The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-05-15
THE WHISKY RING.


Something like small earthquake was
the effect among the whisky manufacturers,
rectifers and dealers Of Chicago, Milwaukee
and St. Louis on Monday, on the sudden de-
scent, on that day, simultaneously in all the
cities named, of the government officials up.
on all their distilleries and rectifying estab-
lishments, and their seizure in the name of
Uncle Samuel, on the charge Of defraudlng
the government of its revenue. The under
standing is, that Secretary Bristow, who has
had his government detective force engaged
tor six months past in working up the case,
has discovered that for the last four or five
year, a powerful whisky ring has existed IN
the west, with their headquarters at Chicago
and st. Louis, who have Systematically rob
bed the government annually of millions OF
its righttul revenue So wealthy and power
fu has been this ring, that it has been able
to buy up and retain IN its interest all the
government officials in positions where they
were likely to become cegnisant of its opera
tions. So allpervading has been It's intlu
ence in this respect, that in tracing out its
ramiiications and operations, not single
revenue official in the west was given the
slightest intimation Of what was going on,
and the seizure was made by Philadelphia
official Even Commissioner Douglas, Sec
rotary Bristow found reason to suspect, was
either bought up by the ring, or was SO de-
plorably remiss in his duty and blind to what
was going on as to be unfit for his place, and
the Secretary, before he dared to explode
on the ring, first demanded Of the President
his removal, and this is now given as the cx-
PLANTATION OF the sudden any mysterious re-.
moval of Commissioner Douglas week ago.
Having thus got all in readiness, the secre-
tary, as already lntimated, came down like a
hawk on the revenue thieves last Monday.
In all 80 distilleries were seized on that
day in Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis,
and these were followed on Tuesday by the
further seizure of the distlleries at Vincennes,
Pekin, and many other points,
The ways are said to have been various
and marvelously ingenious in which the ring
managed to swindle the government, but a
favorite means was to use the stamps placed
on packages Il second and third time SO that
on an average the tax was not paid on over
one gallon of three gallons of whisky that
were sold. That some such rascality was be-
ing systematically practiced for several years
past was selCevident from the fact that whis
ky, upon which nominally tax OF 90 cents
a gallon was paid, was being sold in large
quantities at from sixty cents to dollar q
gallon
The affair affords another striking com
mentary on the rottonness of our entire inter
nal revenue system. The officers Of the secret
service had been hard at work ferreting ont
the business for months past, and yet there
was not one official out Of hundreds in the
west whom they dared to take into their con.
fdence. 1t was palpable that all this stealing
could not be going on for years and yet none
OF the collectors, inspectors, or gaugers be
cognizant or at least have a strong suspicion
OF it, Yet all to man evince the greatest
establishment on the explosion, and claim to
have been as ignorant of any irregularities
as newborn babes. Perhaps they were, bu,
1t Is noticeable that most of our more promi-
nent western revenue officials have been so
swell hecled" that though most of them will
probably be removed none Of them are likely
to come to want.