, 1875-11-07

The Granl Jury of the Northern District
of Illinois On Friday returned into the United
States District Court indictments against some
forty or more persons accused Of violations
OF the Revenue law. These include parties
doing business at Peoria, but most Of them
are residents of Chicago. The persons in
dicied are distillers and rectifers, and also
revenue officers known Us Gaugers and Store
keepers. The result in st. Louis is an indi-
cation of whit will follow these indictments
here. The evidence Of deliberate, systematic,
and long-continued fraud thera was SO over
whelming that the majority of those impli-
Gated, after braye1y contending for q while,
voluntarily appeared in court and confessed
their criminality. The more corrupt officials
took the chances Of trial, and have been
convicted. We understand that in large
number of the Chicago cases the evidence at
the service of the Government Is as conclusive
as it was in the st. Louis indictments, and
TINT convictions must follow as matter Of
course.
This is no case Of ordinary fraud upon
the revenue. It was q wholesale one. It
was q combination and q conspiracy to
violate the law, defraud the revenue, and
for purposes Of profit. It's success included
the corrution Of Federal officers, the forgery
Of books, the second, third, and fourth use of
stamps, false accounts, perjured reports and
certificates, and general system OF dis
honesty.
We know that in certain circles-and they
are by 10 means small ones-a moral code
teaching that it is no crime to defraud the
Government has been extensively cultivated.
When the whisky tax was Sc gallon this
sentiment prevailed to the extent that but
very small percentage of the tax was COL
1ected, and Congress yielded to it SO far as to
reduce the tax to 10 cents on the gallon.
But the dishonest sentiment was not satisfied ;
the corrupt officials were found who were will
ing to share this tax with the manufacturers.
The honest distiller could not compete in the
market with the men who paid no tax save
what was paid as olackmail to the corrupt
officers, and in this way the manufacturers
who might have been willing to pay their tax
and do III honest business were in q manner
coerced into the combination But the crime
was not the less fragrant, the fraud was not
the less scandalous and disgraceful, and the
end not the less ruinous. There is no excuse
for rational men, occupying respectable
social and commercial stations, engaging in
this business. If they could not curry on
business without fraud and corruption, they
should have abandoned it. There can be no
more excuse for fraud, forgery, and perjury
in the whisky trade than there is for resort
to these articles in the dry goods or grocery
trade, in banking, or in any branch Of manu-
factures.
The pnblio will regret that these dis
closures involve 50 many persons hitherto re-
spected in the community, and, however
strong may be the sympathy, there will be q
genera approval Of the rigorous measures
adopted by the Government Justice will
insist on conviction and such pecuniary
as may be possible to the reve-
nue.; whatever other penalty may be i'm
posed must, of course, depend on the person.
al conduct Of each person. For the officers
who betrayed their trust, whose connivance
led others into crime, and who for dishonest
gains proved false to the public they were
sworn to protect, there will be no sympathy,
md Whatever penalties may be imposed viii
not be regarded as too severe by public
opinion.