New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-30
WHISKYFIED DEPRAVITY.

| WHISEYFTED DEPRAVITY
Mr.. James Parton, in his recent clever and
ente raining article on wine and spirit drink
ing, while he dwelt forcibly upon the influences
Of the fluids under consideration On our poor,
unfortunate stOmachs, said nothing of the re-
markable effect produced by dstillation upon
the consciences of distlers. 1t did not 5ome
we suppose, within the scope Of Mr.. Partoas
plan to exhibit to his readers the anatomy Of
the Whisky Ring, any more than to adducs
the lively example of that eminent New.
Yorker who, during the vicisstudes Of tia
| Impeachment trial, put an enemy into his
mouth which came unc0mfortably near steal
ing the large amount of cash which il
pleased the good man to carry in his pocket.
We shall take care to send Mr. Parton a COPY
of Mr.. Simon Cameron's speeches against the
reduction Of the whisky tax, made In tho
Senate on the 18th of July, from which he will
learn how hard Ii ia for some manufacturers
of old rye and Bourbon to understand the
nature of an oath. Heretofore, 1t has been
well known that the producers of these popu-
lar stimulants were a little confused in their
chemical information. and labored under the
alarming halluCinatiOn that strychnia, because
it greatly increased the production of the still.
must be q nutritious alkaloid. 1t turns out
that the distller's arithmetic is as bad as bis
chemistry, whenever he has to deal with the
Revenue, while it becomes uncommonly &C.
curate when he has to look out for his own
interests. Mr. Cameron stated that, from
the beginning of the whisky frauds, tho
dishonest distillers have been in the habit OF
placing about one-eighth of the amount manu-
= h. int Of
ing that portion to the Government by thus
sacrificing fraction, whenever payment became
necessary the pretext was secured for swim
"dling the revenue of the tax on the remaining
! {" seven -aiohths boldly thrown on the Market
and that proportion OF tax was openly stoiez
from the Treasury Mr. Cameron uses very
plain and unmistakable language in speaking
of this aud Of similar evasions of law.
1t is rather late in the day for us, as we in
tended to speak in detail of the major and
minor rascalities, the perjures and the pecca-
dilloes, the Offenses now rising almost to feoDies
and now falling to misdemeanors, which this
debate upon the Whisky bill made patent 10
the whole country 1t is enough, at present. 10
record the general aroma suggestive Of an ad-
vanced degree of corruption which seemed to
pervade the whole debate. You read q little
way, and, to your great satisfaction, learn thai
somebody has been heavily fined. You read
little further, and, alas you discover that the
fine has been RENTED by brief authority"
To your great Joy you are told that some
henous delinquent who has "So-help-me.
Coded himself into opulence has been con-
signed to the Penitentiary; but your enjoymens
of the fact is shortly diSsipated by intelligence
that he is out again, with Mr.. JOhnsons
valuable autograph in his pocket. 1t is quite
astonishing TO mark how everybody con-
cerned-frOm Senators to swindlers-seems
to take it for granted that Honesty lin the
manufacture off whisky isn't the best policy
Sometimes allusion is made to the pleasing
fact that, in the present advanced condition Oh
chemistry, you can make whisky into brandy
in the twinkling of an eye. At ten o'clock 1t
fine old Bourbon, the venerable and veritabe
spirit of wheat which grew quarter Of CEN
fury ago. At fifteen minutes past ten o'clock
| il is ancient and genuine brandy, squeezed IRON
the belly of the best French grapes, smooth 70
the taste, beautiful to tho eye, and quite the
admiration of amateurs. Then comes an In
timaton that the Whisky Ring-that alcoholic
Ku-Klux Klan-wll employ enough of its hard
earnings to secure the election of Mr.. Seymour
Some Senators think the dear distillers will
swindle less with light tax; other Senator
think otherwise; but all the Senators seem TO
agree that the swindling is necessary evil the
only difference of opinion being as to the
measures which will keep this predestinats
swindling at minimum. Here's pretty stats
of things, we must confess Perhaps the man
who went on to Washington from New-ioH
with piles of money, to the rescue of Mr.. John
son, was not such fool as his subsequent
over-use of this valuable medicine would seem
to indicate. II think it is very bad system
that permits such things" said Senator
Anthony, and he never spoke true,
word in his life. Mr.. Sherman sald
plainly that the distilers constantly "bougO'
their way through the meshes OF ui'
law" Mr. Cameron knew case where as
tiller ran through thousand barrels OF WHISKY
under the very noses of the revenue olncc''
! He knew of another case, in which by ms PEI
! sOnal exertiOn dishonest Inspector was turn'
out, and in little while, TO his great surprise anu
| chagrin, he found the fellow reinstated. ln.''.
are specimens of the agreeable facts W
veoped by this debate. Now, we take ~
liberty, by way of conclusion, of saying tla' /"
makes very little difference what kind OF 'a'
YOU pass, if offenders can blind the officers Gu
trusted with its execution and buy exempeV.
from its penalties We hope that the day ~
hand when we shall have Government VIZ AZ.
can be safely trusted with the collection OIL 'I
branch OF the revenue. Until then the KING ""
probably remain impudent shameless aa0 '"N
cessful