New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1873-06-06
NEW ORLEANS, FRIDAY, JUNE g, 1873

frauds, they would give him no facts OF
dates which would enable him to discover
them. They had no definite information
as 10 prices, actual sales or transactions in
| spirits III New Orleans General Sewell
| reached New Orleans on the sixth of April,
and examined the distilleries in operation
| there. spending considerable time at each
d!st!liery and using every means to ascer-
| tain what opportunity, if anv. for fraud
| existed. So far as he could discover, the
dlsuile,les were run in accordance with
the prescribed regulations The store
keepers were faithful and efficient and
| their records were full and correct. The
principal reason Tor suspeet.ng fraud being
! the alleged low prices of spirits. General
Sewell proceeds to show. Dy figures and
quotations. that the sales were actually
higher in New Orleans than in Cincinnati
EXAMINING the cost of production in New
Orleans as compared with Cincinnati, Gen
eral Seweil found corn selling at very low
hguFe Bulk corn was quoted az forty
seven cents; dis,lleries had purchased at
forty-slx cents. Mixed corn III sacks sold
az tcrty-tour TO forty five cents. with re-
turn Of SIX cents tor sacks. Distilleries
readily disposed Of all their slop at thirty
three 10 ihlfty-1iye cents per bushei and the
ready demand for Stop for feeding cows at
the prices paid is what enabled distillers to
sompete with Northern and Western mar
hets. The dist!slers also saved coope,Sge
Dy using second hand barrels q. 81 10 in.
stead OF Few cDes at g. o..
IN conclusion, the report saws that the
prices q: New Orleans do rot indicate anv
quantity ct Illicit whisky on the market:
tia: the 0ticers are 1aithfrl ard would de.
t. e it 4" :he facts are as charged. Such ;s
tie tenor Of this report, which the com.
missioner has accepted as an authentic
version Of the matter in dispute. and will
act upon. unless strong evidence is offered
to Ps0ve il erroneous.
a special from Washington to the St.
Loris Globe Of the third also refers 10 the
subject:
Tie elaborate statement Of great whisky
frauds in s.. Louis and New Orleans az.
pear;ng in the Washington core spcnderce
Of New York paper is traceable to the in.
fuerces Of Cincinnati disti:'eze. who are
chnE,inel at the decline of their trade with
New Orleans. and seek to emba,sass dis.
tiiiation in that city and in St. Louis. which
has N part eupplanted Cincinnati, in hopes
to recover their market.
The report Of Supervisor Sewell, made
public by Commissioner Douglass today,
states that the Cincinnati dis!illers and
deslere who complained OF traud at New
Orleans at s.. Louis could furnish no iu.
formation whatever on the subject. :.
Mr.. SeweN proceeded to New Orleans,
thoroughly examined the distillesies, the
books Of d:stille-A ard revenue officers,
pricea current and market reports of the
whisky trade. ard found corn cheaper than
At Cinc;Irat, ard whisky somewhat higher,
and Is sati.fed that the current price
atArded small profit to lawful distillation.
Any such extensive evasions of the, tax as
was charged would put Illicit whisky
enough on market to break down the prices,
but nothing of the kind has occurred The
Commissioner is satisfied that there are no
appreciable frauds at St. Louis