Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-06-19
The Whisky and Tobacco Tax.

On Monday last Mr.. Shanks (Rep.) of In
diana, offered the following resolution and
moved the previous question -
RESOLVED, That in the judgment Of the House it will
lnct a serious loss the national revenues to de-
lay the revision Of taxes distilled spirits and to-
bacco until the same can be accomplished by gen
eral revision Of the entire Internal Revenue system
and the Committee on Ways and Means is hereby in
structeG TO report without delay separate bill for
the revision Of taxes the manufacture and sale Of
| distilled spirits and tobacco.
This proposition led to a lively debate.
Several Of the committee of Ways and
Means stoutly resisted its adoption. They
alleged from five to seven months had been as
siduously occupied by the committee on the
general revenue bill, and large portion Of it
had been considered already by the House in
committee it need not take very long to
perfect it and pass it by the House-that to
make special bill for the whiskey and TO-
bacco tax with such cancellations of the exist
ing law for the collection Of the same would
take nearly as much time as would suffice to
perfect and pass the entire bill, and that a
bare change in the amount of the tax with
out the enactment of measures 10 insure the
faithful collection of it would practically
amount to nothing.
On the opposite side, it was contendcd it
was absurd to suppose that the general bill
would be finished in the House, printed for
the Senate, and considered there. under all the
unavoidable delays attending the hearing Of
circumstances, petitions and evidence before
the Senate Committee, the delay from de-
bates there, and the further delays which
must attend the consideration Of Senate
amendments by the House, with any prospect
of getting the bin enacted under three months
time The country demands that something |
effective should be done to put q stop to the |
enormous frauds on the revenue under the |
present law for the whiskey and tobacco tax.
and law for that purpose alone can be soon
perfected and passed, while the general tax
bill can better be left for consideration bvthe
next Congress.
The resolution was finally passed under the
previous question by q vote of - ayes to So
nays and it Is to be hoped that something |
viii be done which will be of real service to
the l. S. Treasury and check the oyerwhelm-
ing frauds which have flooded the nation from
one end Of i, to the other
We do not care TO g into q discussion
here Of the question Of high OF low tax on
whiskey and tobacco. Much can be said on
both sides Of that question but we think il
shame that 50 many use language on the
subject which implies that human nature can
not resist the temptation TO defraud the gov
eminent whenever the tax on an article Is
very high. That depends simply, in our
view, on the honesty Of the individual. He
who would cheat the government when the
tax is high would cheat it when the tax is
low, If he were sure Of escaping punishment
1t is very true that a knaye will run a risk Of
punishment when he hopes to geta large sum
which he would not run if his chances were
only for q small one So far as the action Of
rogues Is concerned, there Is force in the ar
gument for a low tax. 81 far as homes, men
are concerned it Is Of no force whatever