The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1867-09-15
IMPORTigCE Of TIL: WHlSKEY TAX
The Late Troubles in the Department
and What They Indicates
What the Metropolitan Board
is Doing.

TO the duty On Ii snlits. commonly known as the
whiskey tex. n f'risnt both as regards its effects
uron trade ao4 .ncrcc and the large revenue which
should be O N fr,a i, Considered in connection
with the pl o.- OF hc national debt this tax is the
principal i'ea O atarnsl revenue aud requires
labor -eoep and for the prevention of fraud
than all oirer sllr1ss CT oatonal income combined It's
extension or 81 10 gul'g lessons the list OF
free non-lu.y paying goods and to very great
degree 'ses Re lszes imposed on all duty-paying
manufsc.ues
ArTEtrs 70 HvADH THE TAX.
duty %. 20. gallon is chargeable ali distilled
spirits mad 7.ta a. Ue ted States. and 10 avoid ray
ing this an M tha, ingenuity and clever plan
ming could devise haye been employed When the law
frs. wen, operahon tho increase in the price Of
whiskey gave ga uadls stimulus the Illicit manufac-
ture and sale 90 iba. article Secret distil eres
put IN on ration by the thousand false returns
made TO sacs.o and collectors by those who carried
the bnsness opens tbs United States revenue brands
with inspector nsIoes ani every other appearance OF
yenniuen,ss Initiated freely used large guam
titles Of Spirits mixed with a modicum CT turpentine
and branded no after article Transported
to marEei s sections OF the country when the pur.
chaser woaa lluid through a simple chemical
proc IS vAi,h s1trlc.sl th. ,urpenne and left The
viii kew pl,e o. simple for further sals; and other
plans tor numerous Co detail, resorted 10 for the
purpose sv1fug the imposed by law. For long
time il M utuy supposed 10 be impossible %
Collect Ji.ae of zee d1ty that should Ie,l,imatcy
fr the uspuseGrc Of distilled spiris; ard II
IS only OF ae ll- tb conn EXON OF anlirs has com
menced to assume ohsa7, for the b,tter.
veG coNcssH RErnvED THIS TAX
The las CONGRESS- after mrch opposition had been
manifested decided 10 fsisn the two dollars tax per
gallon, T. sumption that it would compensate the
governmer o. Increasing the list or free manufactures
bv iu,c,ts n
and II Is urien II this could b. honestly
collec 81 tho government would be fully compensated
and In fact ~ ~ &c goods might be stin
mented without dc-nmout Congress also inrr assi the
tariff foreign liquors 10 such degree that prsCti-
caly ab,lslei tie mportation OF ia any large
bulk. w'lskey has tak'n tho place OF these at tho
bars whore ind ,ei % rs am Ds impossible to obtain any
other spirituols o The result has BEEN vast IN
crease in the aciIre and sale OF "Boirbon and
entire falling or o the consumption OF fo-eig, in-
ported spirits. - T. consequence OF this. the majority
OF wholesale dea', VINO before the war, largely
engaged in tie or foreCa liquors. have turDcd her
attention to the donost whiskey business In foc The
spirits die lied from corn and grain have he.
come the basis o. all fancy liquors sold
no matt'r nY VIA, names they may 70
called, bo0 thew may be aiuterated how Pro
team may h the n,rs the asvors that may be gwen
them clear tber, that tho market weil "a tue
mAnuiacNr" or HuikeY mas DC greatly eNtence'' nlf
Il must be obyoos the time, that thr rrorcsi-
Sion BY Congress collect IN revenue imposed by law
is simply question OF at illustrative ability aud
sua power The Secretary or tho Treasu-y and the
Commission OF Internal Revenue must meet the Ia.
eomiug C1ng-ese wh an answer TO the qleslon, Csn
shcy o. aoy a.. collect he taxi
THE RI, ,,ry law Is rT4 RELATION WISELY.
To secure Tue co-,'oa Of the whissey sty, sis,l.
tory p-oyls 1n have bosn enacted elaborated ard de-
tailed so as cover thought, every possible
sngency. Following thess cane tho sub-rez Nations
made BY the Commissioning and his deputies with n
view to give mo law sy Of practical enforcement
and perfect ooe.s.on Nevertheless the fac, remains
ahat the tax has a5i and is not now berg COLI
accted A,onsr f-t also ndispuabe, has been STATED
aud ADMITTED cYcryN here. WHITE afnini5irpt'on
OF the Re re1lr meut h,s been little Csc than
potoriousy inef oli inbecile and corrupt throughout
90 degree r1is obvious from the fact that a. least
one hundred m liiona Of dollars which should have
found their way JAG, the federal treasury since the
passage Of law the credit OF the Depart
neni are not tlrfe total amount OF tax Collect i
from the Manufacture aud sale OF whIskey in 'hii
setropolan dstrr from tho LIST OF January TO the 4,
OF June for present fiscal year scarcely
one half million - dollars, and In this in
cluded mt only the licenses and taxes on local d :.
teries BIT also amounts accrung from the sales q
Whiskey br'ugh. hther from the West So trivial an
amour collected scarcely proporoned at all 10 the
sum that should have been pad Is the best c,mmentsr
lhst could offered to the looseness with WIN h
affairs IN this regard conducted. Indeed, there u
more dislIer in the Metropolitan district whC
would gladly give responsible, bonds for the psynen, Of
q sum equal to the whole amount collected from
January to Jane II 10 would be allowed to oary
manufacture with npunity aud without further inter
ference from the officials
Rsv RnlroRr xyrosrs
This condition Of affairs, and the thousand AMI one
irregularities that kept coming to the surface from the
srnanazemsnt Of the collectors and ASSESSOR oices
necessarily ais met the Commits oner Of Internal Rese
nue., and hs sought remedy whereby tho iSs could
be enforced aud tle govepment placed IN posses
sion OF its dnes As The discrepancies ani den
ciencies In the tax were more apparent New
York and BROOKLYN ,hau elsewhere, one OF the 90 n
rnissioners dcput sent bI,her with Jurisdiction
and instructed 70 give his whole attention TO "a,
s'straightenlrg oli" OF the completely In witch tn
revenue arising from whiskey manufacture sccnel "a
he involved ,es3 roou discovered, though tbat al
umuddler Of an,rs here required mora care than any
one man no matter how well disposed, was enabled u
bcsow in Gearing up, and the deru,y's mission wa
accordingly supplemented by the creation OF ~. heto
roitan Revenue saard 10 assist him N eriocins ID
Asorsx HxroRx sErprp.
Here II ma, bc observed, IL the grcrt dimcnlty Az
teud,ng Tue orgauizi OF the department. TIE Com
missioner OF Internal Revenue and his DEBUT "
themselves dowr 30 government building 70 y asllhs
Ton totally slia.ei from all commerce. ana ro'o So
immediaie contact nth commercial Interests and pa
coed 70 franz regulations for collecting the eovernmen
dues, which iai'us very rood in Their way an
n far tuey 4, bat az ofIic ais who are supposed
nc, In securing he revenue they bave no cHccauv
scluchn on 90. ansir whatever They are no. ss the
should be tapi uey you'd DO II located in New York
IN lmtneda CO muuCsiou with the producers. manu-
,se,i,ors 80 AT No ~ ~ " ,gsss Hs,, should .
done Tor TIE frhHauce OF the objects Tor WI 81