Washington sentinel., 1901-02-02

rebate fixed by the Senate Financs
Committee will cut the beer
tax down to SG.44 per barrel. This
figure will better suit the fractional
parts of the barrel, will give about
a so per cent reduction to beer
will appreciablY relieve the indus
try of its heavy impost, will yield
an ample revenue for the Govern
ment's needs, viii. help the cause
oil temperance, and do no injustice
to any other industry.
In certain parts OF this country
there is now going on crusade
against the sale OF liquors because
OF the evils said to be engendered
by such sale. In the name OF tenn
perance laws are broken, property
destroyed, homes invaded, lives
endangered. To aid true temper
ance should be the aim oil the leg
islator, and true temperance will
never be encouraged so long as the
manufacturer OF malt liquors is
hampered by excessive excise or
revenue laws.
All veil informed persons agree
that the marvellous progress OF
temperance in our country is due
almost exclusively to the old rev
enue system, with its discrimlna-
ton in favor OF malt liquors and
the effects it produced upon the
drinking habits Of the people, by
enhancing the price of ardent
spirits and encouraging the con-
sumption OF malt liquors.
In a work on "The Liquor Laws
OF the United States" published
by the United States Brewers AS
sociation about nine years ago, was
formulated the following sum-
mary, which has been approvinglY
quoted and referred to bv nearly
every unbiased writer on the SUP
ject OF temperance, viz:
In our country the complete solution (
Of the temperance problem is now
merely a question OF time. Measuring
the future progress Of temperance by
the standard furnished by the experien-
ces OF the past twenty three years, there |
can be no doubt that within two decades
the American people will occupy the |
very first place among the temperate |
nations. Provided that the conditions |
under which the astonishing decrease |
in the (per Capita) consumption Of ardent |
spirits and the increase in the use Of |
fermented liquors has taken place, |
remain essentially unchanged, the drink |
ing habits Of the people will be So |
radically reformed for the better that, |
at the end of the present century, a
relapse into the earlier condition ,of |
ine briefly will have become well nigh |
impossible. There is. in fact, no other
solution OF the problem than that which |
the present policy OF the Government |
offers-the same policy which prevailed |
under Washington's Administration, |
and which, doubtless, would have been |
adhered to- had not prejudice, dplo-
matte cabals, insurrectionary machIna-
tIons. political opportunism and econo-
mic fallacies combined to silence. the |
strong moral considerations urged in its |
favor, In whatever manner the tenn |
peTsnce question is to be decided |
whether on social, on fiscal on economic |
grounds-this must be the policy; for, |
Judged from either or all of these points
of view, its efficacy admits OF no doubt
These wise tax laws establishing |
a broad discrimination in favor of |
fermented beverages have with
fifty years succeeded in completely |
changing the drinking habits of |
our people. Whereas fifty years |
ago we were unenYiablY conspic
uous among civilized peoples as a
nation of hard drinkers, we hold |
today the foremost rank among |
temperate nations. Reverse the
conditions which brought about |
this marvellous change and you in
evitably reverse the results. There |
is not today a single European
country where an attempt to i'm
pose a comparatively higher tax
upon beer and light wines than
upon ardent spirits would not be |
considered an unpardonable mis-
take. In Belgium, in the Neither
lands, in all the scandinavian
countries, in France, and in Rus
sia, the lawmakers earnestly strive
to minimize the evils OF intemper-
ance by reducing the taxes upon
malt liquors to a minimum. Swift
erland has its governmental alco
hol monopoly, supplemented by a
very high spirit tax, but malt
liquors are scarcely taxed at all.
The Scandinavian countries have
their Gothenburg system. with its
restrictions as to the sale OF spirits,
but this system does not apply to
malt liquors. In France and Bel
gium and in the Netherlands the
tax lever is freely used TO increase
the consumption OF malt liquors
and to decrease the use of spirits.
Now that the time has come to