Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1913-08-22
BILL An 40 TO FARMERS

who is now a Senator from Ore
gon. was making his campaign
through the orchard and farming
districts Of that sta e last fall he
kept his eyes open. AS a result Of
his observations he has introduced
in the Senate a bill which ought to
win the instant support IF every
farmer and every in the
United States. The bill repeats
that hollow mockery On the statute
books known as the denatured al
cohol law and substitutes a simple,
unhampered procedure by which
every farmer will he able to turn
his waste farm products into de-
natured alcohol. and thus show a
profit for what is now a total loss.
In n part of Oregon, DIR Lane
saw an overproduction of potatoes.
Thousands of bushels of them were
left undua in the ground. In an
other part of the state there was
an over abundance of apples. Not
oLly the culls were going TO waste,
but great quantities of perfect ap-
Piles were rottiug. Same time lat. Il
Or Lane was in California, and
there he saw the ground yellow
with waste which had
been touched by the frost.
DR. Lane rem embered that some
years ago there were great predic-
lions of the prosperity that was to
follow the law whic removed the
internal revenue tax from denatur-
I'd alcohol. The exemption was to
give every farmer the opportunity
to turn waste products into that
valuable commodity. 1t was to
make cheap fuel, Light and power,
and thus rebound to the benefit of
every consumer in the country
The doctor statesman naturally
wondered why, when this bene-
cient law had been enacted for the
farmers the benehciaries are max
ing no use of it. When he got into
Washington lie began to investi-
gate, and he soon learned the rea-
son why.
He learned that two great inter
ests are Cpl osed tn the cheap and
widespread manufacture of COM
mercial alcokol.-Tne Standard Oil
Co., which maintains the price of
gasoline and the great distilling in
erests, which manufacture all the
alcohol. He also learned that the
Aldrich dominated Senate had fill
ed the law so full of jokers that
the whole act is a joker, a gigantic
hoax.
Theoretically, Senator Lane
learned, it costs a farmer not less
than $4,000 for a denatured alcohol
plant which will comply with the
law and reg ulations-theoretically,
that is. Practically a farmer can
not buy a plant at any price, for
the very good reason that the man
ufacturers of distilling machinery
will not sell to him for fear OF Of
Tending the great distilling inter-
ests.
Not only is the price pr~ohibitivc,
but the law makers sax Ia it that
the farmer must put up a bond Of
$4,000 before starting a plant. a
provision which makes the general
manufacture of this product i'm
possible. Other provisions require
the use Of expensive denaturing
materials; and otherwise the manu-
fscture is hedged about by restric-
tions impossible for the farmer to
comply with
Senator Lanes bill wipes out all
these restrictions with a sentence
and substitutes a law which per.
mits a farmer without bond to
operate any sort Of a dis'illing APP
paratus, providing OILY that the
distillant must go through a met
CIR into a sealed tank in which the
denaturiug liquid has first been
placed. Such an outfit can be
made by any .insmith for a few
dollars. Denaturing simply means
the addition of any substance
which makes the alcohol unfit 10
drink. For a deraturing agent
DR. Lanes bill prescribes tobacco
leaves which can be grown on al
most any farm in the United States.
This bill ought to be incorporated
as part Of the pending tariff bill.