The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1870-04-08
FRIDAY, APRIL 8, $50.
NM c,6dr6oTmIIs5sIonoor d fniel4hal Revenue,

TRE Commissioner oi1ntetnai Revenue,
Mr. DEEASo, has recently .don6a thing
that does not seem to DO quite on the
square. Section 157, Of ths,Actl Of Con.
gtFcssoi June 80, 1894, authorizes him ito
prescribe such inetlnOd lEoeSthe canCella,
ton of staR 6HaladsiBF, or in nd.
ditlon TO, the method now prescribed by
law, as he may deem expedient and Ct
fectual."
Under this assumed authorization Mr.,
DRLANo has made an order that
ION and after May /, 1870, all adhesive
stamps used upon the instruments, dOcu-
ments, writings and papers; mentioned
and described In Schedule B Of tho inter-
nal revenue laws shall bC cancelled by tho
person afixing the same either by writing
upon each aud every stamp, IN Ink, the
initials. of his name, and the date (year,
month aud day. upon which the same is
attached Or used, or by cutting and can:
ceiling tho same with tho machine called
'Wheeler's Patent CanCeler,' or such other
machine or instrument rs may hereafter
be Designated and prescribed by satd
Commissioner; and that no other method
Of cancellng sucll stamps, employed on or
after that date, shall be recognized Us legal
and sufficient until otherwise prescribed
and ordered" ",
Tie effect of this mandate Is to compel
every bank, every business house, and
every man In whatever profession or bust
ness who docs any considerable amount
Of stamping 10 buy this WHEELER's
Patent CanccIcr" ut whatever price
tho proprietor may sec fit. The price
fixed Is $40, for u simple cOntrivancc that
ought to cost dollar ortwo outside of the
monopoly given by the patent. Now let
any one consider how many people WILDE
compelled TO buy this Canccler, and he
will see that WHEELER's fortune is made
by this ono dash of Mr. DRIANo's pen.
Mr.. DEI.ANO or his friends may never he
benefited mc~Ccnt by this operation;
but that would not excuse such III. I'M
warrantable and Unnecessary use (rathcr
let us say abuse) Of Ills power Mr.. DE-
I.ANO has no right, nor do VIC believe my
authority in law, 10 lay this tax Of $40 u
head ON tho business men Of the country.
i. II Is not even levied for the benefit Of the
United States treasury, hut for the sole
benefit Of one WV. ~. WHEELER Of New
York city. Why should such II tax he
Ind by the Commissioner for the cxcln-
sivc emolumcnl Of Mr.. WHEELER!
Tho only authority the Commissioner
has in the statute il 10 prescribe the
''methOI' Of cancellation The 'methOl"
effected BY this Canccler Is to impress in
tue stamp by raised letters tho month and
day Of cancellation. Why did he not
simply prescribe the "mCthotl" and leave
the publictO find the machine or deviceS
If WHEELER's patent would forbid any
other kind of device than his, that alone
was an unsurmountablc objection to
adopting lis method. The Commissioner
had no right to subject the business pub
lie to the cxactions Of a monopoly; and in
doing this he has done thing that Is
wrong in ITSELF unauthorized in law, mil
unjust and oncrous to the business conf
munity, II not something worse. Mr..
DELANo has no authority in tho statute
quoted to compel the public 70 buy any
particular machine for the execution
Of a prescribed "mcthOd" Of cancellation.
Yet instead of prescribing the "mcthod"
and leaving the device for executing Il
open to competition, SO that the public
might hcupplicdat air rate, he DEGREES
that only one particular machine, Of
which the owner has q monopoly, shall be
used.
But this Is not all. Tho Commissioner
leaves Il d, S jjnteTrcd, that this operation
is toGbc repeated. SAftrr Prescribing
"Whcclcr's Patent CancelGr'' hcadds, "or
such other machine or instrument rs may
hereafter IC designated and prescribed by
Nid Commissioner" That Is to say: As
som IA tic Country IL supplied with the
Wheeler Cancclcr, and there nrC no
mora to DO soldIit will bo found that the
machine is II failure; some other convcn.
icntgeGtlelna6' will 1bSi found, who hasa
nton6pdyin Sanothaf 5maelihc, andaan'
other decree will he issued that IL shall
hc used. And thus the business public
will bG niilkGd again, and as olctIas they
will endure ii or the Commissioner dare.
What assurance lias the public that it will
not ,l,e lpbliged t0lbuy somebody Cell'eS's
Cancclet before tho first Of July?
We have a very strong suspicion that
there is n job In this "orlcr" from he.
ginning 10 end. The Commissioner as.
signs az reason for it: lowing to oXtcn-
sive frauds committed Hp6n the revenues
by Inc washing, restoration and rouse Of
such internal revenue adhesive stamps us
have been used and cancelled by the mn.
chine known as the ribbon stamp" Now
We are constrained 10 doubt tint there
are very extensive frauds OF this cllnmc'
ter. Unlike postage stamps, which arn
thrown away after use, revenue sumpsHrc
used on papers that arc preserved, and
which would 10 valueless II tho istnpps
were taken oti; and in tiihG cases Oltpf