The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1906-02-21
QUEER POLITICAL ALLIANCE.
Temperance Union and Standard Oil
Company Make Common War
Against Reducing Tax on Fuel Al
cOhoI.

cOt1Ol.
New Orleans, February 15.-The
House committee on ways and means
at Washington which is now having
hearings. on. a. bill TO take off the tax
on denaturized alcohol, is confronted
With the remarke bic spectacle Of the
Standard Oil Company and the TEN
oecance Union standing side by side
ir a fight against a pending measure.
Taxation, like poverty and politics.
sometimes makes strange bedfeIlows,
but no stranger allies have ever ap-
peared before a congressional com
mittee than the representatives Of the
great Rockefeller trust and the socie-
ty for the development Of total a5sti-
nence. Various other interests are,
however, strongly supporting the bill,
and several members of the commit
tee think it Will be favoraoiy reported
later, after the hearings are COM
pleted.
The bill was introduced by Repre-
sentative Marshall Of North Dakota,
and will, if passed, remove entirely the
tax on denaturized alcohol, which is
alcohol with the intoxicating clement
removed. This alcohol is used for so
many purposes that the effect OF low
ering its price would be far-reaching.
The agricultural interests would, per-
haps, be benefited most of all, as
tienaturized alcohol can be made very
cheaply from a number Of products Of
the soil, particularly from waste grain.
refuse molasses and rice, which farm
ers cannot dispose Of in any other way.
Champ Clark, Of Missouri, believes
that. with the tax taken off, farmers
could easily make their own lighting
material, for instance, and do away
entirely with coal oil. This is what
the oil interests are afraid of, hence
their opposition to the bill.
Automomobile manufacturers have
come toward in support Of the bill,
because denaturized alcohol is used in
making naptha and other fuels used
in the production 6: r:otive power
Furniture r2anufactu.cs c:a! piano
makers also favor tie bill, becau-
denatrr;zea alcohol is used largely j..
the manufacture of high grade va
nishes.
Added to all these the makers OF
silk hats are in the deal. Last week
representative Of a big hat firm in
New York told the comulittee on ways
and means that they vented t,,o t2v
akea of dena.acized alcoEo; o. a.
court OF is use III the 4s'akin8 - -.
rs. ! reduction % tire ces. OF ta.s
:. g. -. declared. v-"aat! he - i.sc.s-
rimabla saiue 10 that producing in-
terest OF the countl'sI.
Whether the patent medicine inter
ests will pe affected has not been dis
covered yet, but 1t is not improbable
that something will develop which will
show how all the soothing syrups,
cough cures and pain killers in Chris
tendon will go by the board as soon
as denaturized alcohol is put on the
free list.
The opposition Of the temperance
people is believed to be based on q
misunderstanding of the bill, as it is
declared that no human being could
get a drink Of the stuff past his lips
unless he had gone beyond the stage
where wood alcohol, Jamaica ginger,
tobasco, crude pertleum and other
| fiery beverages cease to tickle his har-
dened throat When they become ia
niliar with the attributes of denatur-
izsd alcohol. it is said, they will have
| no apprehension at all as to its
value as cheap producer Of hilarity
In New Orleans there are numer-
Gus concerns which manufacture fuel
alcohol from refuse molasses and the
Louisiana Boat Owners Association
has secured the promise of Congress
man Broussard to vote for the amend
| ment and has taken the matter up
with othei. Southern CONGRESSMAN.