Washington sentinel., 1901-01-05

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peoples burdens. Mr.. Sulzer and
all the friends Of lower taxes de-
serve the best that can be said Of
them. The Krug Brewing Com
pany, Omaha. who send the letter,
have set an example others should
follow. A few appTecative words
cost little, but they reach lar. The
letter follows:
OMAHA, NEB Dec, ~, 1900
HON. WIN. SULzER, NJ, c.,
Washington, D, c.
Dear Sir-Permit us to present to you
our unqualified approval and grateful
appreciation OF the able and masteriul
manner IN which you have stood up for
and defended the rights and just cause
oIthe brewers in the balls ofthe National
Legislature.
It is well nigh impossible for us to
adequately give expression to our EN-
phatic endorsement OF your course and
especially in that part o. 1t where you
reject the miserable pittance it is
attempted TO soft soap an outrageously
maltreated industry with. 1t is easy to
copJecture how gratifying it would be
to some of our opponents were we to
fall into such a crude trap as to accept a
concession Of IS cents per barrel.
Imagine the hue and cry that would be
raised against the brewers and their
"eternal dissa' 'isfaction" were we, at any
time within a number of years, to apply
tor additional alienation from an un-
heard Of, unjust and oppressive piece OF
legislation. No, 1t is plain that the
Government, in league with faction
that will support It in all its undertak-
ings, is 10th to let go the tax on beer,
for the reason that it is an extremely
prolific and convenient means Of raising
revenues.
From what quarter, may 1t be asked,
does money flow into the federal Golfers
more freely and At less expense to the
Government than the serpentine like
sapping of these millions from our
"kicked and cuhed" industry? Yet, we
would say, we will accept even this
outrageous burden as a permanent yoke,
provided the federal statutes will be
amended and ampli6ei in such 4 way as
to give us full and complete protection
IN our business, the country over. II
the brewers are to pay a dIsproportion'
ately large amount of the expenses Of
the Government, it is not more than
sound and enlightened statecraft that
we be protected in our business against
unjust and discriminating laws enacted
by the States, many OF which are so
illogical and inconsistent as to be a slap
in the fare OF the intelligence OF our
times. We are tired of being merely
tolerated, but want equal rights with
every other element IN the country.
The brewers stand on a unique basis and
are not 10 Be identified with the socalled
liquor traffic. Beer is recognized as a
legitimate article Of consumption in
every civilized country, ana the fact &hzg
our legal status in this country is so
anomalous is not credltable either to
the legislative or the judicial depart
n1entF pthe country. You will find, in
fact, that the machinery Of the whole
federal Government and majority OF
the law making bodies also, are strenu-
ously endeavoring to keep on grinding
an enormous contribution out of our
business, and at the same time turn its
most precious and vital busine IS inter
ests over TO tyrannical and immature
control by the police power of countless
local communlties, giving them the
power to harrass and persecute our
business beyond endurance. In the
light Of reason, such a state Of affairs is
inconsistent and undignihed, # done in
a great and intelligent country. II we
are outlawed, we want to know it; # not
we should not have oar legal standpoint
grounded in such statutory soil as to
make its existence a continuous question
Of doubt. Indeed, il the Government
takes our money, and so much OF it., It
should guarantee our ability to do our
business in a lawful manner everywhere
within the jurisdiction Of federal laws.
No tax is more easily or conveniently
collected than the beer tax, no set OF
men more honest than the brewers in
the iulillment Of their legal obligations,
why then make them a scapegoat for
evefy wild and illadvIsed movement
that may sweep over the country with
every change Of the wind? The statutes
OF many States are teeming with enact.
ments so draconic, absurd and inequit-
able that counterparts OF same cannot
be found except we turn the pages of
history back to medieval days, .wheL one
part OF humanity made the other part Of
humanity tractable by power, brute
force and determination. This same
tutorship is rampant now, at least in
another form, and all this in the face of
the fart that Uncle Sam absorbs about
forty per cent Of the selling value of our
product.
q In conclusion would say yet tha. the
Brewers have borne that war tax dollar.
In .his dollar lay their profit. and as the