Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1864-05-03

Whether the present House OF Representatives
iS acting as legislative body, or as temperance
society, or as board Of brokers, 10 question TO
be decided by impartial history. Perhaps, how.
ever, noRe OF these dehRitionh may be the correct
one. Perhaps the true dehuition may be that
given In the New York TTibune'G market report OF
last Saturday, viz whiSksy has lApsed into
quiet state, and the market is quite unsettled by
the unexpected action Of Congress, which is re-
gArded by the trade as ohild'I pIay.m
We will not undertake to decide this important
question, which, after all, is interesting only 10
metaphysical science. Omitting the consideration
Of motives which may Aetuate honorable members,
and which arc no doubt praiseworthy all around,
We will lock at the subject OF taxing liquors on
hand In Its practical aspect. The House had under
consideration bill importing taxes, In various
ways, on some five hundred articles, trades, pro-
fctsions, instruments, etc.
Distilled spirits are taxed In three wAys-Ist, by
requiring the diStiller 20 take out license; 2d by
imposing an excise duty on each gallon distilled;
sd, by requiring the Wholesale and retail dealers
to take out ncepser-which b all right. While
the section imposing the excise duty was under
| consideration motion wAs made TO put an addI-
tonal tax on al spirits hcrcoJVre distilled and on
| hand for sale. This was voted down by fifteen
| majority apparently for the reason alleged by
Measrs. Morrill, and Stevens OF the Com mittee Of
Ways and Means, that II the retroactive principle
were applied to distilled spirits 1t must be applied
| to all other taxable property In the country. 10
other words, If whiskcy en- hand were taxed, ale,
| tobacco, sugar, iron, coal, books, and all other
taxable property on hand, must be taxed in like
mAnpeT and the attempt to collect such taxes ret
| respectively would be not only unjust but ex.
| tTemely difficult, and would throw all business
into confusion. So the HouEe refused T. tax
whiskey on hand.
After the bill WAS finished and all the other arti
| cleS on hand left untaxed, the House, by 1--WE ma.
Jority, imposed a tax on whiskey on hand OF hiri,
| cents gallon on that which has already paid q
tax, and my cents gallon on that which has moi
paid tax. The tax on the future product Aftei
4 the lst Of May had been hxed at one dollar prI
l gallon. What is the result On and after the Isl
| OF May, II the bill becomes law, there will be
three classes OF distilled spirits in the country 10
wit; hity cent whiskey, ninety cent whiskey, and
| one dollar whlskey. That which has mo- previous
ly paid tax will be PuaiShed fty cents per gallon
that which has paid the old sixty cent tax will be
inflicted thirty eents more, making its tax ninety
cents per gallOni while the product distilled on
and after May LIST will be taxed one dollar per gal
lon All these taxes take effect on the same day
But, AZ II this three-legged Arrangement were
| not ridiculous enough, no provision is made Ia
prevent the holders Of whiskey from cIporfinq It,
under the provisions Of the existing law, and re.
| eeiying the drawback on the whole amount, thus
/ WhAtlERF A
holds thousand barrels of whiskey in New York
upon which a tax OF sixty cents has been maid
He sees a prospect Of having to pAy thirty cent,
more on It, OF course, rather than pay this ad
ditional thirty cents per gallon he will enter II Al
the custom-houSe for expectation, receive bael
the sixty cents per gallon originally paid on 1t
and send II abroad. Thus the tendency Of tn,
proposed law is to glut the foreign markets will
Whiskey, and deprive our own Government o
whatever revenue might be derived from hAyin
the rue!e consumed st home-A happy thought
projected In lodge oil cadets OF temperance, bu
NOT exactly sta'esmanlike when developed In Con
gress on Dill TO provide ways and means to carr!
on The Government and pay interest on the publ
debt
we have not spoken oil the folly and injustice o
selecting one article, out OF some hundreds in Ia,
ohl' ior purposes oblegtslative vengeance. If an!
honorable member can make capital out OF tn,
demAsosne cry against "whiAkey gamblers" he
welcome 10 H. The principle ia the lame as
s, s,eaS, IN 'ne excess OF It's Vlrtae' as grea
moral engine should start on In crusade asAins