Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1918-07-17
"DRYS" FEAR WAR
SPIRIT MAY HOLD
UP PROHIBITION
Argument Advanced That the
Country Needs Revenue of
National Debauchery

Washington, July 17.-Prohibition
is to be fought by the ways and
means committee of the House and
the finance committee of the Senate
on the ground that the government
needs the revenue which can be de-
rived from national debauchery.
1t is said the administration will
support this plea The Senate ways
and means committee in framing
the new tax bill is proceeding with
respect to the increased tax upon
intcxicants as if prohibition were
not a possibility.
The committee will accept the
recommendation of the treasury and
virtually double present taxes upon
all liquors, spirituous and malt. The
statement is given out that revenues
amounting to s950.00O.OO0 annually
can be derived from these sources.
1t will, therefore. be urged that if
prohibition is insisted upon that the
government will lose this amount in
revenue which must be made UP
from other taxes.
The revenue seekers and the
whisky interests, standing together
in this matter, declare that the Con-
gress cannot afford to discard liquor
as revenue sources at this time.
The new, angle from which oppo-
sition to prohibition is developing
is the result of the postponement of
the prohibition vote in the Senate
until after August %.
This revenue proposition is the
last and strongest card the liquor
interests can play, and they expect
to have the full strength of the ad-
ministration behind them when they
play it.
No one wants to prevent prohi-
bition for the sake of liquor inter-
ests, according to the statements
made. They are all fired now by pa
triotic enthusiasm for raising rev.
enue and are convinced the country
must permit continued waste of
man-power for the sake of the rev.
cnueS.
Seek Other Revenue Sources
But while these liquor men are
very hopeful that prohibition will
be prevented. the men in Congress
who are framing the revenue bill
d OIQef
way of supplying the government
actually terminated upon the jan
nary l.
AS a fact, the members of the
ways and means committee have
learned that it Is mighty difficult to
raise hundreds of millions of dollars
of increased revenue by merely add
ing a few articles to the taxable
list.
The argument that the govern
ment cannot get along without the
whisky and beer taxes is manifestly
unsound. and hypocritical, and this
fact is so generally understood that
earnest prohibitionists say that the
revenue question will not deter Con-
gress from taking action to stop the
sale of all intoxicants when the pres
ent summer vacation ends.
! Nevertheless it is conceded that
| the liquor interests have much
better fighting chance than they
would have had if the Senate had
refused. to postpone the prohibition
vote.
! The serious fear of the prohibi-
tionists now is that the President will
exert himself to prevent the passage
of the bill. They have obtained a
promise from Chairman Lever. OF
the House Committee on Agricul-
ture. that when the bill to stimu-
! late food production, in which pro-
hibition has been Incorporated by
the Senate. he will report the meas
lure promptly to the House with the
prohibition amendment in the act.
This, however, only means that
the measure will have to meet in the
House the opposition of the ways
and means committee and probably
that of the administration.
From the situation that is develop
ing it is expected to force a compro-
mise, by which there may be an ex-
tension of time before prohibition
shall become operative.
The new prohibition is to permit
the liquor interests another full
year in which to get rid of their
present supplies and pay taxes to the
government, and there are very
strong indications that this may be
agreed to.
I it is, it will be due to the fact
that the prohibitionists. instead OF
passing the prohibition bill in the
Senate when they were in a position
to force a vote, weakly permitted
the whole matter to go over until
! the last week in August.