The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, October 24, 1914, Image 8
WIR REVENUE BILL PASSEST.
8ENATK ADOITs MKASIJIK \V
Tfclt l K.Iii roit UKIfUN TAX
Itoke Smith Amendment Ta t In? tot
ton Im Killed und Efforts Aiv
Made to Postpone the HUI?Tac?
tic* fall ?ml Vote Stund* 32 to 2.V
XV bshlngton, Oct. 17.?The adminis?
tration war revenue hill, levying ap?
proximately $100,000,000 additional
taxes to meet the emergency caused
by the war in Kurope. was passed by
the senate tonight, 34 to 22, after
Southern Democrats in coalition with
Hepubllcans of the senato desperately
lought to indefinitely postpone con?
sideration because cotton relief legis?
lation had been decisively defeated.
Efforts by Southern members to
cause indefinite postponement of ac?
tion on the war revenue bill by a
coalition with Republicans was de?
feated in the senate by a vote of
31 to 2?.
After defeat of all the cotton
amendments. Senator Smith of Geor?
gia moved to lay the war revenue bill
oa the table. Vice President Marshall
sustained a point of order against
the motion, but upheld a motion of
Sjsnator Vardaman to indefinitely post?
pone action.
Pending, a vote on this Senator John
Sharp Williams arraigned his col?
leagues, accusing them of an unpa?
triotic allla ice to bulldoze the Demo?
cratic party.
The amendment to the war revenue
bill proposed by Southern senators to
provide for a government issue of
1250,000,000 In 4 per cent, bonds to
purchase cotton was defeated in the
senate today by a vctt of 21 to 40.
The main provisions of war revenue
Included in the senate bill are:
Tax on beer, $1.75 a barrel; recti?
fied whiskey, 5 cents a gallon; all do?
mestic still wines. 8 cents a gallon
and 55 cents a gallon on all grape
erandies used in fortification; elm in
uagnes. 25 cents a quart; carbonated
wines 10 cents a quart; liqueurs ard
cordials. 25 cents a gallon; bankers.
|1 per thousand of capital, surplus
and undivided profits; pawn brokers.
$50 a year; commercial brokers, $20;
commission merchants, $20; custom
house brokers. $10; proprietors of
theatres, museums and concert halls,
With seatlne capacity not more than
300, $25 a year; not exceeding 600
capacity. $50; not exceeding 1,000,
$75; more than 1.000, $100; circuses,
$100; other amusement properties or
agents except chautauquas. lecture ly
eeums, agricultural or industrial fairs
Of exhibitions under religious or Char
I i t a b 1 e auspices, $it?; bowling illeys
i nd billiard rooms, |B for each alley
t?. * table; annual tax on lobOCOO deal
Sf|t and manufacturers' dealers in to
bOjOCOi from to $2 1; dealers in to
bs*S0O, $1.3*0 for eaeh store; manufac?
turers of tobacco with annual sales
not ^?xee.Mlini? 100,000 poundK $ 1 ;
400.01)0 pounds. $2 1: 1,000,001 pounds,
$?10; 1,000,000 pounds $800; 10,000,
000 pcwnds, $000; 20,000,000 pounds,
1 $1,200; exceeding 10,000,000 pounds.
Ill, 4M,
? Tax on C igars. ....
Manufuieturers of cigars whose- an?
nual sales/ do not exceed 10,000 ri-i
gars. $3; 100,000, $?',; ?00,000, $12;
1,000,000, $30; 1,000,000, $100; 20,
000,00*, $??<>; 40,000,000, $1,S00; ex?
ceeding 40),#00,000, $t,400,
Manufacturers of cigarettes with,
annual sales not exceeding 1,000,0001
cigarettes, $12; 2.000,00, 8 24; 5,000,
ooo, iko-.j 10,000.00, $110; 50,000,-i
000, $600*; 100,000,000, $1,200; ex~i
ceeding 000,000,000, $2,196.
Stamp ;taxes as follows: j
Perfumery, cosmetics and similar
articles from one-eighth of a cent for
each 6 cent package to five-eighths Q|
a cent on each 25 cent package and
flve-eightha of a cent for each addi?
tional 23 cents in value; chewing gum.
4 cents for each $1 of value; spark?
ling wines, not otherwise taxed, 1 cent
for pints and 2 cents for all larger
containers.
Tax 011 Documents.
Ilonds, debentures, certificates; of
i indebtedness] and certificates of stocks,
5 cents on each $100 of value; sales,
agreements to sell, etc., 2 cents on!
each $100 of value; exempting agree-!
ments of deposit on stock certillcates
as collateral for loans, board of trade
sales or agreements to s;ell, 1 cent
for each $100 of value; promisory
notes, 2 cen'.s per $1j0; express and.
freight bills of lading, 1 cent eaeh;
newspaper shipments taxed on
monthly sworn statemeid? of pub?
lishers (shipments within the county
of publication exempted), 1 cent per
shipmem; telegraph and telephone
messages, 1 cents each; indemnifying
bonds, 50 cents; certificates of profits.
2 cents for each $100; certificates of
damage, etc., II cents; all other cer?
tillcates required by law, 10 cents
each; brokers' polos, memoranda of
sale, etc., 10 cents; conveyances, 50
cents on values between $100 and
$500, 50 cents for each additi mal $50o j
of value; custom house receipts, 25 i
cents to $1 on values ranging from '
$100 to more than $500; custom house j
withdrawal entries. 50 cents each.
Insurance Tax.
Marine and tire insurance policies 1
<cut on each dollar of premium, coop?
erative and mutual lire Insurance
exempted; casualty Insurance on each
dollar of premium,
Passage ticket? sold in the United
states to foreign ports, not exceeding
;<::<? in cost, $ l; not exceeding $60 In
cost, |3; costing more than $<io, $5;
tickets less thnn $to exempted,
t Power of attorney, 10 cents; pro
'tests of notes, etc., 25 cents; parlor
Icar seats and berths, 1 cent.
Maximum estimate of annual reve
? nue, |107,000,000; minimum estimate
j based on possible slump in beer pro
' ductlon, 102,000,000,
j The cotton relief amendment pro?
.posed by the senators from the cotton
j States was defeated by a vote of 21
I to 40. The amendment provided for
Ian issue of $160,000,000 of threo-year
! 4 per cent, government bonds, in de?
nominations of $10, $20 and $50 and
$100, ot be used to purchase, from
producers, 5,0?0,?(>0 bales of cotton at
not more than 10 cents a pound.
It provided the cotton would be
held by u cotton board composed of
the secretary of the treasury, the
postmaster general at the secretary
of agriculture, until 1916, unless the
price meantime went to ll cents. All
of the cotton would be disposed of
during 1010 and itlT.
A tax of one-half cent a pound on
all cotton grown and sold in 1 *J 1G
and if necessary a tax of 1 cent a
pound on the 1017 crop would be
levied to repay the government the
amount of the bonds and all expenses
incident to the handling of the cot?
ton. Those who voted for the
amendment were:
Republicans: Borah, Clapp and
Jones.
Democrats: Clark (Ark.), Cul
berson, Fletcher, Lane, Ia'U (Tenn.),
' Marline, Myers, Overman, ShoppaVd,
Shields, Simmons, Smith (Ga.), Smith
(S. C), Thornton, Vardamun, White
and Williams.
Progressive: Polndexteral
Twenty Democrats voted against it.
They were: Ashurst, Camden, Hitch?
cock Hughes, James, Johnson, Kern, I
Lewis, Lee, Martin, OGorman, Pom
eren Salisbury. Shafroth, Shivley,
Stone, Winston, Thomas, Thompson.
Walsh, West.
j An amendment proposing a $600,
000,000 bond issue to be used by the
secretary of the treasury in stabiliz?
ing Ute price, of grain during the Ku-1
ropean war, proposed by Senator Mc
('umher, was voted down. The
amendment would have authorized
the secretary to prohibit or allow the
importation of grains to insure the
stabilizing process.
The amendment of Senator Over
mutii appropriating $65,963,598 to
pay to the Southern states a tax on
cotton confiscated during the War of
Secession was defeated,
Tense Hours Come.
I Tense hours in the senate followed
the announced determination early in
the day of Southern Democrats to
make an effort to hold up action on
j the war revenue bill, should the cot?
ton amendments be defeated. Admin?
istration leaders, and even President
Wilson, were notified of the situation.
Postmaster General Durlcson went
to the Capitol and was closeted with
several of the leading Southern sen?
ators who were planning the coup
His influence and that of others was
said to have prompted some of the
senators to change their minds.
After the cotton amendment had
been defeated, Senator Hoko Smith of
Georgia, declaring that "the senate
had defeated a measuro vastly more
important than the war revenue hill,"
moved to lay that measure on the
talde. Senator Bryan of Florida made
a point of order, because the senate
had agreed yesterday to bring about
final disposition of the bill tonight.
Vice President Marshall sustained
this point of order. Senator Varda
man of Mississippi then moved that
the senate indefinitely postpone ac?
tion on the war revenue bill. This
motion was held to be within the
spirit of the unanimous consent res?
olution.
A Patriot First.
Holl call was about to be taken
when Senator Williams, himself a
champion of the cotton bond amend?
ment, arose ami arraigned his col?
leagues, From a position in front of
the Democratic seats he faced the
Southern senators and declared that
responsibility for the welfare of the
entire country would rest upon thchi
if their efforts should succeed.
"If there be Democrats here," said
he, "who in this threatening hour to
the government will now join hands
with the opposite party to defeat tins
necessary revenue legislation the re?
sponsibility will rest upon them, Do
you believe the Democratic party will
permit live or six gentlemen to stul?
tify the party and starve the treas?
ury? Do you imagine you can win
anything for your case by that? 1
warn you that you can not.
"If you attempt to hold up the best
interests of the entir?- nation in order
to get assistance ir. an effort for aid
that already has been denied by an
overwhelming majority of the senate.
I prophesy that you will be tired of
your position after it has been before
Ihe country for a few weeks. It is no
wise thing for a few men to overturn
the fiscal policy of their party. It is
still less wise to withhold the needed
revenue of their country,
i "The country will justify proper ?>p
' position from the itepublican to
Democratic issues, but it will no! Jus?
tifying playing mere polities with
the Delllas that cut off the Demo?
cratic Sampson's hair. This union j
may win, but 1 believe there is pa?
triotism enough on the Republican
side to prevent it."
Senators Clarke and Vardaman of
MCississtppl strongly defended their
position.
Senator Vardaman declare:! h<N
wished to do nothing to starve the
treasury, "but if the United States is
going to lay the heavy hand of taxa?
tion on people groaning with poverty,
it can't lay it upon my people With
my consent."
Senator Clarke said he believed the
government should discharge its ob
i legations and one of them was to the
cotton farmers of the South. The mat?
ter of providing revenue, he said, he
did not believe was the paramount
issue of t hour and he was willing
[to remain in Washington until some
legislation "or relief for the South
I !
could be e. ited.
Senator ; >ne of Missouri appealed
to what h ermed the "recalcitrant
j Democrats," 'ho, he asserted, had
I agreed in part;- conference to vote for
the war revenue bill.
Must Have Action.
i
"If the recalcitrant Democrats," j
said Senator Stone, "are going to re-1
pudiate the action of the Democratic,
conference and undertake to defeat
a measure which they were pledged
to support, ami shall succeed in their
efforts, we shall stay here until
something else is done to relieve the
abnormal and unexpected pressure up?
on the treasury.
"This Democratic bouse and sen?
ate would be recalcitrant to its duty
if it adopted this resolution.
"Take your own course, gentlemen,
but an uverwhemllng number of your
colleagues will stand by their guns
and not run away and leave the ad?
ministration for which we arc re?
sponsible in an emergency predica?
ment."
Senator Pomercne criticised some
of the Democratic senators for re?
ferring to their effort as one of sec?
tional interest and asked what the
legislatures of the cotton States and
the banks had done to aid them. He
read a letter from a Southern banker
to other bankers, urging them to "ab?
solutely shut down on any more loans;
now is the time for calling in and
not putting out. '
"To call such a man Bhylock is to]
Iii?. I shylock," Senator Pomerene de?
clared.
An amendment proposed l?y Bona?
Lor Poindexter, which would have
substituted an increased income tax
for the tax on telegraph and tele?
phone messages and on freight, was
laid on the table by a vote of 30 to l<i.
Democratic leaders, by a^upreme
effort in the climax of the cotton
light, gathering their faltering forces,
and, spurring them on with eloquent
appeals for party solidarity, defeated
:',2 to 25, the coalition in its move In?
definitely to postpone action.
Fought to t he 1 .ml.
Eenators Clark, Smith of Georgia,
Smith of South Carolina, Vardaman
and White were the Democratic sena?
tors who fought to the end, voting
with the Republicans to postpone ac?
tion. This would have killed the
bill for the present session of con?
gress.
The enlivening contest that marked
the passage of the bill foreshadowed
the end of the long drawn out session
of congress, which has kept Hags Hy?
ing over the capitol almost contin?
uously for the psat two years. The tax
bill will go to the house on Monday
and will be sent to conference. An
agreement on the measure between
the two houses probably will be
reached by the middle of next week.
The vote on the revenue bill fol?
lowed party lines witli one exception,
Senator Dane of Oregon* Democrat,
Voting against it. Immediately after
its passage the senate, on motion of
Senator Simmons insisted upon its
amendments and asked a conference
with the house. Conferees named
were: Senators Simmons, Williams,
Stone, McCumbcr and Clark of Wyo?
ming.
WAltSIIIP CONTRACTS LFJT.
Newport News and Camden, X. JM
Concerns Successful Didders.
Washington. Oct. 17.?Contracts
for the construction of two of the
three battleships authorized by the
last naval appropriation were let to*
day by Secretary Daniels, one to the
Newport News Shipbuilding Company,
at $7,1 15,000, and the other to the
New York Shipbuilding Company,
of Camden, N. J., at $7.250,000.
EIRE IN WAYCROSS.
Furniture Store Bnmcsl With Loss of
$15,000.
Waycross, Oct. 20.?The Eagle Fur?
niture store was burned this morning.
Doss $15,000. Fireman Dimers was
injured.
JEFFERSON STAN
IFEINSURAN
GREENSBORO, N. C.
The Largest and Strongest Regular Life Insurance
Company in the South
Closed Business First Six Months of 1914 With Splendid Gains.
Business in force over.$42,500,000
Increase since January 1, 1914 over. 1,400,000
Surplus to policy holders over. 900,000
Increase in reserves over. 350,000
Total net assets over. 5,000,000
Total Real Estate Holdings only. 34,600
Income of the Company over Disbursements, during
this six months over. 400 000
The Jefferson Standard Has Justified Its
Claim That "It is a Conservative With
a Move on."
It makes a specialty of loaning its money in the sections
from which it receives its premiums, and, therfore, it holds little
real estate, preferring first mortgages. It is, therefore, a Home
Company in the essential sense of the word. Policy contracts
unexcelled.
W. B. UPSHUR. Genera
Sumter, S. C.