The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-05-26
The Whiskey Ring.

The Exposure" of the frauds OF
The Whlskey ring-if that can be
called an Exposure" where the truth
has been long known to many people
and its existence suspected by all
has probably two-fold origin. Mr..
brlstow is, we make no doubt, sincere
In his desire to reform the Treasury
Department, and President Grant is
not unwilling that he should attract
attention to its good deeds and divert
it from the department of Mr. Delano.
But the Administration by these Eek
posures" also publishes two things
the widespread corruption that ex-
lists among its servants and the ex,
IRENE unwisdom gifts revenue policy.
When an attempt was made in De-
cember last to raise the duty on whis-
key from 70 cents to 81 per gallon,
we charged it directly to tile whiskey
ring. Secretary Bristow was against
the increase of the tax, knowing from
his experience as District-Attorney
in the greatest whiskey district in
the Southwest that high tax meant
fraud. lie preferred q duty on coffee
and tea, the most iudicious tax that
could be devised. But the ring was
too strong for him; Commissioner
Douglass, in his report, recommended
the abolition of stamps, and an adj
vance in the tax on whisky and to-
bacco. If the late Commissioner was
not manipulated, the recommendation
was, as Mr.. Weller would say, a re-
markable coincidence. The fact is
the ring had laid the pipes for this
swindle for some time, and found an
unexpected obstacle in an honest
Secretary of the Treasury whom they
tried by means fair or foul to get out
of the Treasury. The scandal, could
it be laid bare, would be found to in
volve men in Congress as well as in
the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Of
course as long as such a thoroughly
incapable Chairman as Mr.. Dawes
ruled the Ways and Means Commit
tee, even the most honest Secretary
of the Treasury was powerless to
remedy evils. The Democrats, who
will now take charge of this most i'm
portant committee, would belle the
of their party if they did
not second the honest efforts of an
honest officer, although not Of their
political creed. Whether, however,
the imposition of the increased tax
by the Republican majority is to be
laid to ignorance or corruption, the
Republicans cannot avoid the respon-
sibility for that increase, a response
bility rendered graver by the fact
that practical experiment in 1869
had shown what reason Dictated
hat low tax is the only preventive
If fraud. No less grave is their &C
,ountability for the inevitable lower
ng of the morale of the civil service,
where the standard Of honesty was
already sufficiently low without the
increased temptation afforded
through placing a premium on reve-
Tue frauds.
We must own, however, that we
scarcely expect that Mr.. Bristow will
,e permitted to work any abiding re-
iorm or any extensive reform. If
he St. Louis whisky ring is broken
I'D, what will become of the eminent
Radical members, one of whom the
recently honored with a
nomination, who divide $4,000 a
week among themselves-and 9th
RS? Till the Harper trial comes of
t is not safe to say that the power of
he ring in Central Illinois is des-
royed. At Chicago it is not likely
hat trails will be followed far till the
discovery is made that not alone are
ocal officers interested in the stamp
rauds, but that illicit stills have
,een running under very distinguish
d Radical permission from Washing
on. In fine, it is the same old story.
The whole fabric is rotten.-[N. Y.
World.