recent
" passed in this House. Who knows
what other schemes may be placed
TO the credit of this war as extra
ordinary eNpeuditureS2' Perhaps
some gentleman will suggest that
the proposed subsidies to ships are
an outcome of the late war. We have
taken possession of distant lands
We must have, we viii be told,
merchant marine subsidized and sup
ported by the Government to control
the trade i'm other parts of the world.
We not only tax the beer industry
and / speak, Mr.. Chairman. not for
the brewers of this country alone,
but more particularly for the retail
ers and the people who consume the
beer. ] have never considered beer
to be q luxury. To many working
men IL is an absolute necessity They
use beer with their meals because it
furnishes noUrishmeut and is mild
stimulaut neCe ssary to many men en-
gagged I'm labOriOus occupations. This
tax upon beer is a burden to such
men.
Perhaps i'm the country districts
men may drink upplejack or hard
cider and get along very we'll; but i'm
the great cities the mechanic, the la
boring man. the working people gem
orally, require beer just as much as
people in other parts OF the country
require other kinds of beverages. !
am not familiar with the fayorite
drink OF the people Of that section
represented by my distinguished
friend from Mississippi Mr.. Allenl
but whatever be it's name ! am con-
fident that a careful examination of
the revenue act viii disclose no such
onerous tax as that upon beer. such
people pay nothing additional for the
use of the beverages to which they
are accustomed and require. Ger
taiuly we ought TO make some pro-
vision which would euualize the taxes
collected under this act, and / hope,
therefore, that this House will vote
for the amendment proposed by the
gentleman from Missouri Mr.. Bar
tholdtI reducing the tax proposed by
the gentleman from New York on
matted liquors My only regret Is
that the amendment to reduce the
tax on matted liquors TO Sl2O q barrel
instead of $3.50, as proposed by the
pending amendment, did not prevail
Mr.. BARTHOLDT. Mr.. Chairman, 1
move to strike out the last word.
Here the hammer fell
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair would /
suggest to the gentleman from Mis- /
souri that that amendment would not /
now be in order, there being already I
two amendments pending.
Mr.. SIIATTUC. L ask that the gem
tleman from Missouri may be heard /
Mr.. PAYNE. Mr.. Chairman, L will |
ask that the time for the discussion l
of this amendment be extended for
ten minutes.
Mr.. CUMMINGS. shall not OBJ
icct to that if can have one minute
of the time.
Mr.. SULZER. ] object.
Mr.. BARTuOLDT. | ask unani-
nous consent that 1 may be permit
ted to address the committee for five
minutes,
The CHAIRMAN. The Chair will
state that debate is exhausted on this
pending amendment
Mr. SHATTUG We think not, Mr..
Chairman.
The CHAIRMAN. And the amend
ment which is now pending will be re-
ported, on which q vote is TO be
taken.
Mir. BARTHOLDT I have asked
unanimous consent for five minutes
time i'm which to address the commit
tee.
The CHAIRMAN. Is there objec-
tion to the request of the gentleman
from Missouri that he be allowed five
minutes time?
There was no objection.
Mr.. BARTHOLDT. Mr.. Chairman,
shall not attempt to answer the re
marks Of my friend from Mississippi
INIr AlenI, who has just addressed
the committee, either in kind OF
spirit because that would be impOssi-
Bile. l shall refer briefly however, TO
some arguments which have been
made during the last two hours on
the floor of the House on this qucs-
tion. 10 was said that the tax on
beer Is a very easy tax to be collect
ed. Mr.. Chairman, that Is true. That
however, is the argument of the high.
waymau, who goes out upon the road
and holds up a traveller, believing
that to be the easiest way of making
money.
The only question before the com
mittee is whether the tax on malt
liquors is just or whether it is un-
just. The fact that many brewers OF
the country are wealthy should have
10 bearing whatever. They have
made their money at q time when
beer commanded price of about SIP
barrel That price, by reason of
fierce competition, LAS been reduced
to ten, eight, six, and down TO five
dollars a barrel, and to-day, when
wages are high. when competition d.
ruiuous, when the expenses of collec-
tiOu are large, when the losses ON
account Of this OuerOus tax are
greater than ever, do you wonder
when you find the brewers to- COM
plain and as K for relief? It has been
stated i'm the course of this discussion
that as much beer was consumed last
year as the year before. That is not
true.
The fact Is that the consumption
has fallen Ofr, the decrease being
nearly 100000 barrels during the
last year, and the increase this year