New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-31

covered and taxed by the inteln Revenue officers CON-
pares FOR the last nVe ysa ear !, ss7 oao g,ons
i Twas in in i ST. s ss3is ssISas
Twas, in 1872. GS25S..a - gs ga ons
Twas, 10 1874, Sc. s65S4 gallons.
In his report the fiscal year 1870 Mr. Deano Oh,
served that be had no reason to believe tnat mere w31
the fiscal year ending june SO I'll OF wm egn 'S
months Ind ALREADY ts oss Of On Of
Revenue, AMI MI. j. W. Douglass became Acting Comnls-
sionsr His report bearing date November 2l 1871
remarkably silent she greattalhng OH IN the produch
OF whisky during the fiscal year 1871
First call your attention to the errors in this ex-
trnct an to the respective terms of service of the
several Commissioners involved. Tho fiscal year
1871 showed falling of in production AZ compared
with the fiscal year 1870, of some 16OOO,OOO
Gallons. During this time fiscal year 1870 Mr..
Dclano was Commissioner four months; was Acting
Commissioner two months and two days, and Gen.
Plcasonton was Commissioner the remaining SIX
months Of the year. his term expiring one month and
eight days thereafter tAug. s, 1871. Gen. Pleas
onton was from you own city and well known, yet
your article totally ignores his official career with
the apparent design TO throw the whole responsibility
for the great falling off in that year uponme Mathe-
Ynatealy would be entitled to alitte over onesixth
of that responsibility. But, il held liable to that
fraction of responsibility for the loss in the fiscal
wear 1871, ! am certainly entitled, by parallel
logic to the credit for the remarkable gain i'll the
following fiscal year (lS72 when the production OF
spirits rose, according to your own figures, from Oh
576,446 TO 6S,275.745 gallons-an increase OF over
10000 gallons. You remark again in the same
extract that my report for 1871 was remarkably
silent in the great falling of in production" during
that fiscal year. l have only to observe that it
would have been in very questionable taste, called
upon as | was. by the accidental date of my com
mission to make q report for year which embraced
PARTS of terms of service OF two predecessors to COM
ment on the management Of the Office, or to have
done more than simply set forth the usual historical
data. Besides. in justice to all, falr ex-
PLANTATION of tho falling off in 1871 is that the Act of
July 20. 1868. as amended by the Act Of April 10.
1862 forced all spirits out of bond on or before the
3Oth Of June, 1869. This left the bonded ware
houses comparatively empty at the beginning of tho
fiscal year 1870, and the consequence was an over
production during that year. with resultant fall
ing of in 1871. The true way 10 arrive at the
respective production in tho fiscal years 1870 and
1871 would be to average the amount upon which
tax was collected which will give annual pro-
duction Of nearly 63, 100000 gallons The pro-
pricty Of this method of estimation is further
verified by the production in immediately snbse-
1uent years-beiDg steadily GS 600 900 gallons and
upward The total production from grain and
fruit in the fiscal year 1874 G9,572 O62 gallons.
The production as indicated by tho figures for the
fiscal years 1872, 1873 and 1874. was so regular
increasing some) and the market uudisturbed,
that il came to De the opinion Of the best informed
men in the service that collecting tax on
pinety-ive per centum of the whole production. 1t
may he remarked here that TO show loss of more
than Eve per centum, over 20 900 pounds per annum
might escape taxation.
As the current fiscal year advanced o considerable
decrease in production was apparent, which be-
loved attributable to or more of three causes
First tho "hard times" second. the high price Of
corn. so marked during much of the present fiscal
yoar as to cut off the manufacture of spirits for
export almost entirely; and third, perhaps an In
creased oit production. The first two canses, I'M
questionably operating, were, Of course beyond
human control. and cOuld only be observed and re-
GREETED. The third. IL true, could be and onght to
be cured. In order to test this matter thoroughly
and to work cure if suspicious were correct, de-
tcrmned to recommend q radical remedy. The ma
ohinery of the system of internal revenue las been so
carefully improved since its first adoption, that
it has become merely question of fair ordinary
capacity. coupled with integrity and zeal the part
Of the local officers, to insure handsome collection
Of the taxes. But the officers at certain suspected
and very important points had, it feared failed
in tho discharge Of their duties. i therefore
mended a general change of supervisors to be
accompanied by a similar change Of revenue agents.
what seemed otherwise to be politically impossible
namely, change of the leading officers at the sus-
pectod points. Remembering too well that supervi-
and agents were not only business wheels,
but incidentally political Instruments and
that such q recommendation, unless prudenty
timed, would defeat itself. waited until the Con-
grcssionai and Senatorial U.S.) elections were over
and then made the recommendation Oh the Goth of
January last. had hoped that these elections hav
ing taken place and the time being midway between
Presidential elections, the order would withstand
the anticipated adverse pressure and be able to work
Its intended benefit TO the The men selected
for The suspected points were chosen for their ex-
perience vgor and integrity. But the pressure was
too heavy and the ORDER to my great regret was Ie-
called. Had the order stood in 80 or 60 days the
shipments of spirits by rail water and the sales to
local dealers at the main points could have been
pared with the records in the local Offices. or the
Washington Office. and the Illicit operations which
lave since come to light would have been certainly
discovered.
The investigation into disabling matters by the
Secret Service force. which had requested soon
after its organization whenever practicable could
only 10 knewn by me upon information from those