Alexandria gazette, commercial and political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1812-1817, 1813-11-27
From the Boston Centinei.
WHY NOT TAX WHISKEY


W. have been plunged into this mad,
and foolish and wicked War by the
Whiskey- making and Whlskey-drink-
ing Western States, If any people are
identified BY the War, they are these
same whiskcy. drinking Western peo-
pie. why then, we ask again, Why net
tax whi5key A few observations up
on this subject we trust will net be I'M.
acceptable to New Englanders, especi.
ally those vim are shortly to be burdened
With heavy load OF Direct Taxes.
II appears from offsriai returns that in
the year 1910 there we're IS s65 52e gal.
Ions Of domestic distilled spirits (prlnci
paly woiskey) consumed Within the U
States. The same wear about 100000
gallons of foreign distilled spirits were
imported,
The foreign distilled spirits are con.
sumed almost exclusively by tho MOI
thern and Commercial people The
whiskey by the interior and Western
people.
The foreign distilled spirits paid an
average duty of % I-2 cents a gallon -
The 100000 gallons CT ardent spirit,
therefore, consumed by the Northern &
Commercial people yielded to the Co
vernmect in the year 1910, net reve.
nue. of 5 228O,oOO Il While the IS,
100000 gallons of whiskey, sc. did not
pay one cent
According to repor, of the Secreta.
ry Of the Treasury, fareign ss''ifs paid,
during tho eight years from 4 net
revenue of s l2,227,7ls. In last of
these years (l7s9) 100000 gallons of
foreign spirits were imported and the
same quantity in the year 1910. twill
be safe calculation. therefore, to as
sumo 10000 gall rs, as The average
annual consumption from 1899 10 1913.
In thi. case the Northern ano CONNER.
cjal people paid during those "a years
Oh the single article of ardent spirits, a
nett revenue Of 1880 900 dollars 1t
we estimate the duties paid upon this
article from 1889 to l7o2 6 years. at
900, 600 dollars, which is considerably
below the average, We are then prepar.
ed for this conclusion that, since the
adoption of the Federal Constitution TO-
rign shrits have paid 10 the Govern
men, 40, l477Is dollars-in round NUN.
Aers, 10000 dollars !! This sum was
nearly ONE QUARTER Of our whole ma.
tioaat Revenue during thai period.
The duty Oh toreign spirits has been
doubled since the declaration Of War.
1t now pays frou Sc to 81 cents gal
lon.-SjilI whiskey has gone free. 1t
was proposed by Northern Menber at
the late session of Congress to lay tax
of Is cents gallon on whiskey. This
proposal was rejected In lieu of it, &
to save appearances they laysd tax up
on the capacity Of the still, calculated to
raise about 100000 dollars. This sum
divided between 25,ooo,ooo gallons will
operate as tax Of lutte more than 2
cents gallon!! If this proposal had
been complied with our 25,e0o,oo0 gal
Ions Of domestic spirits would have yield.
ed a revenue of 6.2sO,ooo dollars, and
would have saved the necessity ofresort-
ing to any other internal or direct taxes.
If Whiskey had heen taxed - IL cents
a gallon, e. only one fifth part of what
we pay on our spirit, it would have yield
ed, l,2s 900 dollars SUN greater than
the whole amount Of the Direct Tax.
When the taxgatberer comes to de-
mand of the New England farmers the
earnings Of their sober industry, let them
remember that nine pence gallon on
Whiskey would have saved the nscessi-
ty of those taxes.
We will now enumerate some of the
many reasons which should have induc-
ed the Southern and Western States t.