The Minneapolis journal., 1905-11-03
POOR LIQUOR in
PATENT MEDICINES
RULING OF COMMISSIONERS OF IN.
TERNAL REVENUE.
It Is Likely to Strike Terror to the
Hearts Of Druggists, Medicine Manu-
facturers, and Bring Grief to Certain
Sickly Prohibition States--C Comment
of the Press on New Issue.
Literary DIGEST

John W.. Yerkes, the federal COM
missioner Of internal revenue. has rem
dered decision which,. says the Wash
1ngton Il correspondent. of the New York
hearts of druggists and patent-medicine
manufacturers, and bring grief to the
thirsty residents of prohibition states.'
He has decided that after Dec. ! every
body who sells patent medicines which
are composed chiefly Of distilled
spirits or mixtures thereof, without the
addition of of drugs or medicinal ingre-
materially the character Of the alco-
holic liquor" shall have to pay the tax
of $25 a year as liquor dealer. HFew
persons, says the New York Journal
of Commerce., "who are not directly
interested in the manufacture and sale
sumption. Of those disguised alcoholic
Of the decision" The New Orleans
Times Democrat makes substantially the
same observation and remarks:
"There, will undoubtedly be serious
turers Of these medicines and infu-
ence sufficient may be brought to bear
to reverse. the ruling Of the commits
sioner, which, whatever may be its ef-
feet as revenue producer, is certainly
an advisable measure to adopt in the
public interest. Some Of the patent
| compounds now generally sold should
by druggists, that the purchaser may
know in a general way what he is pur-
chasing. Under the ruling Of the COM
missioner, the freer whisky is from
noxious drugs the more liable It is to
taxation, of course, and the effect. Of
the ruling may be to cause manufac-
turers of proprietary drugs intended not
o. h1t hovorqopS add
the compound greater percentage OF
deleterious drugs than they now con
| tain. The matter thus has two sides,
but it is probable that the general. ef-
| feet of the law will be good, for what
ever obstacles are. thrown in the way
name must result in the benefit Of the
consumer. The howl will come. of
course, when the department. issues it's
list Of 'medicines' for the sale of
which druggists and grocers must take
out liquor license, and an appeal will
probably be made to the courts to pre-
vent the ruling having the effect In
Some papers, however, do not think
that this new order Of the commissioner
of internal revenue is sweeping enough,
and hence oppose it on that score, while
other papers show hostility against it
for more serious reasons. Thus the
Richmond Times-Dispatch declares:
the ThSss ~he GDed in9asy De 1a e1
hensively legislated against will not, it
must be said, derive much satisfaction
from this enactment. The revenue rul-
ing leaves large loophole thru which
it may be anticipated that the affected
physic makers will lose, no time in
s'fp'H6 Is to Be- interfered with which, tho
consisting largely of distilled liquors,
vet contains drugs or medicinal ingre-
dients in sufficient quantities to change
materially the character of the, alc:o-
tholic liquor. The hint appears to be
reasonably plain. The affected manu-
may simply add ddnsntfag to thias d1 dof
icient to change their medicine's erst-
while alcoholic character. and blithe!ly
proceed as before. Whisky has, in
Short, to be fairly straight, to be sub
iect to the tax If you only take the
precaution to drug it IS sufficiently npaaXg yo1d ys01
sell without icense.' =,
But the press generally approve tt the :
course of Commissioner Yerkes: The
Chicago Tribune thinks that his new
order is ftentirely proper and that
Estate and city governments should
follow the example of the national gov
ernment and put these medicines; me sdnf;nua IN
Cn6lr proper CdGSSOly, LII, SSiAoIHo
the Tribune, Hthe thousands who have
bought and taken them, believing that
they would accomplish all the wonders
described in advertisements and circu-
lars, have thereby only been MADE
poorer, both in purse and in health -
The Chicago Post, in commenting upon
the action planned against these 50;
called patent medicines. "composed,' ,
as it declares, "of a liberal dash of
cheap whisky, several dashes Of cheaper
water. and not enough drugs to do any
harm-or good,' remarks:
WThe public will be immensely the
gamer by the commissioners decision
IF people must drink whisky, lei. their
rotations be in pure LIQUOR, not In the
ch-corroding stuff that Of neces:
sity must 20 into patent medicines to
enable the manufacturers and drug
gists to draw large profits from the
business. The most dangerous. sort OF
inebriation is that which is indu!geo
bv stealth. Drinking straight whisky
in secret is bad enough; but drinking
whisky under the pretense of tonlng uI
the liver or purifying the, blood. or cor
recting the stomach or fortifying the
nerves. and with the distiller mas
ouerading as a patent-medicine. maker
| SI +ba saloon keeDer disper sing his