Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1868-09-11
THE NEW wHIsKYLaw.

The old law levyiDg a tax OF two dol
lars per gallon on distilled spirits, hav-
ing become odious to the people, not on
account OF the amount of the tax, but
because Of the wide spread fraud and
corruption it caused, and the insignif-
cant SUN it realized, the present Radical
Congress was compelled by the force Of
public opinion to reduce the tax. This
they have done with a vengeance, as we
shall endeavor to show.
The new law reduces the tax OF spirits
already manufactured and IN EOnd, to
fifty cents per gallon, and four dollars
per barrel (Of 40 gals or say sixty cents
per gallon, and there reduction ends. In
addition TO the stringent conditions and
extraordinary bonds required of distillsrs
and dealers, they have to pay a heavy
license, then q tax Of fifty cents per gal
Ion on the capacity Of daily production
Of the still next, (ssc. 49, i" There shall
/" be assessed and collected monthly,
from every authorized distiller,
whose distillery hss an aggregate ca
"pacity for MASKING twenty bushels Of
b" grain or less in tw~enty-four hours, 8
tax Of two dollars per day, Sundays
excepted ard q tax Of two dollars per
"dsy for every twenty bushels of grain
In excess Of said capacity in twenty
flour hOurs.n After the spirits have
been manufactured and stored In a Cow
1rnwnanF hnnAzA Do-ahnnaa IT, -
then liable for 8 tax OF four dollars per
barrel, and subject TO a " distillery ware
house stamp" Of twenty five cents for
each package. When withdrawn, and
taxes all paid, another stamp Of tUenty-
flee cents per package; when sold, an
other stamp Of Twenty-Five cents per pack
age, and 3 similar stamp on every pack
age each and every time it is sold and
II q barrel be emptied into smaller pack
ages, the similar stamp Of tUenty five
cents on each package as often as sold.
Again, after al these various taxes, the
enormous tax Of one per cent. ad va
loren has to be paid by every dealer, no
matter through how many hands the
goods may pass, not only upon the
domestic spirits that the above taxes
have been paid, but also upon all
foreign goods, upon which already a
gold SnlPOst duty has been paid, and
this same system applies to the manu-
fActure and sale Of tobacco and cigars.
Thus We see that the nominal reduc-
ton Of the tax on distilled spirit"
amounts ia reality to a " scdtteralgU of
the old tax to deceive the public, and
that the new Law imposes an oppressive
tax, not understood by the people. which
they in the end viii have to pay, and
which will prodsee an almost incredi HE
amount Of revenue.
The merchants and business men Of
Tennessee asserted that the State tax OF
one per cent. on their sales was ~ruinous.
though it applied only to the first sale
made. The new United States revenue
tax Of one per cent. applies TO all sales
made, each and every time made, and
without discrimination. What the OBJ
ject Of this deceptive legislation by :
which, under tae appearance of the re- !
duction of 8 special tar, an enormous c
general tar has been laid, nomin2lly on Z
q class, but in reality on the whole peo- l
pie, and which will produce hundreds of a
Of dollars, it is impossible to di. o
vine' unless it was for the purpose of in 4
creasing the chances for a more whole a
'Ale system Of thieving than even RAD. y
'slism had before realized, n