The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-05-14
Special from United Press.)

Especial from United PreSS)
 Washington. May 14.-Charging that the government has lost s1s4, ,099 557 in the last eight years which it might have collected in revenue from tobac- co. and of this amount $12O 900, GOO has gone into the pockets of the tobacco trust. because of its continued sale of short weight packages. Senator Rev. erfdge, Of Indiana, to-day offered an amendment to the tariff increasing the rates of the tobacco schedule
 In spite of this amendment, Rev. eridge said that it would bring in at least $21. .461,s54 more revenue each year than the present bill would pro- duce It also sought to correct an in Justice to the American people. Dur ing the Spanish war 1898. the tax on all forms of tobacco was raised in order to supply the government with increased revenue. At the same time tobacco manufacturers were authorized to reduce the size of the packages in which the tobacco was sold from two, three and four ounce packages, to packages containing only one and two thirds. two and half and three and one-th1rd ounces. The war-tax was continued until 1901. the short weight packages of tobacco were continued therefore. for seven years. the people had been compelled to pay the same price of the smaller package while the manufacturer has been relieved from the increased tax. The manufacturer still collects the wartime tax from the people. said the Senator. but instead or paving 1t to the government he
 He described the tobacco trust as perhaps the most compact and effec- tive private monopoly in existence. Within five hours from the time the amendment was introduced. said Bev- eridge the trust would have its ablest men in WashingtonK. fighting it. He also stated That it would have its agents at work among the cigar suade them that it would be against their interest and to frighten them to besieging Congress with petitions and resolutions against it. He wanted to try in the most emphatic way that it would not affect them. The amend ment would not increase the tax on any cigars except those which sell for ten cents or three for a quarter or over.
 'tOne of the most curious absurdi- ties.' said Beveridge, ''in our whole system of taxation. is found in the startling fact that we tax cigars. re- gardless of their price. The working man. the limit on whose luxury is an occasional five cent cigar, pays just as much tax to the government as Mir Morgan pays when he buys a dollar cigar. On the cheaper forms of to-
  and chewing tobacco and on snuff, the great body of the people are still pay ing the war-tax. but instead of paying it to the government. they now pay it to the truSt.''
 Beveridge's amendment increases the present rate on chewing. smoking and fine cut tobacco from six cents to nine cents per pound. The trust. he said, controls more than eighty per cent. of the business. He also proposes a gradual increase in cigars above those selling at less than three for a quarter His amendment proposes to increase the present tax of six cents a pound on snuff to 12 cents. thereby increas- ing the revenue $1, .865. It also in creases the present rate on cigarettes which retail at cents a package of ten cigarettes to S1.5O thousand; those retailing at ten cents for a package of ten, to s3 per thousand and on higher priced cigarettes to $4.50 per thousand. The increase in each case being from the present rate of s1.0S. On cigarettes he proposes an increased revenue from this amendment of $4.S79, ,346 and from the increase on chewing and smoking S10 Q22 2S1