The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1869-12-11
a. sliding Around It.o

be seen, very appropriate one iol 'no
article in that papcr), the Democrat
of last week publishes the decision OF
Deputy Collector Geo. Ii. Belden, in
regard to who are required to take out I
brokers' license. The Democrat virtu-
ally acknowledges that all its palaver and
wind about the tax-ridden farmers
is SO much ink-slinging for nought, ''J
1Mr. Belaen's construction as correct y
The Democrat, in search for something
on which to get up a fearful and pathetic
small-pica leader, strikes telegram OF
Nov. y, and, without further Inquiry,
knowing the class of men he writes for,
slops over at once with sympathy for the
dear I" Republican Farmers +" of Oregon.
Mr. Gradwohl, Democrat, presents the
Democrat with the decision received
from Mr.. Belden, deputy collector of
internal revenue for Oregon, with re-
quest to print it, that farmers may know
that his remarks on the question involved
were unfounded and only made for
buncombe. Finding that sensible men
in his own party look with contempt upon
this transparent attempt to make party
capital by Misrepresentation of facts, he
attempts to s slide around it" with the
insinuation that Mr.. Belden is not auth
ority in the matter. This +" "small plea
concern is either as ignorant as it looks,
or it believes that "lie we'll stuck to is as
good as the truth" The Democrat as
serted that farmers, who brought their
produce to town and scld it from their
wagons, were compelled to take out a
brokers' license. The officer, whose duty
and business it is to kno,o whereof he
speaks, asserts that the farmer who sells
from wagon his own produce is not a
produce broker, therefore is not COM
PEELED to take out license. Here is a
| fat contradiction of the Democrats asser-
ton from one who kno,cs the law. The
Democrat sees the dilemma it has got
into-it must either get out of the diff
Guilty by acknowledging that its remarks
we're made without knowledge of the
facts, and thus throw doubt on all the
assertions hitherto uttered or that may
hereafter emanate from it, or take the
easier because more natural to Demo-
cratic ink-slingers) method of casting
doubt as to whether Mr.. Belden is capa-
BILE of deciding the point in controversy.
Misstating facts comprises the whole
stock in trade of these fellows Take
from them this blessed privilege and
their I" occupations gone"
| For the information of the Democrat
we give two paragraphs from the Internal
Reuenue Record, a paper published under
/ the sanction of that Bureau. The first
paragraph appeared Sept. 4th, 1869, in
/ that journal, and is an extract from a
letter of instructions to the Internal Rev
enue Assessor at Augusta, Georgia, from
the Commissioner of Internal Revenue,
and is as follows
The exemption of persons peddling fruits and
are the products Of their farms and gardens !:
and I'd, when travelling foot. A person tray
cling with one or more horses or mules, peddling
vegetables, not the product of his farm or
garden, is liable as peddler.
The above paragraph agrees "to a
hair " with the decision of Deputy Col
lector Belden, which we published last
week, and is sufficient to convince any
sane man that the position taken by the
Democrat is false and without the least
show of sense or reason.
: The same paper of October 9th, 1869,
contains letter of instructions from the
Commissioner to the Assessor at Will
mington, Delaware, from which we ex-
tract as follows:
Farmers whose occupation it is to sell the pro-
ducts of their farms away from the place of pro-
duction and at q store or stand, are liable to
special tax produce brokers. Persons selling
in the way described in your letter come in com,
petition with dealers who pay the special tax
and to exempt the farmer from the tax who Ii
doing the same business would be manifestly un-
just. OccasionaL acts, however, do not create
liability to the special tax. and it is believed
to be the policy of the law to place few restric
tions as is consistent agricultural producers
the statute should be construed literally.
The Commissioner has at all time.
and by repeated decisions held that
farmers who sold their own produce were
not subject to the produce brokers' tax
} and that they only became subject to
such tax or license when they bought and
traficked in the produce Of their neigh
bors, or sold from stand or store
We hope our cotemporary will hereafter
better inform himself with regard to the
subject upon which he treats, and that he
will adhere as closely to the truth as
party fealty and his Democratic instincts
will admit.
, REPORT oF THE SECRETARY OF THE
: NAvY.-The report of the Secretary Of
the Navy details at length the employ
. ment of vessels in active service, as fol
lows: North Atlanfic so,,adrop 70 VOC