Washington sentinel., 1900-12-22

me to fully discuss this bill, but l de-
sire very hurricdly and briefly TO crit
icise one portion Of il that seems to
do a great Injustice. 1 have received
a number Of letters from constituents
Of mine objecting TO and protesting
against that portion of the bill that
continues the additional war taxes on
beer. With the permission of the
House l shall incorporate some OF
these letters in the Record as a part
of my remarks.
The tax on beer is out of all proper
tion to the tax on other commodities.
The manufacturers and consumers OF
beer pay more than their just share
of the burdens of government. They
want only what is just. They ask no
favor. They want to be treated fair
lv. and they now demand, two years
after the Spanish-American war, that
those additional war taxes be re-
pealed. Is this asking too much? Is
it not just what you promised when
YOU imposed the additional burden Of
81 barrel on beer? The tax of 81 a
barrel on beer is too much.
You know the manufacturers en-
gagged in this industry demand that
the war taxes on beer be reduced to
81 a barrel as it was before the Span
ish-American war began. The brew
ers have sent several representative
DELEGATIONS here asking for the repeal
of the war tax, and they have filed
hundreds and thousands of petitions
i'm favor of it. But if 1 know your
intentions, and if I am any judge Of
your policy, their mission has been a
failure, their work in vain, and the
petitions have been thrown in the
waste-basSet.
Mr.. Chairman, the manufacture of
beer is one Of the most important in
dustries in this country. 1t is le-
gitimate business, and should not be
prosecuted by oppressive taxation, II
gives employment to thousands and
hundreds of thousands of men. IL at-
fects the producers, the wage-earners,
and the transportation companies of
the whole country. To discriminate
against it is unjust and the policy as
far-reaching as it is ruinous. At the
beginning of the civil war tax OF 81
n barrel was put on beer and it was
promised then, directly or Indirectly
by the party in power that as soon as
the emergency should be over that
tax would be repealed. That was
war tax. But after the civil war that
tax was continued, although most of
the other internal-reNenue taxes were
repealed. This civil-war tax of 81
barrel on beer was kept on from that
day to this, and notwithstanding tt
was q war tax in time Of peace and
burdensome to the producers. the
manufacturers and the consumers,
they bore it without a murmur. When
the Spanish-American war revenue
law was passed in 1898 the Republican
party doubled the war tax on beer,
making it 50 a barrel.
ppyv sir instead of reducing
that tax to 81 a barrel, as you prom
ised the representatives of that indus
try when they appeared before your
committee in 1898, you propose to
continue this burdensome and unjust
tax at the rate of So per barrel-Or
perhaps a little less-indefnitely Is
that fair2 Beer is the poor mans
drink and the poor man pays most OF
this unjust and eSorbitant tax. Years
ago and during the civil war beer was
selling for from S12 to SIS per barrel,
and the tax thcn Vvna only, 81 barrel.
To-day beer is selling for from S. 90
So q barrel and the tax is So barrel
If Justice We're done in this matter
and members had the courage of their
this House would almost
unanimously make the tax on beer
what il was before the Spanish-Amer-
lean war.
Inc brewers INDUSTRY BdNn lA"4N
taxes to-day into the Treasury Of the
Government than any other industry
in this country. This burdensome
war tax has driven out of
business a great many manufacturers,
has driven others into bankruptcy
and forced out of legitimate employ
ment thousands of honest tOilers
This war tax falls with n heavy hand
on the consumers and with disastrous
effect on the manufacturers and re-
tailers of our country. We should do
our duty and repeal it.
Yesterday, Mr.. Chairman, l listened
to the remarks of my friend the gen
tleman from Missouri Mr., Bart
holdt1. In the course of his remarks
he said that at the proper time he
would offer an amendment to this bill
to reduce this unjust and iuiquitOus
tax on beer TO $3.50 a barrel. That rs
all right so far as it goes, but it does
not go far enough. If no one else
does, | will offer an amendment to put
the tax back to 81 a barrel and L
trust that this House will adopt that
amendment and take off the addition
al war tax of 81 a barrel. 1t ought TO
be taken off. Under the Spanish
American war-revenue law the beer
industry has paid more than one
third of the entire revenue derived
from that act,
Under the provisions of this bill
now being considered, according to
the statement of the chairman of the
committee, if you do not reduce the
tax, beer will pay nearly two-thirds
Of the revenue to be derived. This is
unjust to this industry 1t is an in
Justice to the people who are engaged
in it, The brewers were patriotic.
h. 4 aFvip N
gan, when the emergency arose, when
the Government needed immediate
funds to carry on the war, the brew
ers of the land came before the Ways
and Means Committee and said- III II
is necessary to tax our industry an adj
ditional 81 a barrel to raise immedi-
ate revenue to prosecute successfully
the Spanish-American war; we are
willing to submit and pay such addi-
tionaI taxation on condition that Just
so soon as the war is over and the
emergency passed this additional tax
of ST barrel on beer shall be forth
with repealed"
That promise was made to the rep
resentatives of this industry; and
they and thousands Of others are
looking to-day to this Congress to see
If that promise viii be fulfilled. l
trust that every fair-minded man in
this House, that every member who is
opposed to discriminating i'm favor of
one industry by robbing another, who
is opposed to unjust and burdensome
taxes when they are unnecessary, and
who believes that unnecessary taxa
tion is unjust taxation, will support
this proposition to repeal this addi-
tional war tax on beer and keep the
pledge of the Government.
And now, Mr.. Chairman. to sum it
all up, 1 am in favor Of repeating the
additional tax OF 81 a barrel on beer,
imposed by reason of the emergency