The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-08-22

classes, so it offers a powerful inducement
to those who are not sustained by strong
moral principle, to evade the law. ANY law
which violates mans instructive sense OF
Justice wall fail to command mans respect;
and if II do not command his respect 1t will
be very likely not to command his obedience;
at any rate, those who have small admlx-
ture of vice in their moral composition, viii
he almost certain TO take advantage OF q
state of opinion which holds that disregard
of an unjust law does imply moral turpitude.
Tn snch a state of case the temptation is We
nv powerful, and it would take man of
STERN principle to resist it.
The whiskey distiller knows that, if he
can evade the burdensome tax, he can real
| ize profit gilmore than two dollars ON each
gallon whereas, ordinarily, profit of ten
cents would satisfy him. He knows that
the whole community regards the tax as un-
Just and oppressive !; and he and the com
munity can see no reason why he should
pay two dollars gallon when the New En-.
gland distiller pays but fifty cents Conse.
quently, if he is detected in an effort to
evade the law, he forfeits no esteem, for the
simple reason that the law. commands nc
| respects; if he succeeds in the attempt, his
peeuniary reward is very large. A tax Of
| twenty cents gallon he would scarcely ev
| er think of evading. But would eheerfullJ
pay, as would everybody for all men assent
| to the proposition that reasonable taxation
| is necessary in order to the maintenance OF
| government; and besides, the temptation
| to avoid a moderate and just tax is so small
| that, it bears no proportion to the lega
and moral penalty incurred in any attemp
| of avoidance.
These considerations may assist us to ap
preciate the weight Of obligation which
rests upon those who create laws ant
| undertake their administration. A Law
| which discriminates between different sec
tons of the same country and between cit
| zens of the same government, to the disad
vantage of either, is a wicked law; it i
wicked because it is unjust, and because in
justice is the very essence of wickedness.-
But the whskey tax does make this discrim
nation, as we have already shown there
fore, it is unjust and wicked. IF it be viola
ted, therefore does not congress incur
large share of the guilt? If congress offer
reward for law-breaking, shall it not fin
law-breakers? If congress demands tn
| obedience of the citizen, let it learn to b
Just to the citizen.
1t will be seen that We have looked at thi
| subject more in its moral, than in its hnar
cial aspects. We are undertaking to sho
thow the legislation upon this subject strike
mems minds and affects their sense {
Justice and hence, why it is that there an
) so many extraordinary instances of viola
} tons of this law. The principle which a,
plies to this particular tax runs all throug
our whole system of taxation, and is equal
applicably to all, so that it will be found
very difficult matter to build governmel
and successfully administer it, upon Law
which violate mems mate sense of Justice
Smuggling has, under an unjust and Oppre
sive tariff, become alarmingly common;
common rs to amount to great evil. 1t
argued, and with justice, too, that our tart
law makes unjust discrimin atoms betwee
different sections of our common country
! | that it Expresses the west for the advantas
of the east. In proportion as this law
felt to be unj ust, IN like proportion will me
|, feel small scruples in its violations; hent
= the rapidity with which smugglers ha,
been multiplied within the last few years
1t is not alone that large profits are realize
under high tariff, by the smnggler; but
is in great measure because the smuggle
/ funder unjust laws, forfeits little or none
> 1.-THE esteem CT his neighbors. His pursu
e | is regarded as only an evasion of uni
| | laws, and he meets with congratulation
i whereas, otherwise, he would justly inc
!. odium. Unjust legislation, therefore, CT
ates thousands of law-breakers among me
i | who, in the absence of such injustice won
be peaceful observers of the law. Such a
l. some of the reasons why bad governme
j. cultivates vice, while good government &c
: tiers virtue.