Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-12-02

81. LOUIS, Nov. Is. 1875.

81. LOUIS, Nov. % 1873.
Editors 4 Bsaeos :-Yon readers
doubtless 3 V Hard : great deal Of
late Of what = called The @Whizkey
Ring" Of thewest, Of which st. Louis
is the unenIsble centre. I could not
take for my litter a subject Of : moro
sensational nature here at present than
that Of thi& Ring" and its corrupt
maehinstio1s- II il the almost sole
topic of attention and excitement from
the street to the drawing ROOM Every
day the %. 8. Court for this District il
besieged with anxious faces endeavor-
ing to gain admittance to hear the pro-
ceedings in the trial Of parties eonnec-
ted with this Ring.
1t equals in interest the enclosures in
the great Tammany and Canal Rings of
New York, with which il may be strik-
ingly compared in all its features and
workings. But this has gone beyond
the limits Of a single State and occu-
pies National distinction.
pErxfLEB HISTORY OF rks ~aTSo." !
This "Whiskey Ring" was gigantic
conspiracy, planned and operated by
governmental Revenue agents, and by
which the Government has been de-
fraudea of over $4,000, 600 revenue. I
will proceed to give history of this
Ring and its secret and villainouswork-
ings from its beginning in this sity, as
shown by evidence in the triak now
pending.
The heavy tar upon whiskey and TO-
bacco since the war has necessitated the
appointment of large number of agents
to watch these establishments in all
parts of the country. Both of these
businesses are extensively operated here
in the West. and especially whiskey,
from which the Government derives
large revenue. 1t requires extra super
vision into its workings that no fraud
consciously or uneonsciously may be
perpetrated. The appointment of these
agents emanates from the President and
they unite to make up a large par. of
his great army of Office holders
Now the organization of this band of
plunderers relates back to political
causes for its origin.
GRANT CAMPAIGN FUND.
Missouri at large and st. Louis have
been largely Democratic since a few
years after the war In 1871 the Rev
enue officers here leagued together to
raise campaign fund TO overthrow this
majority. This embraced the Grant
campaign in 1872.
Missouri, Kansas and A kansas consti-
tute Revenue District under the con-
troll of supervisor, who holds his head
quarters in this city, together with a
collector of Internal Revenue. There
are also deputy collectors, storehouse
keepers and gaugers, the two last named
being under the more direct control of
the Supervisor. These storehouse keep
ers and gaugers are placed respectively
in immediate charge of each distillery
and rectifying establishment, and are
required to watch strictly each of the
four processes by which distilled spirits
are made. One unfamiliar with the
requirements Of the law can scarcely re-
alize the espionage it requires; and
only in this way can the government
secure its revenue. Alcohol can be
raised to various degrees and the law
requires certain proof as standard
for taxation, hence this strict supervis-
ion. Every barrel or package of whis-
KEY or high wines sent from any distil-
lery or rectifving establishment must
have a stamp placed upon it by the q.
s. Gauger, and these are furnished the
distiller by the Collector of his District
and represent his tax. 1t will be seen
that these regulations cannot be easily
avoided except by the connlvance of the
experimenting officials, for under this
system daily reports are required of
each officer, and any irregularity is soon
detected.
THE WAY IT WAS DONE.
Now comes the startling revelations
in this gigantic steal. The parties to
it, ii will be seen, were the government
officers on the one hand and the distil-
lers and rectifyers on the other, the
object of the steal conducted under
that guiltful maine of Campaign Fund"
In 1871 John Mcdonald, Supervisor of
Internal Revenue for this District. and
John A. Joyce, special agent in his Of
flee with another agent brought special
~ from CINCINNATI, linked themselves
together, and proposed to a large dis
tilling house here, that for the above
mentioned purpose, they should panu.
facture crooked or taxless whiskey,
the half OF the proceeds of which was
to 60 to the Ring and the other half to
the firm. In order to carry out this
proposition the gaugers and storehouse
keepers must be let into the secret OR
the plan prove a failure. 1t was agreed
to allow them FROM 81 to SIS upon each
barrel that was crooked"
1t did not stop with this one firm,
form 1872 firm after firm fell into the
crooked" business.
The election being over and failing
in their political designs it was agreed
to stop the steal, as special revenue
agent sent here from Washington, had
discovered irregularities in the books
OF noted firm. OF course this pro-