The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1906-09-18
ALCOHOL PROBLEM
GOVERNMENT Is MOVING SLOW.
LY IN THE MATTER.
revenue Officers Are Looking Out for
the. Revenues and Agricultural De.
partment Is Engaged in Experiments
Advice by Secretary Wilson.

what the public fears VIII be the re-
suit In preventing the manufacture
and sale Of untaxed alcohol for Use IN
.he arts at price sufficiently low as
W pe real accommodation to the in
uustrles or the country. These COM
piaihts grow out of the reports circu-
iated concerning the investigation
iiiaue by commissioner Yerkes, of the
internal revenue bureau, in several
european states, and the character of
the regulations which the department
VIII formulate for governing the
manufacture and sale of this commo-
dity.
concerning the marvellous interest
awakened throughout the country I'm
this subject of untaxed alcohol which
was Illustrated last winter by the most
formidable array OF petitions and let
ters urging the legislation ever nre-
sented to congress upon any subject
and coming from every state and ter
ritory in the union, it was apparent
from the arguments made nv the
friends Of the measure that thew ex-
pected speedy relief in the way Of a
low priced fuel, light and power COM
modify.
Their complaints now are to this eff
feet:
First-That in their efforts to pro-
tect the revenues of the government
the internal revenue officers win make
such drastic regulations as to hammer
the development of a low priced in
dustrial alcohol.
second - That the requirements
which the government will insist upon
with respect to the denaturIzing in
gradients will be of such Character 40
10 raise the price Of the denstured
product far above a competitive point
with other fuel and lighting liouids
now on the market.
An examination Into these points I'm
several departments OF the govern
rhent brings to light interesting infor-
InaIlon as to what Is being done and
the reasons for the action now being
taken by the government officials. II
Is apparent that there is harmony NJ
action whether by mutual understand
ing or not, among the heads OF the
various departments to produce tha
best possible results in this important
matter of cheaper fuel and light M
the earliest possible day.
Along these lines Investigation 60
now in progress, not only by the in
ternal revenue officials for the purnose
OF protecting the revenue, but also bv
the secretary of agriculture and his
force of expert chemists. The inves
legations have proceeded far enough
to give hope that whatever deterrIng
erect may come from stringent regu-
lations science will contribute soma
OF nf
wards solving the problem of cheaper
materials Tor ethyl alchol and also a
cheaper and certainly effective dena-
turizing ingredient.
1t Is our first duty in connection
WIN this question of untaxing alco-
mol said an official OF the internal
revenue bureau, ito make certain that
there shall be no frauds perpetrated
upon the revenues. This may appear
to some people as an unimportant
matter, but ii Is not merely
a question of Importance with us: it IA
duty. The laws prescribe what we
shall do to protect the public revenues,
and IL by legislation of congress the
government is to give up eight or ten
millions of dollars OF revenue annu-
ally, and perhaps a much greater sum
by removing the tax from grain alco-
hol, the laws continue to require that
we shall make certain that such grain
alcohol as remains subject to inter-
nal revenue tax shall not escape such
taxation. Our internal revenue laws
are second in Importance as sources
of public revenue. Distilled spirits
are an important item in the list OF
revenue producing articles.
The public must reflect upon the fact
that in this business of placing two
kinds of alcohol on the market-one
subject to tax and one entirely free
there Is the greatest incentive to
fraud. The tax of $1.10 on grain al
cohol of certain proof would consti-
tute a splendid profit for those who
desire to take advantage of this dol
lar tax in the way OF profit which
might be gained from restoring the
denatured product to potable state.
II am afraid that the expectations
Of many people have been raised too
high in regard to the prospects of q
very low priced industrial alcohol.
Whatever good results are obtained In
the way of eheapening the price of the
article will come from scientific exper-
imentation, and the utilization OF
cheaper materials. But it must not
be forgotten that it is not only guess
ton of injecting into the ethyl alco-
hoi methylating Ingredient which will
render it non-potable, but 1t must
be such an ingredient as cam
not afterwards be extracted, thereby
restoring the denaturized product to
a potable form. 1t is probable that
the expense connected with this pro-
cess would be real deterrent, but SCI
ence affords ingenious devices for de-
frauding the revenue, as well as for
cheapening the cost of production for
the betterment Of the interests of man
kind"
So much for the question of reven-
ues, and the application of revenue
laws to the Industrial alcohol prob
lem. The pressure Of the manufac-
turers of wood alcohol for the adop-
tion by the government OF regulations
requiring Is to 80 per cent OF their
Continued on Page III.