The times., 1900-12-19
OPPOSITION TO HANNA
The Senate Finance Committee De-
clines to Be Dictated To.
The Ohionn's Demand for Further
suits in an Open RevoIt-His Right
to Assume Leadership Denied-His
Appeal for the Brewing Interests.

The Senate Committee on Finance yes
terday practically decided to oppose Mr..
Hanna's demand that the war tax on beer
be reduced to 81. The House, in passing
I the bill, reduced the tax 10 $1.50 and the
Ohio Senator had hoped by means of
threat and persuasion to compel the Sem
ate to agree to further reduction. The
effect of his demand made on the COM
mittee yesterday was an open revolt
| against the Chairman of the Republican
National Committee and the troubles of
the self-appointed leader of the Senate
are said to have only begun.
Mr.. Hanna received a painful surprise
yesterday during the meeting of the FL
nance Committee, when Mr. Aldrieh, the
Chairman of that committee, openly an
nounced that he would fight Mr.. Hanna's
, attempts to have the tax on beer reduced
and that he did not consider it proper on
the Ohio Senator's part that the latter
! should play the lobbyist in the interest
of a combination of brewers.
The committee met for the purpose
of considering the War Revenue bill
| as passed by the House. Mr.. Hanna, who
is not a member of the committee, appear
ed aE:i it is said. informed the members
that they must send the bill into the SEN
ate with an amendment reducing the beer
tax to 81, the House having fixed 1t at
sL50. He is said to have taken the whip
hand in the committee room and ordered
the Republican majority to fix up the re-
duction.
In a statement, made in an impassioned
address, he is said to have Informed the
Administration followers that the brewers
nod ha fnra MAJ
recent campaign and had so materially
aided the Republican National Committee
as to have taken no small part in the re-
election of MIR. Mckinley and the "repu-
diati of cheap money and Populism. The
brewers, he is reported as saying, were in
return promised only what was due them.
fair reduction of the excessive tax on
beer.
He had pledged his word, he is said to
have declared, to have Congress take IA
vorable action on the reduction of the
beer tax and each Republican present
could see that the reduction was only fair
and honest. He had made this same plea
to the members of the House Ways and
Means Committee and to the Republican
leaders in that body and they had done
their duty in reducing the tax by ten mil
lions. 1t was now the duty of the Sen
ate. he said, to make a further reduction
in justice to the brewers.
Mr.. Hanna is said to have met with
rebuff ffem Mr. Aldrich which surprised
the Ohio leader. The former is reported
IS declaring himself openly against any
further reduction. and is reported to have
Informed Mr.. Hanna that he would fight
2ny such proposition. He added that he
saw no reason why Mr.. Hanna should at
tempt to influence the minds of the COM
mittee members and that IL was hardly
the right thing to accept contributions
from brewers with the understanding that
this Congress should repay the debt. Mr..
Aldrich proposed increasing the tax on
beer in place OF lowering it.
Mr.. Spooner stated that $50. 600 900 re-
duction would be enough, while the action
of the House in cutting the beer tax by
$40 000. coo made the reduction $4,000. 600.
The Democratic members of the com
mittee. headed by Mr. Vest. are ayerse TO
the Hanna proposition. and hold that the
scheme is merely an effort to make a
present to the Brewers Trust. which
contributed literally during the Presiden-
tiaI campaign.
Il is now almost certainty. say those
who know. that Mr. Hanna's scheme will
fail. and. worse than all. the Senate Iro-
poses to restore the reduction made by
the House.
Mr. Hanna is said to be greatly cha
grined. He saw the President yesterday
afternoon for the purpose of bring
ing the revolt 10 Mr.. McKnlcy's at
tention in the hope that ne may be pre-
vailed upon to force recaicitrant Sens-
tors into line on the matter Of reduc ng
the beer tax.
No definite action was taken en- the bill
in committee yesterday and no conclusion
was reached as to the question of beer Tax
reduction. 1t has been the understanding
that the committee would not begin the
actual consideration of the bill until after
the holiday recess, but yesterday discus
sion developed sentiment in the COM
mittee for proceeding az once with the
work.
A decision on the matter will be reach
ed during the next few days. but it is
probable subcommittee will be ap
pointed 10 work on the bill during the
holiday recess. so that when Congress
meets the first week in January, it will
be. r.eadv for the actinn of The Senate