The Montana post. [volume] (Virginia City, Montana Territory [i.e. Mont.]) 1864-1869, 1868-06-26
WHISKY AND THE TAX.

The bill for reducing the tax on whis-
Ky 20 GO cents a gallon will doubtless
become law. The existing levy on
distilled liquors is 50 per gallon. The
receipts OF Revenue from that source for
the last year was less than $14,O00,OOO.
Bv reducing the tax to 60 cents, it is
held that the receipts will reach $780,
100000 without increasing the amount
manufactured per annum. This
seeming inconsistency, is explained by
ent defrauded, by the Whisky Ring and
elicit distillers,o of over nine-tenths of the
tax, and the reduction of the tax will
render it cheaper for them to be honest
than to be rogues. 1t win cost less to pay
the tax than to evade the law. An
drew Johnson has persi isteLtly refused
TO remove from office men who are
beIping defraud the Government of
Sl36. 100000 per year, when the sacts
have been indisputably proven, and
Commissioner Rollins has officially no-
titled him of the facts and persons.
Andrew Johnson has a new lease OF
power He is above the law. 1t cannot
be enforced, and so as a d6rHier resort,
Congress cuts down the tax, TO compel
payments, prefer-ing the tax shall be
lessened rather than the whisky thieves
shall reap the advantages of it. The
manufacture of distilled spirits in 1860
with population of 81, 500 900 was o.
100000, and the average price was "a
cents per gallon. In the same proper
tion, per capita, now, when the popu-
lation is 37,O2O,O00, the product would
be over 1O0,OOOOOO. OF this, the tax
was paid on only G. 100000 gallons yield
ing the Government, a fraction more
than $13,50O,OO0 So bare faced has
become tie swindling in the article that
with the tax alone, 81, whisky is sell
ling in the principal cities at $1O5
per gallon, Commissioner Rollins says
that a large amount oft occurs in trans
mission from one bonded warehouse tC
another. AS there are $25.O00,O00 gal
Ions in bond a present, an immediate
levy ofthe 60 ctstax upon it would yield
nore than the entire So tax on $780,
100000 gallons for the year. When II
is computed that for mechanical anc
lighting purposes, aud for export, the
amount is not much in excess of $4,000,
600 gallons, there remains nearly two
gallons per annum for each man, woman
and child in the United States and ter
gallons per head for each voter. a vas
proportion of this nectar is manufac'
tured from the poorest quality of molas
Ses. One and one-half gallons of molas
ses. costing sixty-seven cents, produces
one gallon o. whisky. England manu-
factures three quarts of distilled liquor
for each person per annum; the Unite'
States nearly eight quarts. England
however. manufactures 23,0O0,0OO gal
Ions OF beer, ten quarts to each person
while we produce only about Onefourtl
of that amount. The reduction of TIA
tax may appear disastrous to thos'
holding large stocks, but when il is con
sidered that only one-tenth OF 1t eve
paid any tax that it can be manutae
tured for G7 cents, and is selling in tn
east at 81 05, leaving net proht TO IL
licit distillers of 80 cents, and that tn
reduction .fthe same profits are made
will not bring it below 81 Go per gallon
we must concede that only one opera
tor in ten will feel the blow, and he no
severely. II will break up one OF tn
most infamous swindling combination
that ever had its head and front in
Chief Executive and the specification
of the bill, as il was originally intencec
are such that to eyade its requirement
viii be nearly impossible IL will Civ
strong, steady stream TO the revenue
OF the country, and measurably reduc
she burden of tax, which last year wa
$40 per head for each inhabitant of tn
United States. That contamination
most devoutly to be wished.