The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-02-06
Plan BEER TAX To
ECUT DOWN j. S.
DEFICIT
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
WILL REPORT PLAN, SAYS Al
FRED HENRY LEWis-sTAMPs
ON BONDS ALSO.
Nv ALFRED HENRY LEWIS.

M WASHINGTON, Dec 6.-The faces
OF the members OF the ways anu
means committee wear a padlockeo
B Impression, especially about the lips.
They have made unto themselves
vow, Mankind Is not TO know the
i fsriff plans of this deep-sea beyy IN.
al they are disclosed by the reported
bill.
Our ways and means Republicans
for the Democrats have nothing 10
/ say In the original bill framing-feel
the grave weight OF their burdens. IL
4 a. one OF the pleasing attributes or
Congressman's burdens that while they
may bend his back they never bend
his self-importance. The more you
pile upon his congressional shoulders
the taller, straighter Is his strut.
What are these back-bowing, dig
+ nity-fostering burdens? The tarin
must be revised" because the coun-
try has been promised revision.
Also. there is deficit of $19,OOU,OOO
R which viii be S1S0.0O0.OOO by July i.
Being backed away from that plan
\ 20 tariff coffee by the public frown, the
ways and means folk have now priv
n lly decided to clap another dollar In
the way OF revenue tax on every bar
II
they say, that, whereas beer whole
sales for from $3.50 TO $3.50 barrel.
\ It retails across the sloppy counters
of the grog shops for nearly $50 bar
rel This, they argue. leaves ample
room for notching up the beer tax an
other dollar a barrel. IL will hurt no
one but the saloonkeepers, and our
ways and means publicaists repeat
Z this as though they said, 1t VIII hurt
no one but the rattlesnakes.
Brewers Raise outcry.
The public drinks thirty-fye million
barrels of beer each year. That dol
4 lar q barrel would bring an annual
$4,000, 900 tumbling home 10 the
treasury.
The brewers are, OF course, raising
q terrible cutlery. One would suppose
that they were being skinned alive.
They object most vehemently TO that
added one dollar barrel They point
tragically at coffee, and cry, Tax
that
For myself, / think-since money
must be habitat the ways and
means, when 1t considers that beer
dollar, Is ON the, right scent. II any
enterprise can stand tex IL Is the
breweries. Who among you ever
heard of a brewery in bankruptcy OF
brewery in bankruptcy or your man
OF malt making an assignment?
The tariffites are also talking OF de-
manding a stamp for commercial pa
per, deeds, bonds and mortgages
which. as falling upon a gentleman al
Ready more or less in hook" would
not be all right"
The tax on patent medicines, which
the tariff mongers have up their furi-
. tive sleeve would hardly meet with
popular opposition, whatever might be
the resentment Of the medicine men
themselves. When IL comes to hair
tonics. soothing syrups and liver pills.
the general disposition is to tell the
ways and means people 10 go as Tar
as they like.
That cool public indifference as to
what happens In the way of tax TO
patent medicines, marks no ebb OF
patriotism. Hair tonics are not the
nag. liver pills not liberty, that men
should die in their defense.
Clearing House for lnebriates.
The committee having in charge the
Taft inaugural is composed OF officers
and gentlemen. II Is making particu-
lar arrangements to care for what
visitors. rendered devious because or
Joy and strong drink in inexact pro-
portions, fall into the hands OF those
blue samaritans. the police. The In
augural 'drunks" will not be hailed
20 a station house and locked In a
vulgar cell. For them Is to be estab-
1ished a clearing house for inebriates
AIRY, fresh. clean, commodious.
There, what bibulous ones have over
played their energies are TO be moved
away until, in the words Of the poet.
treason has resumed her sway, the
legs returned to duty"
These cushioned preparations to
care for a class OF celebrants SO Of
ten scorned, spat upon, despised. show
the Christian spirit wherewith the To-
cal management has gone about It's
work.
In and out of the state department,
among folk official and unofficial, there
Is the widespread belief that Cuba
will not stand alone upon its own I'm.
supported legs a twelvemonth. There
will be little suffering fash OF re.
bellion; no one will get hurt; there
will occur much jabber and no blood.
and Cuba Will fall backward into the
arms OF her Uncle Sam.
And the reason thereof is this: Ev-
cry Cuban man with a dollar has his
eyes upon this country. and is eager
to '.join." Already they have a saying
IN Havana Stand Cuban on his
head and II peseta roll out OF his
rocket he's an annexationist"