The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1867-03-08


In a debate on the tariff bill in the
House on the 22d ult., Allison of Iowa
offered an amendment to section IA re-
latiDg to distilleries, as follows:
"And whenever the Secretary Of tho Treas
ury shall adopt and prescribe for use any
meter or meters, it shall be the duty of every
owner, agent, or superintendent of distil-
lery to make application to the collector of
his district for such meter or meters 10 be
used in his distillery, and the same shall be
furnished and attached to the distillery at the
expense Of the distiller, whose duty it shall
be to furnish all the pipes, materials, labor,
and facilities necessary to complete such at
tachment Ia accordance with the regulations
of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue
under the direction of the Secretary of the
Treasury, who 10 hereby further authorized
to order and require such changes ofor addi-
tions to distilling apparatus. connectiDg
pumps, or cistsrns, or any machinery con-
nected with or used in or on tie distiller's
premises, or may require to be put on any
stIll, tub, ciste: n, pipe, or other vessel, such
fastening, lock- or seal as he may deem nec-
essary."
To which Mr. Buckland objected, and
remarked as follows:
The amendment of the gentleman
from Iowa may be all right enough; but
| wish to say that l think the great mis-
take in all this Legislation is the attempt
to heap burden upon burden on the dis
tiIler, instead of directing the attention
of the committee to the laws regarding
those who administer the revenue laws
and infusipg into the administration of
the Law more energy and more honesty.
Now, | can say to gentlemen, that
unless they contrive some system by
which everybody who desires to do SO
can enter into the business of distilling,
you may rely upon it you cannot for any
great length of time sustain this tax up
on spirits. / know that to-day, under
the present administration of the law,
the corn which is raised around the dis
tilleries in my district is taken to New
York and there distilled, and the whis-
KY is transported back to Ohio and sold
for less than the tax. Why is thati 1t
is not the fault of the Law, but it is the
fault of the manner in which the law
has been administered. 1t seems to have
been administered for the benefit of
eastern distillers entirely.
l wish to give one instance of the
manner in which the internal revenue
department has administered this law
during the last year. An inspector at
Monroevile went TO some four or five
distilleries and inspected their high
wines, making deduction, as he claim
ed, of five gallons on cask for shrink
ing. He did this at his own instance,
but afterward it was found out by the
assessor, and those distilleries were all
seized. Now, here is the point in the
case: the inspector was arrested and ta-
ken TO Cleveland, but Was discharged
from custody and continued in Office af-
terward for months. He was relieved
from all blame, although he did this at
his own instance, as is asserted by as
honorable men as any that sit upon this
floor, for know some of these distillers,
and know them to be honorable men.
He was continued in Office, and these
which were seized nearly
year ago, are still under seizure end are
not allowed TO run. Now, ] say that
just as long as you administer the law by
such means and through such agents,
and those agents are sustained in frauds
of this sort, and the whole penalty is i'm
posed on the distillers, you cannot ex-
pect to collect the tax.
Now, / know that some of these dis
tiHers pay their taxes honorably and
honestly. As said before, some of
them are just as honest men and would
Just as soon undertake to cheat the Gov
ernneHt in any way as any man upon
this floor, and no sooner, But they are
now to stop their business,
because the law is administered for the
benefit of eastern distillenes and refiner-
les, so that our western distilleries are
ruined. You may pass what law you
please; but unless it is administered
honestly and justly it will fail