The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1909-05-21
BEV5RIDGE'S REVELATIONS
ABOUT TOBACCO WEIGHTS.

No revelation of the extra sessie-
has been more startling than that
which Senator Beverage made about
the almost unbelievable graft of the
Tobacco trust for eight years. That
was case of legislative partnership
with a trust in a project to fleece the
people. Somebody must have been
fixed" creased" "oiled" 1t is in
conceivable that Congress will plead
guilty to such sublime innocence and
incompetence as would be testified by
the explanation that nobody in Con
gress saw what was being given to the
Tobacco trust.
Here is what happened: When the
Spanish war taxes were imposed, the
internal revenue duty on tobacco went
up. The law was so arranged that
tobacco dealers were permitted to sell
underweight packages, deducting
enough from the weight to compensate
them for the increase in the internal
revenue tax. Thus tobacco pound"
was considerably less than a l6-omce
pound; but it was legal because of this
legislation. The tax was thus carried
down to the consumer, and nobody
particularly felt it.
But when the war and the need OF
war taxes passed, what happenedl The
additional tobacco tax was repealed,
but THE TRUSTS PRIVILEGE OF
SELLING UNDERWEIGHT PACK
AGES WAS NOT STOPPED. The trust
was left COLLECTING THE WAR
TAX FROM THE PEOPLE, But
POCKETING IT INSTEAD OF TURN
ING IT INTO THE FEDERAL
TREASURY.
By this process, in eight years, the
trust has got away with Sls4,0O0,006
OF the peoples money. That money
ought either to have been left in the
pockets of the tobacco users, or else
TO have gone to the Federal Treasury.
In fact, it went 10 the Golfers of the
Tobacco trust.
1t is manifest that to repeal the war
tax. but TO forget TO repeal the short
weight privilege must have been diff
fieult and complicated Some skilled
person or persons must have steered
that thing through Congress with con-
summate eleverness. Who did il? Was
he an inside worker" or an outside
mani" If he was an insider, his identity
ought TO be known, so that he can be
duly defeated next election by a be-
trayed constituency. If he be merely
a smart lobbyist, he should at least
be questioned about the methods by
which he induced committees and lead
ers and organizations to permit such a
tremendous steal.
Senator Beverage has gone about
this business in fashion which indi-
Gates purpose 10 stick by it till the
whole inwardness Of this strange trans
action is barred. The present S25, 00O,-
O0O-a-year largess of the Tobacco trust
should first be taken away; then the
processes by which Congress was either
befooled or corrupted should be investi-
gated
1t Ia a wondrous interesting circum-
stance that the trusts which seem most
influential with Congress are those
which most often appear in the erin
inal courts as defendants. The Sugar
trust has seldom been out of the Grim
inal courts in the last two decades, on
one charge or another or defrauding
the Government It's reward is the
privilege of taking s660,0OOO in
twelve years from the people.
Why should such a special privilege
be freely given TO a criminal of the
most fixed and persistent criminal hab-
its?
The American Tobacco Company is
now defendant in a great case brought
by the Government under the anti
trust laws, charging 1t with conspiracy
in restraint of trade. That it is actual
~. If not technically guilty, is the
eommonest knowledge. Does it not
seem strange that it, too, should be
able to have conferred upon it spe-
cial delegation OF the taxing power?
Does Congress have any particular
preference for the great criminalsl It's
distribution OF its fayors seems to sug-
gest something of the kind