Mrs. Grundy. (Tracy City, Tenn.) 1903-1930, 1904-05-19
To Destroy the
Rum Power.
By Henry George.
CONTINUED from last week.

lowed from liquor restriction.
The effect of the tax on the manu-
facture of liquor is to concentrate
the business in the hands of |
larger capitals and stronger men,
and to make evasions a source OF
great profit. 1t is thus directly
to concern large pecuniary inter-
ests in politics, in order to main
tain the tax and to influence or
control the officials concerned
with its administrations.
This is the genesis of the Amer
lean whiskey ring, which sprung
into the most pernicious activity
with the imposition of the two
dollar a gallon taxa tax which
led to the most widespread po-
litical debauchery and corruption.
The reduction of this tax to
fifty cents per gallon-accom-
plished against the efforts of the
ring-has greatly reduced this
corruption and lessened the polit-
ical influence of the whiskey
ring.
But it still exists, as it will ex
list while the tax on liquor re-
mains potent factor in national
legislation, bringing its money
and it's influence into all elections
where its interests are even re-
motely affected. Here is what
Hon. Ernest H. Crosby, in an
article in the May Forum, EMIT
led "The Saloon as a Political
Power" has to say of one branch
of it:
"The brewers deserve special
notice. Their immense wealth
gives them opportunities for
wholesale bribery. They raise
enormous funds for use in all
canvasses in which the temper
ance issue is raised. But the
brewers have a greater power
than mere riches. Each brewery
has a large number of eer-shops
under it's direct control. They
select men of straw, provide the
money to establish them in bust.
ness, and take back chattel
mortgages on the saloon fixtures
They thus gain absolute posses
sion of the mortgagor, body anc
soul, and he follows their direc
tions in politics implicitly. One
firm of brewers in leading city
holds six hundred chattel mort
cages of this kind, aggregatins
1910, 1874 in value. Another ha'
two hundred and eight, valued
at $442 ,063. We can see in q
moment the concentration o
power which such a system af
fords. The saloons in order tt
rule must combine, and here is {
plan of combination already pro
vided. One example will show
how this power is used. TIVE
years ago the brewers in stron!
democratic district determined t.
send an attorney of theirs, Mr.
A. Z. Fitch, to congress. The,
secured the republican nomina
ton for him. The democratic
bar-rooms were ordered to sup
port him, and he was elected
While serving his term in con
gress, the Mills bill, leading to
wards free trade, came up fo
consideration. The brewer
were in favor of reducing TIN
surplus in this way, as they de
sired the internal revenue to re
main untouched. Mr.. FitcI
left his party and voted 70
the Mills bill. The brewer
, turned to, obtained the demo
cratic nomination for him, an,
elected him again III the sam
, district"
Not entirely the brewers
| Men like myself voted for MI
Fitch, as we always will vote il
favor of a republican who incline
% to free trade, or indeed a repub
= lican protectionist as against
l democratic protectionist. A
to the political influence of tn
, liquor power in New York Nh
= Crosby is right. 1t was throw
l against me in solid mass when
ran for mayor in 1886. A depu
tation came to me to ask wha
my course, if elected, would be
My reply was that so far as i
= might desolve Oh me | would en-
5 force the law without fear or ia