New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-01-09

tFrOm the PhiladeiphiA bunetins January 3
A New Orleans distiller who tried the
whiFky ring and couldn't stand 1t, gives the
following statement under oath OF his deal
ings with the revenue officers. 1t appears
that, although the government gets nothing,
the revenue officers cut it SO fat as to break
up the distilling business. One barrel in
fifteen was the proportion to be turned
over to be put into a bonded warehouse,
ostensibly for the government, but of
course, subject to all the little games that
are carried on through the bonding BUSH
ness, so that we have no reas to suppose
that the government got even this fifteenth.
New ORLEANS, December IA, 1867
John W. Elder being duly sworn stated as
follows:
THAT am member of what is called
the whisky ring;' that the amount re-
uuired to be paid Ito wit, $1,000 on enter
ing this association was paid by my part
ner, Mr.. Peale. to Mr.. Irwin, deputy col
lector of the first district of Louisiana, in
the month of July, 1867; that after said
$1,000 were paid was further required to
pay $1,000 monthly thereafter, with the
privilege of running my distillery upon the
further condition of my turning over one
barrel out of every fifteen to be placed in
bond.
81 further state that Mr.. Cornell, assist
ant assessor of my division, was to have
$500 per month in addition to the amount
paid by me monthly to the whisky ring
Mr.. Cornell further stated to me that $500
was the least amount that any distiller in
his division paid him; and he told me that
Mr.. Lusse, distiller at No. IS Commerce
street, paid him $3.50 per month when he
was not running. He told me that Mi.
Crooks paid him 5000 month. Irefused
to pay the amount, to-wit, $500, claimed by
Mr. Cornell, wheTeupon he alteTward in
formed me that l could not run the still
without paying the tax on every gallon
Manufactured by me, stating that if could
not pay him should pay the government I;
that my distillery was the only one that had
ever beat him. further state that l had TO
pay Mr.. Rowland, United States inspector,
one dollar for every barrel branded by him.
which amount was paid by my clerk, Mr..
Cotton, to Mr.. Rowland.
"And further state that this is the plan
of working all the distilleries in this dis
trict that pay their $1,000 into the whisky
ring;' that | cenversed with great many
of them, and they all state this is the plan
upon hieh they work, never paying any
tax to the government on whisky manu-
featured by them. Most all of the distil-
lers have rectifying establishments, which
is done by means of false pipes put down
into the receiving cisterns with pump at
tached thereto. In this way they can run
whisky into these rectifying establishments
without trouble. l further state that 300
gallon still will make from eight to ten
barrels of spirits in twenty-four hours and
don't think that any smaller than an
eightbarrel still can pay the one thousand
dollars required to be paid by this ring
(wAisky), and make any money and pay no
tax. In fact 1 don't know any small stills
that have Il ense. l further state that this
ring whisky can be identified by the reoti-
fier's brand, which is in all cases placed on
the head Of each barrel by the rectider
There is no tax paid on whisky manufac
tured and reciied in this city.
81. w. ELDER.
"Sworn to before James Ready, assessor,
December IA, 1867"