Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1906-11-29
may HAVE STILL
IN BACK YARD
EVERY FARMER A POSSIBLE
MANUFACTURER OF ALCOHOL.
INTERESTS NOT FAVORED
Commissioner Tells How Makers are
to Proceed-Letter to Subordin-
ate Contains Information of Wide
General lnterest-No Red Tape
Restrictions.

NO objection TO farmer. manu-
featuring alcohol in his back yard
If he wishes to establish distillery
there. Special interests not favored
under the internal revenue law"
These quotations are taken from a
ruling made by Commissioner of In
ternal revenue law
These quotations are taken from a
ruling made by Commissioner of In
ternal Revenue Yerkes on questions
submitted to him by collector.
whose mind was filled with doubts as
to whether the farmer and the public
generally were to be given square
deal in the enforcement of the de-
natured alcohol act. Commissioner
Yerhes incorporated in his ruling ex-
very remarkable, not to say amusing,
] official communication from sub
ordinate to a superior
Among other things, the collector
wrote:
AT present regular distilleries only
can engage in the manufacture, en-
| abling the whisky trust already to
secure practically monopoly. Is 1t
proposed to ask congress to let the
farmer las in Germany and others
III on the manufacture of the prod
uct? | regret to attack the law, but
yl,tt gt fl.x ax,f I'm - ca.
favoring special interests. Is it
proposed to further simplify the law,
reducing the manufacture to the easy
basis OF cheese making, and cut out~
the ridiculous red tape of the 'regu.
lations and instructionsY regret
that must attack this feature also,
and show how our people are 10 be
prevented from making simple and
cheap fuel by red tape restrictions,
unless assured that a change may be
hoped for Commissioner Yerles
| replied:
"You are advised that this depart
mcnt does not make the law, but
endeavors to administer At as 1t Is
passed by congress. AS to what con-
gress proposes to pass | am not adj
1 yised. This Office knows OF no pro-
cesses by which alcohol can be man
ufactured except by distilleries, and
as regular distilleries are the only
kind recognized by the law, alcohol
manufactured under the supervision
of this department must be manufac-
tured at regular distllleries. For
your information, however, ! will
state that there is nothing mysterious
or complicated about regular dis
| tillery, and that the manufacture OF
distilled spirits at a regular dis
tillery Is probably simpler than the
manufacture of cheese
The internal revenue laws under
which all government distilleries are
constructed and operated are neces
sarily full of detail, but at 4. same
time these laws are SO elastic and
comprehensive that no honest man Is
barred from engaging In the business
Of manufacturing distilled spirits.
There are absolutely no limitations
to the size Of distillery that can be
operated under the law.
/ This bureau will endeavor to adj
minister the denatured alcohol law
in the same manenr 1t has heretofore
administered the law relating to dis
TILED spirits. IL farmer or other
person desires to go into the business
of manufacturing denatured alcohol,
at plant however small, he will be
required to construct his plant in
the manner prescribed by the gem
eral laws and regulations. He will
be equired to give a bond, the effect
of which Is to prevent him from de-
frauding the government of the tax
on any distilled spirits produced by
him. He will be required TO estab-
lish a distilery warehouse, to de-
post the spirits produced by him in
this warehouse, to establish a de-
Maturing bonded warehouse, and to
tax-pay or denature just as he may
wish the alcohol produced by him.
All of this will be done under the
governmental supervision, but the
government pays for this supervision.
The manufacturer OF alcohol does
not bear one cent OF It, There is no
objection TO a farmer manufacturing
his alcohol In his back yard provided
he wants TO establish distillery
there"