The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-03-30
CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS.
sENATE 49,.

The Chair submitted a resolution from
the Legislature Of Ohio, asking Congress
to declare that nstuTalized citizens owe no
allegiance 10 foreign powers. Referred 70
the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The House presented memorial from
the Chamber Of Corn9nerce or Milwaukee,
praying that money expended on he har-
Dor be refunded. Referred to the Commit
tee on Commerce.
Ednunds. from the Committee on Con-
ference, on the bill 70 cover into the Treas
ury the proceeds of captured and aban-
dOned property, presented report, which
was agreed to.
Edmunds offered the following resolu-
ton, which was ado pied
ResOLUed, That the President Of the United
States be requested to comm nuuicate to the
Senate whether he has established or or
dered the establish ment Of any new De-
partment since the Ist OF August, 1867, and
If 50, what Department or Departments,
and under what statute and other authort-
| Davis offered a resolution tnquiring OF
the SseretaTy rel OF she rTbeas99ry b99 WaaI
standing, OF each class, and their rate OF
interest, and what each class was worth
Sherman suggeste5 it to be impossible to
give that information at moments no.
I The resolution was laid over. on, motion
The Senate took up the report OF the
Committee in conference on the bill &c
! relieve certain manufacturers from inter-
! sherman exclaimed. E zs-E 81 ~ -vl5
Nye opp sedthe amendment for punish
Ing whisky frauds; he objected 10 the
y price being taken as prf7pQ JqctG evidence
NJ 1oseFt M an anu g1ilty aiisa aud 1ienisd tie
I right Of Congr ress 10 stop a legitimate busi-
! ness without evidence.
/ would be 70 close up every d1stitlery IN
] the country, and asked Hlsticn was tine 1n-
/ teution OF the Committee.
/ Shermaa said the intention was to ena-
bic the Internal Revenue COmnIi~ iOu'er
7 to close dp every distflery In the cities.
gsaf Ffafa a tn III -
I the Government or any revenue what
/ ever from whisky, and pefhap- TO
6eer a n Peni'eR T9edv iasds2 ih sV a a,..
/ other direction. He understood law was
in preparation TO cover the whole subject,
and Submitted II would be better TO leave
| the matter until then instead of e establish-
/ ing sys en- OF spies upon legitimate bust
necs The biH was oppressive and unjust.
[ Morrill, of Verhont said the bi was
I tOos stringent. He suggested an amend
E meut, leaving II to the discretion Of the
! Internal Revenue Commissioner to close
up the diStnleries, instead OF IN tndatory
| upon hiIn.
Sherman said 1t was useless to attempt
another Committee Of Conference. The
bill had been fully considered.
Morton objected TO the pu1ishment pros
vided Tor these frauds, q there were exist
! ing laws on the subject. The trouble was,
I they were not enfUTC. d. He had inquired
at the Internal Revenue DepaFtment on
! had not been over dozen persons pun
ished for these crimes up to that time.
IL was made pers ma danger to commit
| such frauds they could not collect the Tux.
| Cases usually result in a compromise and
| the payment OF fines less in amount than
/ the tax. -uch men -cared nothing about
the name OF fraud. The evil would never
| be corrected until fifty or hundred OF
Ithem had been sent TO the peniteutiary,
| ins cad OF being allowed to settle the mat
/ ter by COM rOmise with the District At
| tCrney. They should take { out of the
| power Of the Internal Revenue COmm!s-
1 stoner Secretary OF the treasury, ana
Ent,Fs al FfsFf
| promise. District Attorneys were tempted
by the law giving them only nifty dollars
in every conviction, bat allowing 5hem
Two per cent II they o9tained = co9tesSion
/ OF judgment for s O,OO0 or S5O,t00. The evil
complained Of would be Increased by the
proposition Of the. cOmnttea. lie I'm :.
Duted no corrupt on upon the Secretary Of
4 the Treasury or the Internal Revenue
Com misstoner. They had not proper OPP
portunlties away E4fom the scene of Re-
ttOu, to make fmVestig ration. II the power
/ of com promise were taken away, however,
! to the penitentftlFy, anotb er state of thine s
would soon be manifest. He read n JOINT
{ / resolution proposed by IN in January
last removing this power, and makinS It
compulsory tina CRIMINAL proceeding oe
johnson Opposed the amendment at
+. | some length, protesting himself An favor
of the measure. proposed by Morton, but
l. asserting that a reduction OF ten dollars to
one dollar would result in the ee sation OF
frauds, andthe collection Of alarge amount
Williams said the proposition OF Nor
| tons was a consistent one in starting out
by taking the gcound that There were ~
ready penalties not carried out, and yet
/ proposing another. He held that the true
/ course to stop these frauds was prpceed-
ing an rem, and not prosecution Of indi-
/ viduals, and argued hat the present pro-
vision was Justlhaole, and would De enec-
Nye said that large distillerles- in cities,
! who manufactured for the foreign market,
/ We're mrking s. superior and high priced
article. upon which they could afford to
!. Z X.
Sherman asserted tn At the distiueries of
/ Kentucky aaud. Ohio made most Of the
whisky, and exported about two million
NSe repeated that there were large dis
tiuerfeS In New York that m tuutactured
I sofev for export and were they 10 be closed
/ up because others committed frauds, and
their sfocE LEFT on their hands in order 10
I allow the Government o dispose ofwhtslzy
81 on hand from $ izures?
Hendricks condemned she tax as unrea-
sonabIe. nj rs being the sO,e cause OF
frauds ;and apr0per tax could De collected
A tax OF nifty ce ats would prOdu e more
n venue than one of two dollars. They
shOu not start out with the IDEA that
Z whisky was an outlaw to be hunted
I down. Ia Indiana, the legitimate prcdue-
ti0u OF VhiSky mad been almost stopped ;
anc tils measure would Ell -ctually pat an
end to it, The true way was TO lmpose
1 such tax as manufacturers would zee
as Just, and feel IN hOuoF bound % pay
sherman regretted the provision IN re-
gard 10 whisky frauds had been included
{ for which, however, neither the House uoi
. senate We're responsible. II was inserted
u 4 at the urgent request of the Comm isstOueI
of Internal Revenue, who had told them
: he could no. collect any revenue from
r / whisky without III would not affect tht
4 country districts. because there the distIl
/ Ieries could be controlled, but it would pre-
vent the immense frauds committed IN
a cities. He saw nothing alarming IN tht
: bill that would Wor6 any injury In Z
{ couple OF months this whole internal rev
enue matter Woald form subject of fur
her legislation. II was necessary TO place
this power somewhere He dim 2 wish tt
enter into q general discusllon OF the va