The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1876-01-20
THE GOVERNMENT TO BLAME.

The Chicago Tines, of the 18th inst, has a
lengthy editorial, the purpose of which is to
show that the frauds practiced upon the GOV
eminent by distillers should not be regarded
as ordinary cases of criminality. The areu-
ment Is at once ingenious and plausible, and
comedies with the opinion heretofore ex-
pressed in this paper, that the government
first passed laws which rendered the business
OF distillipg ruinous unless the terms of the
law were evaded, and then proposed to punish
parties discovered infringing laws that were
made to be broken.
We have always been of the opinion that
the real criminals in these matters, the men
who deserve severest punishment are the
officers of the law by whom the frauds were
rendered possible. Says the Times:
The attitude of the government makes it
the principal in all cases of Encouragement.
1t is utterly impossible for any distiiiery to
run crooked without the connivance of the
government, for the very simple reason that
it is the government by whom the thing is
run. So far as the distller is concerned. he
can only do crooked work when permitted to
do so as the confederate of the governmen Mt
l.
powerless, except when aided aud abetted by
the government, as would be man to run
foot races without any legs
1t is true that the govern ment In such cases
Is represented by Certain subordinate en-
ployees; but government in its totaiity is
made up OF certain number of employees,
and of nothing else. Webster, Matthew's,
Bangs, Brooks, and others of the revenue
service, represent the government, and are I
just as much a part of it as President Grant, |
Secretary Bristow, or any other Federal off,
cial, however lowly or exalted his position.
Hence. the gaugers storekeepers and other |
such officials who, having had charge of these
have run them, and done SO in
the Interest OF fraud, are q part of the Fed.
eral government, and as such they have CON-
mltted the government to the Irregularities
which have had existence. Having had ex.
elusive control Of the manufacture of whisky.
the government, through its representatives,
who are part OF itself, is the principal in
the offenses which have been committed.
A no less logical view of the whole whisky
business affords other exteuuating circum-
stances in favor Of the distier. The govern.
nent is using his capital for the manufacture
If whisky. Through its employee it says to
aim that other Institutions are running
rocked, and thereby undertaking him. It
ssures him that he can only make money by
permitting his capital to be employed in the
anne manner. 1t is ruin if he does
lot consent; and it is ruin if he is
detected; but the chances of detection are
he fewest, and SO he accepts the offer made ..
i'm. Thus all the option given to d.stil-
ar Is profit, accompanied with guarantee of
afety, II he will allow his property to be used .
u fraudulent purposes; or financial ruin,
! casa he refuses. Therefore it is that the
istiler is not merely simple accessory in
ae commission of these offsnses, but he is
reed into committing them under the
enalty OF financial destruction. These facts Il
lould go far toward relieving the distiller of b
le lgnominy connected with law break a
lg, and it should have the further effect to t
aterially mitigate the quality and extent of 1
is punishment.