Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-09-29
HE PRESIDENT AND HIS "REs1
EVER" TARIFF sAvAGELY AT.
Tackled BY NATIONAL
PROHIBlTlONlST.

1925 percent protection for the Max.
ers of Crime and Pauperism."
is it true" asks The National Pro-
hibitionist that the liquor interests
financed the campaign which elected
William H. Taft, President of the
United States, a year ago, in return
for promises and pledges that there
should be no legislation hostile to
their warfare?
| There were ugly reports to that eff
feet durin thge campaign. 1t was
well known that prominent represent
atives of the liquor business gave
large contributions to the Republican
campaign committee. Nasty rumors
have been circulated repeatedly
through the year, and study of the
new tariff law throws new light on
the whole question.
SIS it true that, while the recent
special session of Congress was sitt-
+ ing in Washington the liquor inter
ests dictated that, whatever should be
Idone, or should not be done, in the
way of raising revenue, or revising
tariff, the brewer and the distiller
should be taken care Of" and that,
while Congress thrashed about, with
ostentatious raisings and coverings,
and finally left the burden of ma
tional support, so far as the tariff
is concerned, squarley on the should
ers of the people, the whisky lords
and the beer barons sat back chuck
ling all the while, knowing very well
that whosesoever OK might be gored,
their oxen were safe?
1 Again, there were ugly reports to
this effect during the session of
Congress, and again, study of the
new tariff sets one thinking.
4 SIS it true that the title of the new
tariff law which reads: "An act to
provide revenue, equalize duties and
encourage industries of the United
States, and for other purposes .
ought to read: An act to enrich the
few at the expense of the many, to
encourage the making of poison for
the bodies, souls and brains of men,
and to entrench the American liquor
traffic more firmly in the law of the
land?"
There are facts which make one
think. SO.
What VIII Mr.. Taft Say?
President Taft will have some
embarrassing questions to answer the
country at large about the tariff law,
before he is done with 1t. 1t will
not satisfy the people wholly that
hides and oil finally went on the free
list. There are those who say that
there was no intention that they
should go anywhere else, from the
beginning, and that all the noise
about them was merely to deceive
people, while the interests" that
Ihaye to do with the necessities of
life "got theirs" in the new sched-
ules which will fill the manufactur.
er's pocket at the expense of the
consumer. Questions can be framed
about these things that will he
very embarrassing to Mr.. Taft, but
they ought to be of little conse-
quence in comparison with the ques
ton that should thunder up to him
I from the millions of Americans who
hate the drink traffic, as to why he
4 never spoke word, never uttered a
) protest, while the liquor interests moi
S only escaped additional burdens il
the way of increased internal reve
nue. taxes, but were entrenched more
!. securely than ever behind the tariff
B when Mr.. Taft was inaugurated
n last March, he deemed it necessar.
4 to call special session of Congress
a There were two important thing
i which the welfare of the country de
Il manded To the doing of one of thel
n the Republican party was COMMITTEE
= by it's platform pledges, and partit
ularly by Mr.. Taft's campaign speech
es. The people of the country ha
= been definitely promised that the tai
& iff should be revised. Public welfar
also demanded that, if government
expenses are to continue to increase
! as they have in regent years, som
new means OF raising revenue ade
~ quate to those expenses should b
found.
e These we're the two problems col
3 fronting Congress.
b Mere Load for the Traffic
.'It was generally expected the
81 Congress would consider the lique
business in its effort to solve tn
greater of these problems, that a
additional revenue, tax would
placed upon beer and perhaps viii
ky; perhaps, also, chat the "speci
r tax" demanded of the retail liqut
seller would be raised from its pre-
ent rate of $25 to 500. measul
that in itself would mean an additic
of several million dollars to the rev
H nue..
n "The reasonableness of such
q proposition, from financial stan
n point 1--WE are leaving aside now tt
moral argument of the Prohibitio
81 ist against it), is manifest to an
B one who studies the question.
= 'tIt costs the distiller, at liber
= estimate, about twenty cents
make a gallon of whisky. Before
is salable he must pay the Cover
ment tax, which amounts to s1.1O +
gallon at ''proof," or ninety-ni
cents when the liquor is ninety p'
cent proof, as is the case with me
brands of whisky put upon the mi
u ~ M