The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1864-01-28
=" THE WHISKY TAX. iiS III,
Action OF the Whisky Dealers
NJ ga I'd! i'm Cincinnati. GU

the DAILY REGISTER are Interested in the
whisky trade we print, sortbeirbsne6t and
for the instruction of the public ct large,
the memorial to Congress against the pro-
posed retroactive tax on, whisky, adopted
at a meeting Of the dealers in Cincinnati
on Monday evening" Lrs 90 J
To the Ssna@ Of the jUaited States:
, The undersigned make this prayer TO your
Honorable Body. a-"a5 '.ea.
We. are rectifyers; and distillers, and
dealers in domestic spirits. Our Legitimate
and regular business will be disas trously
affected by the final passage of the recent
ly. amended provisions to the Internal Rev
enne bills, just passed by tho House Of
Representatives, and now. before your: Hon
ora6le Body for consideration.
1t is our place TO submitto you that the
lsws-eE the United States shall be impar-
,tial and prejudlcial to no special interest OF
trade That the taxes, and the principles
of taxation, shall be uniform, and no per-
SOD, and no class Of persons be unfairly en-
braced in the provisions of our revenue
laws. :. :, -, r., ~ AL ~. Fir, .l'
With this sense of what is right, we beg
respectfully to protest toy your Honorable
Body, that the recent action of the House
Of Representatives will be ruinous to us as
individuals, and as a class, "a,
Our business requires US to hold stocks
of whisky, which mature only with age
We do not.hold such stocks as spectators,
or as persons desiring to evade or avoid
the fair taxation required to, meet the ne
cessities ot, the Government. And in the
amended provisions of the House bill we do
not complain of the amount ol the tax i'm
posed, but of the retroaction of the bill in
that it is applied to the stocks we hold, and
spirits hereafter to be distilled, without dis.
elimination, =, t-,l...- ~ ..r..v-E .r'
, Its well known that, for some months
past, the price of domestic spirits has ruled
much above the fair value of its production,
owing to the expectation that the excise
tax upon the article would be largely an
hanced on the assembling Of Congress-
This speculative character of the market
has obliged us to pay for the stocks We hold,
8 price at which the article can be produced
when the new tax shall take effect.
So that the tax when imposed on our stocks
in hand will make the cost of the same
about 4Oc per gallon more than the same
article can be distilled for and sold in the
market, after the law goes into effect.
We do not think the principle of retro
action, as applied to our business exclusivef
", either Just or reasonable, and we appeal
to your Honorable body to relieve us from
the hardship Of Il measure which has no pre-
hoE in he lou n
the country.
The House Bill proposes yet further
tax of zoe per gallon upon the rectihca-
ton of spirits. .. -e.. -.
To this we beg respectfully to make a
remonstrance. 1t will destroy our business
and render valueless the apparatus we have
employed in it, and might to all lntents be
called a con6scation OF this kind Of pro-
perry. g.
The business of rectifying whisky is
prominent interest in the Northwestern
States. Congress can add nothing to the
revenue by taxing it out of existence, and
the sum of monev invested in apparatus and
machinery is o]arge to be deprecated
in this way, without serious embarrassment
to a large number of persons.
We submit these remarks to the oenate
with great deal of earnestness, for as the
matter stands in the House Bill, it will sub
iect US to raineus sacrifices.
F. Strause & Bro, S. Levi q Brothers,
Foote, Nash & Co., Levi, Senior q c.. 5.
W. Smith Il Co., D. W. Oliver, d. Gibson
& Co., Buchanan & Co., S, N. Pike, Dean q
Hale, Charles Hofer, Royle, Miller & Go,
e. & l.. Block. r. Andrews & Son, P. Cody.
Goosman 4 Nietert; Hoffheiner Bros, Penn
Gould & Co., Frieberg & Workum, Hayes
Bro & Co.. P. Andrews & Co., Henry ..
Gilbert, A. E. Wright & Co., G. W. RobaG'
John d. Stapleton, J. Schierberg q Co, ..
S, S. Cleaneay & Co., James Levy Il Bro.'
Fletcher d Hobart, and fifty others
On motion OF Mr. Foote the Chairman
was authorized to appoint committee OF
four, at his leisure, TO proceed with the
memorial to Washington, and subserip'
ton was made to raise funds to pay their
expenses. s---