Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-28
ALCOHOL IN MEDICINE
COMMISSIONER YERKES PREPAR-
ING TO ENFORCE HIS ORDER.
Sellers Of Whisky Will Have to Get
Licenses as Liquor Dealers
Possible Legislation.

| Commissioner Yerkes Is making prepara-
| tons to put into effect December the pro-
visions of his order requiring dealers In and
manufa cturers of patent medicines of dis
| tinct alcoholic properties, and of various
| essences that are SO freely consumed in
| prohibition communities. to pay licenses as
| liquor dealers.
| Mr.. Yerkes has had some remarkable cor
respondence with the patent medicine and
essence manufacturers. and has received
| calls from representatives OF a number Of
these concerns. He frankly admits that he
is going to have a difficult thing In drawing
| the line between those compounds contain
| ing too much whisky and too little medi-
| cine, and those containing considerable
| medicinal value and also considerable
whisky. His ruling contemplates reaching
| that class Of preparation that is or compar-
atiVely little medicinal value, out OF lively
alcoholic properties. He has received nu-
merous tips" from the manufacturers of
| leading whisky compounds that II he de-
| cides that a certain compound contains too
much whisky and too little medicine to be
| really termed medicine the manufac-
| turer will promptly throw in another hand
full or two of alleged medicinal stuff Of a
harmless nature, and thereby reduce the
proportion of the whisky.
Intention of the Manufacturers.
That Is the announced intention of many
They say plainly that they have no idea OF
letting up in their widespread advertising,
and that they will simply circumvent the
decision of the commissioner in each case
by adding more medicine. They admit to
officials of the internal revenue bureau that
1t is the whisky that makes the medicine
attractive to the public, which is not Suffi-
GENTLY well versed in medicine to know
whether ii is getting stimulation of appe-
tite and digestion from whisky medicine.
The temporary benefits ascribed to the
medicine and NJ to the whisky, the guam
tity of which is little known.
Commissioner Yerkes Is determined that
he will keep close watch on the game
it is played, and 1t is probable that he will
send report to the Secretary of the Treas
ury for transmission to Congress. The COM
missioner legally has nothing TO do with the
deception practiced upon an unsuspecting
public or with the ills that follow, or even
with the great popularity of these COM
pounds in prohibition communities, but he
does propose to make manufacturers and
dealers pay license for selling bottles OF
stuff that contain precious little real medi-
cine and mighty large amount OF whisky.
He thinkssthat the government is fairly en-
titled to some of the large profits said TO be
made out of the business.
Feeling Among congressman
The agitation of the subject has resulted
in the declaration of a number OF senators
and representatives that they propose to try
tax these medicines solely on the proper
ton of the alcoholic contents The propo-
sition that has received the most indorse-
ment is that a certain proportion of alco-
hol will be allowed In patent medicines be-
fore they are made taxable. say 20 per
cent, six times more than contained in beer.
which pays a heavy tax. and all prepara-
tons having above that percentage OF alco-
hol will have to pay tax In proportion to
Its alcoholic contents. This provision will
not apply to bona fde prescriptions of ply
sicians
1t is said to be probable that Commits
sioner Yerkes will base his actions in many
cases on the fact. well known to collectors
of internal revenue, that certain medicines
and fiayoring extracts and essences are sold
In prohibition communities almost openly
for the alcohol they contain. Letters have
reached the office of the commissioner indi-
eating that in many prohibition communi-
ties notably in good old Kansas, where the
governor a few days ago had huge quanti-
ties of Illicit whisky turned out upon the
grass, which 1t promptly burned up, the
pa tent medicine habit has become as con-
firmed as the opium habit among the Chi
nese. Maine. New Hampshire and Vermont
the home of enlightened prohibition. also
furnish customers for millions of bottles of
patented compounds.