Evening star., 1909-06-28
QUESTION ONCE SETTLED
First Decision Reviewed by Solicitor
General Bowers.
DISPUTE OVER ETHYL ALCOHOL
Distinction Made Between That
Derived From Grain and That
Made From Molasses,

President Taft gave nearly all of his
time at the White House today to hear
ing statements from representatives of
whisky interests as to how that liouid
should be labeled under the pure food
law. The hearing was held in the cab
met room, there being distinguished
array of lawyers and representatives OF
the various interests. including ex-Secre-
tary John G. Carlisle, Joseph H. Choate,
former ambassador to Great Britain;
State Senator Armstrong of New York.
Warwick NJ. Hough. Herman Cellarius.
former collector of internal revenue at
Cincinnati; Maurice J. Freiberg of Gin
cinnati. Lawrence Maxwell. Cincinnati:
Edmund Taylor of Louisville. William
Robins and others
Question Settled and Reopened.
The fight over the question has been
going on for a year. 1t was settled once
and then reopened for further hearing.
Attorney General Bonaparte months ago
took sides with DR.. Wiley and rendered
long decision that straight whisky
must be that article of manufacture from
grain without rectifying. blending or
mixing with anything. Rehabilitation. mix
ing with neutral spirits. etc. necessitated
labelling as blended whisky or "imi-
tation whisky" A great protest went up
from the men engaged in rectifying and
putting upon the market choice assort-
ments of mixed. blended and other grades
containing neutral spirits or ethyl alco-
hol- They claimed that their business
would be ruined and that their product
was just as pure and as much entitled
to straight whisky as the stuff taken
from the government warehouses in Ken
lucky. President Roosevelt sustained Mr..
Bonaparte and DR.. Wiley and appeals
to him were in vain. The appeals were
renewed with President Taft, who finally
Instructed Solicitor General Bowers of the
Department OF Justice to have made a
searching examination and an investiga-
ton as to what the general whisky trade
considered to be whisky
| Mr.. Bowers held many hearings. talk
ing volumes Of testimony. His decision.
rendered some weeks ago. overturned
the Bonaparte-Wiley Interpretation, hold
| ing that all combinations made from
grain, even IL containing ethyl alcohol.
also made from grain, were entitled to
the term whisky just the same as the
unmixed. straight goods. never touched
| by rectifiers. Mr.. Bowers, however. held
that If the ethyl alcohol was made from
molasses the term whisky" could not
be used.
Latest Ruling Unsatisfactory.
Mr.. Bowers decision has likewise
caused a big protest. The Kentucky
distillers and others OF the same class
scattered over the country. who had
found themselves blessed with the term
straight whisky for their goods. un-
der the Bonaparte decision, are most in
sistent in their demands that they have
the only simon pure stuff. But the
blenders and rectif1ers have also kicked.
not notwithstanding the decision of Mr.. Bow
ers extricated them from a bad hole
They hold that ethyl alcohol derived
from molasses Is commercial product of
identically the same purity, chemically.
physically and physiologically. as that de-
rived from grain. Mr.. Bowers. as stated,
held that molasses ethyl alcohol. when
mixed with whisky, would put the COM
pound out of the realm of whisky SO
far as the trade was concerned
President Taft's duty today was to
listen to hours of expert statements and
legal argument to the whole question
ard especially to try to grasp the dis
tinction between ethyl alcohol derived
from molasses and that derived from
grain.
President Well Informed
At former hearing held In his office
In April last on the preliminary phases
Of the question President Taft remind
ed those present that he had been a
collector of internal revenue at one time
and was fairly well informed as to what
whisky it.
MI 1aTuSle mas long represented the
Kentucky distillers, whose product is
said to be about one-third of that con-
sumed in the United States. The Ken
lucky process is to distill the grain and
place 1t in charred barrels. In two or
three years the natural process of puri-
f1cation brings the whisky up to high
degree of perfection. The other process
is to redistill and rectify the original
output and accomplish at once by me-
chanical appliances what age and char
red barrels do. When the spirit first
runs from the still it is utterly unfit for
use because of the deleterious elements.
President Taft adjourned the hearing
and arguments at 80 o'clock this after
noon until o'clock tomorrow morning.
when he will again take 1t up.