The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-05-10
Bill to Tax OIeomargarine Ten Cents
n Pound viii BE Reported
Within a Few Weeks.
DEATH TO OLE INTERESTS
IF 1T SHOULD FINALLY PASS CON-
GREsS AND BECOME Law.
Secretary Gage Likely to Yield to
ponents of Imitation Butter.

-
omargarine manufacturers at the
meeting of the House committee
on agriculture, as foreshadowed in these
dispatches last night. BY a vote OF s to .
the having the Circuit bill in
charge was directed TO report the measure
to the full committee on May %, two weeks
hence. This bill taxes ol~eomargarine 10
cents q pound-a burden which would
mean destruction of the industry. There Is
little doubt that the full committee will
report the bill for passage as soon as 1t
obtains jurisdiction again over the meas
ure. 1t can also be assumed. with entire
safety, that the House will be given an
opportunity to act before the recess. mas
much as the speaker Is strongly In Its
favor. The speaker dominates the COM
mittee on rules, which will report an order
fixing a day for consideration. The test
vote yesterday shows the butter people to
be In a strong majority on the floor. TIC
secure action in the Senate, however, the
session will have to be greatly prolonged
beyond the middle of June. which seems
to be the extreme limit of duration, &C.
cording TO the desire of the leaders. The
oleomargarine manufacturers will, there
fore, have to make the fight for their lives
at the short session next winter.
The secretary of the treasury will a
a day or two in which to decide whether
or not he will give to Congress and the
public the information called for in the
Tawney resolution regarding the ingredi-
ents and process entering into the manu-
facture of oleo products. He will have
ample justification in refusing to give the
information under the law. but he IS con-
WINGED that the manufacturers do not care
particularly, and under the circumstances
he may yield to the demands of the House
A resolution offered by General Grosve-
nor to-day demands of the secretary of tho
treasury reports on the oleomargarine
manufacture by Special Agent McGinnis
of the Internal Revenue Bureau. McGin-
mis- made a thorough investigation of tho
processes of oleo manufacture in Chicago
very recently. His reports and the results
of his observation are said to furnish con
elusive evidence of the cleanliness, purity
and healthfulness of the product. The
McGinnis report will probably reach Con
gress before a vote is taken on the Circuit
bill. and may have some influence. Gen.
Grosvenor Is counted as one of the cham
pions of the dairy interest, but he is anx-
ious that all the facts bearing on the ques-
ton should be brought out.
A statement of the gross receipts at fifty
of the principal postoffices for April of this
year. as compared with a similar period of
1899, shows an increase of $255. 655. The in
crease at some of the postoffices follows:
New York. sO.Sl1; Chicago. s4s. 225; Philadel-
phia, BOIL; Boston, $13,250; st. Louis, SS,S25;
Cincinnati. $10,563; Brooklyn, $36,25S; Baltf-
more, $2,SS2; San Francisco. $4,065; Pitts
burg, $5,0S5. The largest percentage of de-
crease was at Lowell, Mass, SIS per cent.
Xxx
Few papers on army matters which have
been written recently have occasioned more
comment than that in which Capt. Cash E.
Woodruff, of the Medical Corps, asserts
that for the soldiers experience demon
strates that in a tropic climate the moder-
ate use of intoxicating drink is necessary
to continued good health and efficiency"
II can be safely asserted that Surgeon
General Sternberg does not agree with Cap
tain Woodruff. although military etiquette
forbids that he should adversely comment
upon anything unofficially written by an
officer of the corps. 1T is well known to
medical men," said General Sternberg to-
day. that the soldiers of the British army
who have spent years in India, and who
nave lived upon rich foods and strong
liquors, always return to the mother coun-
try with enlarged livcrs and deteriorated
p~hysiques. Our own experience In hot coun-
tries has not been of long duration to war
rant us in setting a scheme of life there"
Captain Woodruff has lately returned from
the Philippines is now stationed at
Fort Riley, Kan. His residence in the
tropics was not long. but he is considered
to be a bright man whose powers of OBJ
servation have been highly developed.
xxx
The petition of newspaper publishers rel
alive to the price of printing paper. was
presented to the ways and means commit
tee to-day. and Mr.. Newlands, of Nevada,
proposed an inquiry as follows:
Whereas, complaint is made that the
price of paper in the United States within
a recent period has been nearly doubled.
Whereas, the association of American
newspapers has appealed to the Congress
of the United States for relief, claiming
that the increase in price has been occas-
toned by a combination of the various pa
per mills and pulp factories of the coun-
try.
Resolved, that the committee on ways
and means fix the last Wednesday of May,
1900. for the hearing of such complaint.
And meanwhile the secretary of the COM
mittee is directed to give notice to such
association of American newspapers and
to the various paper companies and pulp
companies of such hearing and the Sec
rotary of the committee be directed to call
on such paper companies and pulp
companies, TO show the total
amount paid during the calendar
year ending Dec. 81, 1899. by such COM
panies for interest on bonds. dividends on
stock. taxes and wages to employees. the
rates paid for wages to be classified ac-
cording TO the amount paid, and also state
ments showing the total receipts for paper
sold and the expenses of operating during
the year"
After some discussion the matter was re-
ferred To the subcommittee on customs.
consisting of Messrs. Payne. Dalzell, Hop
kins. Grosvenor. Russell. Richardson and
Robertson.
The House at it's session to-day con-
sidered the contested election OF Pear
son VS.. Crawford from the Ninth Car
olina district. The report of the majority
was against the sitting member. a DEM
| ccrat. on the general ground that Mr..
Parsons election was prevented by fraud,
intimidation. bribery and bloodshed. The
minority deny all the allegations of the
majority. The debate to-day was on party
lines.
The President to-day approved the Senate
bill 1f77. known as the Grand Army pension
bill.
At the meeting OF the ways and means
copopofffaa to-day Mr. NoCIaIlop ~ Nav,