Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-01-06

ly lew registered ulsUilefles, wnlcn
certainly cannot exceed the proper
ton of one working distillery now
to ten under the old nefarious law.
A result SO striking and anoma-
lOus is applicable enough to one
who understands the workings of
the old and new systems. Under
the old law of 81 per gallon tax,
the temptation offered for the
amassing of sudden and dishonest
wealth were so great that thous-
ands embarked in calling which,
by skilfully defrauding the govern
kment of its dues, could so rapidly
lead to fortune. Myriads of hun
CRY government harpies were turned
loose upon the community, ostensi-
bly, to watch the interests of gov
eminent, but really 10 fill their own
voracious maws. Scarcely a day
passed but the distiller was visited
by inspectors, detectives, and gov
eminent agents under every con-
ceivable title, bent only upon black
mail and plumber, or in default seiz-
ing the establishment, with or with
out cause, until the distiller-who,
if left a fair margin to live, would
probably be as honest and bear his
share of taxation as well as the rest
of his neighbors-was forced, in
sheer self-defence, to hand over to
these cormorants, for their own
private booty, nearly every dollar
actually due to the government.
This is where the S30,OO0,O0O per
annum deficiency in whisky reve-
nue. went to, and not, as many
would naturally imagine, solely into
the pockets of the distillers. This
is the condition to which class of
our legislators would again reduce
US. Were the tax replaced to 81
per gallon, the country would again
be Immediately flooded with illicit
distillerics; swarms of hungry gov
eminent agents would again be
spawned upon US; and these gentry,
unable or unwilling to detect fraud
where most rampant, would find
their easiest quarry in those COM
paratively few registered and legiti-
mate establishments which are to-
day yielding more revenue by many
millions, than all the distilleries put
together under the old law. 1t is
not too much to predict the nine
tenths of such places-unable to
fight against the advantages taken
by secret and illicit distilleries-
would, Immediately on the passing
of such a law, have to suspend OPP
eratiOns; and the whole enormous
revenue from whisky be thus once
more entirely handed over to the
rapacious agents of government,
without one dollar in ten ever find
ing its way to the Treasury.
But by the new law Of July, 1865,
a very different order of things was
established. Reducing the taxation
to fifty cents struck at the very root
of the evil. By diminishing the
premium held out to fraud, thous-
ands left the vocation to engage in
more paying and eOngenial pursuits.
By thepresent system of registering
distilleries under limited taxation
of fifty cents, by ascertaining their
capacity, and placing them under the
care of fewer but more responsible
officers, coupled with the improve
ments in meters, the method of
stamping, branding, etc, the work
ing of this branch of the revenue
has been, to say the least, immense
ly improved, and duly registered
distillers are now content to make
Legitimate profits and bear their
Legitimate burdens towards the gov
eminent. The large increase of
revenue under the new system, as
compared with corresponding peri
DDS of the old, is sufficient proof Of
the improvement; and if the present
system is, as Commissioner Rollins
tells us, still open to abuses and en-
tirely dependent upon the honesty
of the local officers, the cure for such
abuses would certainly not seem to
be in replunging us into the same old
vortex of corruption from which
we have just escaped, and in which,
despite all efforts, the government
found it impossible to collect one
dollar out Of every ten due it in the
shape of revenue. Although the
country has become so accustomed
to high-handed and lawless legisla-
ton from a Radical Congress as to
be almost prepared for any sort of
innovation, no matter how mons
trous, he must indeed be bold man
who, in the present state of public
enlightenment respecting whisky
frauds, and despite the manifest
proofs of the advantages of the new
system, will, for the sake of aiding
the schemes of few selfish specu
lators in and out of Congress, dare
to infIict again upon the country all
the ruin and mischief of the old
abandoned law.
|
A REMARKABLE CASE.
4 Man with a Hole through His 81 cad.
The audible litter with which,
according to the Boston papers,