Twice-a-week plain dealer., 1906-04-27


sr, the vice president has become a
much better mixer and handshaker,
thing not to be despised.
Free Denatured Alcohol.
Because the bill for free denatured
alcohol is one of the most important
passed by the house in this congress
I give my remarks in its favor in full:
Mr.. Speaker. the proposition to remove
the tax from denatured grain alcohol for
technical uses is the only one of which
history furnishes an authentic record on
which distillers and prohibitionists, man
ufacturers and farmers, producers and
consumers are agreed.
| II the roseate predictions of its most
| optimistic advocates are fulfilled, we will
| witness a veritable Aladdin's lamp work
ing Its myriad wonders before our eyes
| In this prosaic age If even half of them
| are realized, we will see a revolution in
lighting, heating, manufacturing and
motors.
Buckle, in his immortal fragment, says
that the three most potent factors in
modern civilization were the invention of
gunpowder, the invention of movable
| types and the use of steam as a motor
and manufacturing agent. Had he
1
| electricity as the fourth II the hopes
Of the proponents OF untaxed denatured
| alcohol find fruition in fact, then it will
rank as the fifth.
It is said that he who causes two blades
Of grass to grow where only one grew be-
fore is public benefactor. If that be
| true-and 1t certainly is incontrovertible
then the declaration may be made with
out fear of successful contradiction that
he Is also a public benefactor who fur
nishes cheap light, cheap fuel and a
| cheap motive power to the masses of the
people. These are among the blessings
promised by this measure. Every mem
Der Of this house can enroll himself
among his country's benefaators by vot-
ing for this bill. A cordial invitation is
hereby extended to all members to place
their names upon the roll of honor.
In passing, it may be well to state
that this Is the only civilized country un-
der the sun in which any considerable tax
ts levied upon denatured alcohol intended
for technical uses In this age of fierce
industrial and commercial competition
constantly growing flercer-we cannot af-
ford to neglect any of the natural adyan-
tagss which we possess and as alcohol
can be made from anything containing
starch or sugar grain of every sort,
white potatoes. sweet potatoes. yams.
waste molasses (both cane and beet),
lcornstalks, eto.-we can easily and prof
itably produce substances from which a
limitless quantity of alcohol can be made.
It is not the part of wisdom to agree
with the extremists on this subject, either
pro or con.
| One set seems to think that untaxed al
oohol will usher in the millennium; the
| other set concludes that 1t will destroy the
wood alcohol and the charcoal iron in
dustry. The former are unduly elated;
1aff ,Jyr
Alcohol can be made from the corn
stalks which we produce and waste in
quantities to supply not America only
but the world, with cheaper and better
light and fuel Alcohol, however. will
not be made from oornstalks In any con-
siderable quantities SO long as grain and
potatoes are as cheap an they now are.
30. far from the wood alcohol industry
being destroyed it is doubtful If it will
be injured to any appreciab BILE degree In
deed, some persons think 1t would help 1t,
for the best denaturing material thus far
discovered Is one-tenth part Of wood al
oohol.
Last year the entire output Of wood
ALCOHOL was about 100000 gallons. The
enthusiastic proponents Of the pending
measure predict that IN Z short time we
will be consuming 2oo,0e0000 gallons of de-
natursd alcohol per annum. That would
nsoessitate the use Of 2o.00o,ooo gallons Of
wood alcohol per annum for denaturing
purDosss alone. or twice our entire pres
ent output OF wood alcohol.
Now, be 1t remembered that nobody
starts out to make wood alcohol as an
original proposition. It is byproduct
Iof charcoal burning, wood alcohol and
acetate OF lime, constituting 81 per cent
OF the money value Of charcoal making
/ On the Other hand what is called
grain alcohol" Ii the principal product
4 n Loft %hA oil !, ,to1,
~ animal food, just about pay the cost
Of distillation, which is one OF the Sim
plest processes known among men.
That free dsnatursd alcohol will be a
| powerful competitor with the Standard
On tsvFt aad the coal trust there can be
no question. and for that reason, II for
no other, this bill should be enacted into
law. 1t can be made in this country for
from Is to 30 cents per gallon. at which
price 1t ts cheaper than kerosene or gas
oline, for gallon Of alcohol contains
about twice as many heat units as gall
lon OF kerosene or gasoline. At the same
limo It Is much cleaner and safer. Why.
then, refuse it to the psople7
Aside from Its use for lighting, heating
and motor purposes, 1t is surprising In
what variety of manufactures It is a val
uable, a necessary, factor.
In an elaborate report Senator Platt
Ind Mr.. Russell enumerats the following:
Acids. bicycles. blaoking, brass work,
bronze work. burial caskets, cabinetmak-
lnr. carriages, oars wagons. ETC.: car.
tridsss celluloid and zylonite chairs.
shemioals, chemical preparations. cigars.
selors, dental goods. desks. dyes dyes
Hsed in textiles. enameled ware. flavoring
bxtvaots. folding beds Illuminating pow
der. furniture. gas and electric fixtures
gliding, granite ware. guns and pistols,
hats. japannsd ware. machinery, mold
lnSs organs. paints, paper. pharmaceu-
heals, Photographic materials, pianos.
picture frames. rattan goods, shellac.
MIX, silver plating. smoksless powder. to-
bacco. toys. varnishss. whips
| There are. perhaps, others. The nurn-
ber is certain to increase rather than di-
mfnish.
BY reason Of the exorbitant price at
which grain alcohol is now sold-about
$40 per gallon-many manufacturers use
wood alcohol, deadly poison, which they
oan procure at about 10 cents per gallon
| and which does not cost the producer
over 30 cents per gallon.
| Because denatured alcohol would be
cheaper than wood alcohol and because it
II less deleterious in the use both the
| manufacturers and their employees are
clamorous for the passage of this bill.
The people of the Mississippi valley
want 1t because they will both produce it
and use 1t. They know that there is
much Of profit and of comfort in it to
them.
Superfluous Bother.
Our Republican friends are grabbing
ut straws after the fashion of drown
Ing men. They are now laying the
hattering JUNCTION to their souls that an
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