Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1867-11-23
u IlIos.lea Il .tha IassIrlalal R.yanais s sy.

stsssFfas tenn
IS s .yannah 5Rapubcan, "snys: One
the most encouraging reports that has
sostal sussfroN Washington. is tho recent
& anno apiont that Hon. Davil D. Wells, the
Sindoatigs6lssSpeci.l Commis-ioner Of the In
sstrnat lsagoule Department, willuvga, in II
all'lols and Fable report. which he has pre-
s pared for presentation to Congress, the nee
fGSsity for u thorough. immrdi tie and search
3Sing reiurmin the revenue laws.
II. Asnt present conducted there IS no room
d to doubt hut that the Government h1s.nlready
boon swim lied out OF millions of d,lArs and
'stMcss thoSpre-ent intric,i. y thol l., smpli
ial. We have no assurance tiiat this contrn,p
tibIe species OF fraud will ever be checked -
Tho astonishing disclosures thl, have been
z branghtto light in the two important comno.
dticsof cotton and w3iskcy alone in the single
port Of Now York. have $. .iggered the pub.
lie mind, and dcnpns,r .tei ce,rly how fool-
ishaand unjust it is for Government to levy
heavy take, upon deb,.rdden people without
first devisiny some simple and secure method
of collecting the same.
The chief consideration that should ngitatc
Congress III its Efforts to improve upon the
present defective system of internal revenue.
will be the adoption Of such ne surcs as will
cdaalizc taxation. The avenues OF, fraud and
Is temptation that arc now open are multit,tdi-
nous, and can only be block,l"d and par,,a-
nenty closed by well digestcd pl.n Of equal
taxation. When Government will learn to
, install only mcn Of spotlcss integrity and the
highest ,p,city--i.,norng the question of
Z politics altogether in selecting such officers
then. and not till then, may We cxp:ct to he
n, Al, -
TEN. Commissioner Wells very properly in
cludrs in his report detailed statement Of the
operations of the revenue law in Great Brit
ain, which is strange and really mort;fying
contrast VIII our prcscnt Systcm-a s,,-,"...
ton. so radically wrong tl,,t it has already lost
the confidence Of our pc,pc-seriously i'm,
p'lrcd nearly every branch Of American in
dnStry and from tho fragrant and outrageous
frauds that arc daily being discovered, the in.
stitutions which should reflect honor upnn the
nation h,s bacomc byword Of pro ,rh
among honcst citizens There are visionary
people who prnttlc tnolishly Of a return to spe.
cio payments. which it is rmdnrss to talk
about un.il we n'stnp these fraudulent out.
lets in the sdcpaytanc 1T of the Govern.
mcnt. The moment this ennrnnus and SyStc.
,nutized piltering isc!,cckrl. we shall witness
the rapid diminution Of our debt. aud the
consequent reduction nf lie onernus taxes
which now weigh down onr people aud impede
the progress and p,ciiic,tion OF the country
l.et us, then, by all means, welcome any
5signs that indc,tc n h",th'u rror.n il this
b'ost important, but bully Al uScl. hrlnch f
rho Government service There is not an in
acligent and, thoughtful TX pyrr who does
mot feel constrained to rex ,r! the present in.
sernnl revenac system as !, corrupt a,.d un
sound Isinstitution c,lcnlatcl in>teal Of rcliey
ing ls,from debt. t, prccipt,tc us into rreah
difficulties, and to increase our financial EN-.
barrassmcnts.