The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-03-03
THERE WAS NOT CURRENCY ENOUGH


AFLOAT.
1t crowded transportation to the sea
board, and increased the price OF It, 1t
made even the little station-agents conse-
quental, as the dispensers of the much
needed blessing of more cars.
This corn was corn that the distlllers
would have paid well, and would have con-
consumed as fast as they could have obtain
ed it, had they not been prevented from do
ing so by unnatural and restrictive laws.
They had over stocked the home market.
They were denied profitable foreign mar
ket, because the tax on alcohol prevented
its exports from the United States. They
we're compelled to curtail their operations,
and that in the face Of corn begging buy
err.
Now, at the time when the distillers
found that they were overstocking the
home market, had they been free to export
their alcohol, instead of curtailing theil
business, they would have increased it !;
instead Of diminishing their capacity, they
would have done, as all other profitable
business has done, enlarged their capacity
they would have sold abroad to countries
that could not compete with them in prices
or quality; and been limited in their manu-
facture only by the supply of grain, which
in turn, would have been limited by the
ability of our soil to produce. But, whsr
the farmers of the West came to the neeG
of a foreign market for their corn in the
form of alcohol, it was found that the gov
eminent of the United States Their gov
eminent verify had
SET AN EMBARGO ON THIS TRADE.
1t had damned it with tax; and, in thu!
backsetting the grain of this country in its
natural flow to the worlds market, it ha.
effectually damned the raisers of it.
This embargo has been established 81
long, and persisted in so artfully, that il
cannot be doubted that it has been main
tanned, not through mistake, but design
edly, and for purpose. The object of il
was the very consequences it has provok
ed and it is only when those consequen
ces of it have given promise of injury
alike to its abettors, as well as those di
rectly wronged by it, that we have a pros
pect of its removal
The Government imposes a tax upoI
spirits for revenue. But, like all Other
ievies for revenue, this one has double
intention. For years the Government ut
terly refused to make rebate of this ta1
to enable these spirits to be exported
The injustice of this being at length APP
parent, the Government makes a pretend
ed concession by permitting rebate to b,
made when the spirits were landed in
foreign port.
Il THIS WAS A BLIND;
for it virtually made no betterment; be
cause, as the tax amounted to three times
the actual value of the alcohol taxed, dis
tillers could not carry the amount of CAPT
tai required, or risk it if they had it. Tn,
trade was still as much perverted as a
first.
The next concession made was that tn,
alcohol could be shipped under bond for it
foreign delivery relieving the car
rying of so much capital with it. Thi
plan certainly gave promise Of the desired
relief but this purpose was practically
defeated through the instrumentality O.
the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, al
insignificant, though most potent office
under the Executive By his ruling un
der the law, he required the bond of thu
distiller to go with the alcohol to the for
eign port. No man would or could risl
his bond on property going so far beyond
him and entirely out of his control as thu
distiller S alcohol did when it passed int
the hands of the exporter, and when, be
sides its liability of certain forfeit if thu
alcohol was lost, it was surely endangered
by the treachery of the exporter, VIII,
would be tempted to land the spirits il
this country, sell them with the tax added
and leave the distiller to settle with tn
Government. In this surreptitious way
this trade, of the utmost vital importanc
to the farmers of the West,
WAS AGAIN PREVENTED
Concluded tomorrow.