Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-12-15
BuRNHAM AND THE LIQUOR AGENCY,


Thelegislative committee appointed to inves~
tigate Burnham's management of the liquor
agency, have produced book of 295 octovo
pages Their report has been printed, with
all the testimony just as it was taken, from
which we learn that Burnham's brandy began
to extend within about six weeks after his
appointment to office; that some of his other
liquors had this "extension" disease, partlcu-
larry some of the Jamaica rum; that the COM
mittee could not find at the agency any such
record of the purchases and sales OF liquor, as
the law requires; that his record of purchases,
in cases examined in his invoice book, did not
agree with the books of those whom the pur-
chases were made that it was not possible to
ascertain, without the books which he refused
to produce, what prices had been paid or re-
ceived for liquor, in most cases; in a word,
that the agency had been atrociously misman-
aged by the late agent.
One fact which appears in this report should
not escape public attention. Mr.. Mansfield,
the former agent, has had more or less to do
with Burnham. When about to retire, he told
Dr. jackson that he should put in large stock
of liquors, intimating that cit would embarrass
his successor to take them all" The value of
the stock, when Burnlam took it, was $50, 222
Burnham did not pay; and he still owes his
predecessor $4,000. Mansfield, who is neither
an importer nor manufacturer, and who has
not appeared to have "a dollars worth of
liquors on hand, has, nevertheless, sold liquors
to the agency at the rate of $4,000 worth in
eighteen months. The report says =
mansfield also stated to the committee that
if Mr., Burnham had not bought of him, he
should have compelled the payment of the
original purchase, and that he charged a profit
on the sales. With Mr.. Burnham
then a large debtor to, and, in this respect, so
far in the power of Mr.. Mansfield, he being
also his bondsman,-and Mr. Mansfield lett
apparently to make his own price, what are
probably the prices the community have paid
for the liquors thus Purchased 90
There is, probably, no business to which
human wit and activity are ever devoted, SO
full of temptations to fraud as the liquor traf-
fic. 1t is well nigh Impossible to get pure IL
quors of any kind New England rum and
cheap whiskey may generally escape adultera-
tion, because there is not much motive OF
room to cheaper them. But wines and BRAN
dies are almost always either manufactured"
or ''extended." Sometimes this adulteration
takes place on the other side of the Atlantic;
and it seldom fails to happen here as soon as
the liquors get away from the Custom House.
AT the present time, the adulteraton of bran
dy and rum is mostly effected by mixing with
it pure spirits, that is, cheap liquor pro-
cured by distilling New England rum or whis-
key. The "pure spirits" are rectiied and
bleached, and made tasteless. The chief use
of this article is to extend costly liquors. A
wholesale dealer takes from the Custom House
brandy for which he pays four or five dollars
gallon. He "extends" it, doubles it, more than
doubles it, by putting in pure spirits and then
sells the mixture for six dollars gallon, per-
haps. There is very wealthy house in Boston
which makes not less than 100000 year by
this management of the liquor traffic so we
methods of this traffic in Boston as well as any
other man living 1t is in all respects most
viainous business.
The Committee do not agree in their recon-
mendations to the legislature. Messrs Russell
and Spoford propose to abolish the state
agency, and transfer its business to the i'm
porters. Mr.. Paige (of Brimfeld) proposes to
revise the existing law, so as to make it more
complete and efficient. Messrs Eldridgc and
Chase propose to have the subject referred to
to the next legislature. In our view, the
results of this investigation will be good. We
shall have better management of the liquor
agency, and there is certainly great need oft
There can be but one opinion in regard to Mr..
Burnhams unftness to have charge of it.
Another such administration of its affairs
would persuade great many people to regard
it as nuisance. But the present Commits
sioner is very different from his predecessor
and he is not likely to follow Burnhams ex-
ample.