, 1862-01-08
cir Grithuut.


AND VINE.
Nc know no reason why Congress, crop
ing about for objects Of tsxation, should
hesitate moment il, clipping an excise
duty On domestic spirits, ale. vino ard beer
Illinois is perhaps as largely interested i'll
the business Of disti)lation as any other
Stale in the Union, and, SO far as VIC know
il, tile feeling Of our people is decidedly in
favor Of making whisky pay a share Of
the rcyenuc-tle largest possible sum |
tAat can be levied without stiu1ula- /
ting smuggling, and illicit nlanufactur- |
ing. They are superior to the fallacv
which asserts that duties On whisky and
proof spirits will lessen the price Of corn,
our principal staple; they know that the
tax, no naatter where first laid, will fall On
the consumer at last and, inasmuch as tie
articles that We have enumerated are luxu-
1ics. and as the amount Of every mans tax
will he pruporGcned to the quan~
ti,y Of each that he consumes, there
can he no allegation Of unfairncss
no charge Of discriminating against the
poor and in favor OF the rich. All imported
liquors and wines now pay !. large iinpost.
These, consumed mainly by men Of wealth.
arc very heavily taxed, and to include DO
mcetic spirits ct cetera in the list OF taxable
commodities, would be but equalizlng,
among the rich and poor, thc burdens for
the support Of the Government. We do
not doubt that whisky and proof spirits
would each pay duty Of ten, and ale and
brc1 each FIVE cents, per gallon Thatthey
can afford this imposition We can see,
when We compare the prices at which they
are now afforded with those that consum~
crs have been accustomed to pay. And so
moderate duty would certainly destroy
alt inducements for smuggling: and, save
among manufacturers who would rs readz~
IL commit perjury for dollar as for ten
thousand times that sum, there would be
little Justification Of the returns which they
ought, by law, 10 be required to make The
objection that We have seen urged against
this tax-that in collecting ii, disturb
:rccs would frequently arise, and, that, IN
preventing Illicit distillation, there would
be breaches of the peace-is certainly I'M
founded. The objection is an imported
one, and had its orizin III Ireland and Scot
land, where Illegal manufacture has beer
been very common, and where violence Of
tie part Of the government, and deep ex
.speratiou among the people, have oftel
been tile consequences Of attempts to sup
press OF punish it, But it should be re
1rcmbered that the excise duty o.
l0ouf splrits in Ill the United King
dom is eight sllillings sterling -nearl
two dollars-per gallon, to say nothing {
the burdens with which malt-the basis {
tue nufacture-is charged. Theanonl
Of revenue raised by the British Cover
mept, is now about ten million pount
sterling per anrum, from the spirit excl
alone. Here, then, are inducements +
smuggling and unlicensed manufacture
Which the moderate tax that we propo
would not create Indeed, smuggling ne
not be feared at all; because, with the i
position Of ten cents per gallon as du
our manufacturers can furnish wh
Ey cheaper than any ether part
the world, and our Canadian neighbo
from whom the only competition is to
feared, pay an excise duty at home 1al
enough to chectrally shut them out Of
markets. And as for Illegal distiDati
few men would put their persons 8
property in peril for the tliling and une
tain profit which it would promlscto atfu
The friends Of the Government have
ceased to wonder why the plan for levy
excise duties, which was platurcd at
last session Of Congress, was abando
just when it should have been consum
ted Subsequent cTents and present
ccssitics show that the legislators mat
mistake that they ought no" to be in Il
To etrrnft