The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-10-15
LITTLE PROGRESS ON
 WAR REVENUE BILL
 MADE IN SENATE
Political Debate Enlivens Session Adjournment Prospects Subjected
 to Another Check

Washington, October H.-With the war revenue bill under review as to several features by democrats of the finance com mittee, little progress was made on the measure in the Senate today and the prospect of adjournment Of Congress early next week subjected to another check
 While the committee toiled on the bil the Senate was enlivened with a political debate by Senator Penrose of Pennsyl- vsnia and Senator Lewis of Illinois. The former assailed democratic extravagan- cies and denounced war tax legislation as a calamity and the latter defending the achievements of the administration. Senator Penrose asked the Illinois sen- ftor if he could give any assurance that & bill would be pressed to provide for only one term for executive officials. in accordance with the democratic. plat form.
 T understand the senator from Penn sylvania has aspirations for the presi- cency," said Senator Lewis, and that no wishes to be assured now that his opponent would not be Woodrow Will son"
 Avert Opposition
 In their deliberation which extended into the night, making a night session of the Senate impossible, democrats of the finance committee averted considerable forthcoming opposition by deciding to eliminate the proposed tax on proprietary medicines which would have yielded ap- proximately S2,0o0 900 annual revenue. The House leaders had given assurances that this tax never would be accepted and the Senate had been flooded with protests against taxes on the poor mans medi- cine'
 The committee accepted also amend ment doing away with bills of lading in the express and freight shipment of newspapers and to exempt from taxation newspapers shipped within the county of publication.
 Agreement also was reached on the long disputed tax on domestic wines. The rates proposed in the bill as agreed upon in caucus were 20 cents per gallon on sweet wines and cents on dry wines. An amendment agreed upon would fix the rate at cents a gallon on both sweet and dry wines and fix a tax of 55 cents a gal lon on brandy used in fortifyng wines It would also amend present laws to re- move the restriction permitting the for tihcation of wines only with brandy man. ufactured on the same premises.
 Still under consideration by the com mittee is proposal to further increase the taxes on manufacturers of tobacco.
  submitted the amendment which would provide for a government issue of $25O, O,oOO,- O00 in per cent bonds for the purchase of cotton to relieve the cotton states Dis cusson of the amendment will begin to- morrow
 Adjournment of Congress depends large ly on the disposition of this amendment Southern senators say they do not intend to prolong debate, but it is probable the he week.
 Revised Estimates
 Revised estimates on the revenue bill sent to the Senate today by the Secretary of the Treasury indicated that the bill on last years trade conditions, would bring in a total of $107, 100000, but said that if the production of fermented liquors con tinued to fall as it has in the past two months, the revenue would be cut to $S2, ,49S, ,2S6.
 Under normal conditions beer would supply s4s17s,OoO and reetifed spirits S5,0O0000. The committee tax on sweet wines, according to the estimate, would bring s4,960.0O0 and that on dry wines sS,26o,ooo, making a total on the wine and liquor schedule of S570l5,O00 Of the special taxes bankers would pay Si,3O0,00O, pawn brokers $250.00o. commercial brokers s20O,ooO and custom house brokers sl2.0Oo The proposed tax on places of amuse- ment would raise s2.140.oO0 of which the largest single item, $750,0oo would be paid by moving picture theatres The secretary estimated that the special taxes on manufacturers of tobacco, ci- fars and cigarettes would bring S531S nO0 l The stamp taxes would raise S30.90o eoa of which $s,o00000 would come from stocl, transfers and sl,000,0oD from telegraph messages The medicinal schedule added by the Senate committee was estimated to raise $500o,0O0 of which g. .000 wouid be borne by cosmetics and $3,00O00o byI chewing yIIra