Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-05-18
BUSINESS MEN BEG
SENATE TO GUT OFF
Senator Scott Tells Senate He is
Getting Letters Daily Begging
and Praying That the Talk
Fest Stop.

WASHINGTON, May 14-Asking that
an interview with J., J. Hill be read 10
The senate Immediately after that body
convened today, Senator Scott Endorsed
suspended and that congress promptly
pass the tariff bill. y
This said Mr.. Scott. lis in line with
letters / am daily receiving, begging anu
praying that these gentlemen" waving
his hand over the senate chamber get
through their wind-jamming and let the
country go ahead with its business"
Senator Beverage spoke in support OF
an amendment offered by him relative to
the internal revenue tax on tobacco and
It's products.
Contendlng that the government had
lost sls4, 900 in the last eight years
through the repeal of the wartime tax
Of 1885, Mr. Beveridge undertook by his
amendment to increase the present rate
of internal taxes on tobacco, snuff, cigar
cites and cigars worth more than ten
cents.
THE TOBACCO TRUST.
Mr.. Beveridge declared that the tobacco
trust, which he said was the American
Tobacco company, had derived great ben
eft from the enormous loss of revenue
which, he said, was due to the law repeal :
ing the increased rates of 1898. The law
providing for the right rates of 1898 per-
mitted the manufacturer to reduce the
size of the packages in which the tobacco
is sold to the people, according TO Mr.
Beveridge.
''In 1901 this increased tobacco tax was
removed he said, but the short weight
packages of tobacco were continued by
the very law that removed the tax. The
manufacturer still collects the wartime
tax from the people. but instead of pay
ing II TO the government he keeps 1t for
himself"
Mr. Beverage declared that his amend
ment would not affect the cigar makers
of the country because, he said, it does
not enhance the tax of any cigars except
those which sell for ten cents or more.
MAKES SNUFF EXPENSIVE j..
His amendment increases the present
tax of six cents a pound on snuff to
twelve cents a pound.
On smoking and chewing tobacco the
rate is increased from six cents a pound
to nine cents. On cigarettes the pro-
posed rate is $3.50 a thousand on those
selling at wholesale from 81 to 81 per
thousand. On those selling from 81 to IS
Pc thousand the tax proposed Is 50 per
thousand and on. cigarettes selling at
over IS thousand the tax is increased
from S1OS to $3.50 a thousand. On cigar
rettes selling under 81 a thousand the
present tax is "a cents a thousand and the
war rate of $3.50 a thousand is restored.
A gaduated scale is poposed 70 the tax
on cigars. For those retailing at three for
quarter TO ten cents straight, the
amendment increases the tax from SO 10
$3.50, upon those selling for from two for
quarter to fifteen cents straight, 1t in
creases the tax from SO to $6 and upon
those retailing at twenty cents and more
II increases the tax from So to 50 a thous-
and.
WOULD MEAN $21, 900, OO0
Claiming that his amendment would in
crease the revenues to the extent of more
than $21. 10000 Mr.. Beveridge asserted
that the tobacco trust was reapng vast
benefit through failure to enact such leg
islation as he proposed.
Mr.. Beeridge ontroverted the idea that
the continuation by law of the short
weight wartime package after the war
tax had been removed did not affect the
plug tobacco business.
The law" h esaid, docs not fix the
size of the cut that is sold, but the
manufacturer of plug tobacco got the
war tax on this article out of the peo-
pie by selling smaller cut and this
practice still continues. When a box
of plug tobacco is sold by I, the trust
to the retail dealer there is marked
on each plug a place for the cut
OLD WARTIME PRICE. '
By decreasing the size OF these cuts
very slightly the tobacco trust, through
the retailer, gets the wartime price for
a cut from a plug of tobacco.
Upon taking UP the iron and steel Sec
tions of the tariff bill. Mr.. Aldrich
asked that the senate pass over the par
agraph relating to pig iron, as the COM
mittee on finance wished to consider an
amendment affecting the duty on cast
scrap iron. f.