, 1876-01-24
How tho Tax Is Collected Oh That Basis
in Prusaia-Frauds and
Rings Unknown.
Ono Unfortunate Dfsiitler Sentenced to
Fifteen Years for an Attempted
$500 SMindlc.
"0apacity Tax" Will Do Away with an
Army Of Gaugors, storckoepers,
a1d Othor officials.

enuo by tho Whisky Kings, 1t has become rather
serious question whether our sJstsn Of collecting
tho revenue On spirits Ia tho bost under the sun.
The lsssons OF the past eight or nino monthB
clearly Indicate that sho present syston Is
caphbie OF being perverted Into an OWL disastrous
In its effects both 10 tho Government and to tho
cause Of public morals. With = full knowledge
Of those facts befors them, several thinking por-
Sons are carefully considering our syasem and
that In usc in Prussia, tho general result beng
decidedly favorable to tho latter, al being
tho simplost and at the Hane time tho eafost
method Of collecting Tho tax on dfatiilod apirita.
It 10 vol known that Con. Webster is now work.
log up tho subject, getting tho opinions Of dis.
tllfers aud otaera supposed to know, with the
design Of Incorporating tho result Of bis In.
vostionH In report soon to be submitted to tho
Commissioner Of Internal Novonuo. Knowing
that considerable ntercat ia felt In tho sub )cct
Tribune reporter last Saturday sought cer-
tain distt11cr In this city to obtain from him, II
possible, copy Of the Pruasan law, and to got
hia avn personal views upon tho matter. Tie
reporter copy Of tho law. which he lad tried to
obtain for himeolf for enrao tlme past. but he
know enough about It to SAY that It is founded
upon tho syatem Of taxing diatillartos On
THEIR GREATEST CAPACITY.
The ropoEtos asked tho gentleman whether ho
WAS In favor Of the systosn. and tie dasllcr be-
gan TO thscourac in this style:
Disttler-Why, It is the only correct eyatom In
vogno.. In this respect no hayon's improved
oxsiso laws no snch thing as Whisky ling Of .
ateal Of an7 magnitude WINS ever heard Of.
R.-Do sou think . system hko tho rrusathn
would work we'll tn this couutrY7
D.-Why, / don't SEQ why 1t wouldn't TEora
arc enough peoplo 10 tho United Htates who a1a
able to ostifnato to certainty tho greatest poh-
siblo capacity OF diastlcry and then lot ali tho
ts1 DO simply so much gallon or that capacity:
R.--Would tbero bo any possible chauco Of
6tealing uudor such q regulation :?
D.-Bomo fellows might attempt to run on
their mashcs IN twclvo hours, but they wouldn't
got ncar tho quantity thoT would obtain by work.
ing on the forty.ctEht.Lour plan, Of bo!ser still,
get In now mash and thor attempting to run
ovor their capacity for certain time thcy would
loso tho valuo Of q portion OF tho mash IN tho
dirfotenoe in tho quantity Of Spirits produced.
In tho long run they wonld ind thatit did notpay.
whtto tue dlst,alor who worked legttima.oly md
didn't crowd his capacity would find lle maH do
ing butter bti8ineaa than tie otheE fellow, who
uould noon giTo II up.
R.-Dnt won't the Department bo abba to col
1ect their ta1os without any trouble. md With no
Ia Strengthened up?
D.-Ios, for a year or 90. hut after that
timo, when President is 10 be ELECTED mud
money is NODDED for "srccpaien purposes, why
tho
vALyLA WILL DE OPENED,
and the business will not DO Watched with that
coso scrutiny which is now being observed.
Whllo thcro ie chnnco to nscal. sosno. poopla
30 Disposed, and tako tho chances Of
icing caught. But whoro you tax
= man SO MITCH gallon on his greatest capacity,
Whothor his dissllory runH all tho time or not,
aud hold him strictly responsible for tho tax on
that capacity. fs ian't go!ng to mako ANYTHING
outside OF what Ia legitimate. Tho lonoat dis
tlor will ondeavor to got just Is much AZ posti-
bio out Of inash aud tue Qogcsnmsnt doesn't
care for thai. Thoy havo calculated his gtoatost
possible capacity, aud ho viii Try to attain that:
but as for running over that capacity, 10 will
find 1t pretty lard work. 1 wish NO had that
Ptuastan laN a hand, - have trlea to gnt copy
Of it Hoycral ts,nes. Ono OF roy. Qaugers is .
GcrmAo, and porllaps he knows about 1t,
Mr. g., and asked him II no want = pruBsiau
and II Ae didn't know aomethlut, about tile law.
- Yes, !" said Mr. T., MY father WAS diHtillcr
In Prussia and know d good deal about the
q tax Gu tho
p1HTIL1En'g 9nRtTEaT CAPACITY,
Thore aro 10 Government Gaugerb or Store
keepers employed 10 dstilery, TIN only oaicor
being what ne would call horo All Inspector or
supervisor.
H.-Would you be kind enough to state ls.tlo
more particularly how tho dlssllas1eu arc opsr-
Ated
Swell on tho first dsy Of oyory mouth the
dinttlloF makes declaration to tho Inspector OF
how much no proposes to run during the month,
with etatoment 40 to how long be will keep
each mash In tho tubs, eto. uls supervisor hAn
lls loAk in the dBtilisry, and Hhonevcr he goes
tAere ho can tell low far euch mash Aas gone
by consulting tbs application. or declaration. aud
by noting tho time. Tue di8tiIlor lant going to
crowd, because. for QUO reaaon, be knows lo can
got moro out OF the n1sh by working 1t = longer
time. Tho capacity ta calculated at 80 many gall
Yn1A 17trtr Rrf3h $~r nf Akt,11& hNat
gallon ,a imposed. THIS tax IL paid In advance,
and when = ,Aa ii we'll known, and hnan't The
ready monoy, tho Government, ,sakeB lila nole tor
tho amount duo.
b.-No; aueh > thing IL never heard Of In
German tlhtillerics. Iho Supervisors $40 gen.
orally nen who hAyo grown up To tho army, anl
aEo taken Oh tho army list and put into the Civil
haYior. Should they become TOO old to do tho
work, they arc
RETIRED ON rEusioSs
according to tho number OF years they have
6errod tho dovornmont
N.-Thero Ia no difficulty thon, In tho Super
viBor'B keeping an account OF tho progress ut tie
s.-No hs goes In and unloeks bis little desk,
looks 1t the application. Ieokous tho tl1Ao and
ilnds out just how far the Aia.ii!or haH gonc on
anything Of that kind.
tar haa b1an paid.
b.-Yes thst's tho end Of IT.
N.-1law this !aw proved a Succeas7
R.-Decidodly.
R.-uid you ever heas Of any attempts 1t
fraud 7
s.-such An attempt thoto 1a tho rassst thing
In tho World. In tie ftst p1aes Il would b.
scarcely any object for tho psople to try to chest
tho Government. because tho spirits arc 10 clleap
and thu ss1 30 low thoru. that it ia uut ali or.
preasiro; aad ia tho eecond place such an at-
tempt would not he wise, for Il Is almost certain
to be discoveGsd, aud then tile penalties arc very
aoysto, Including the oontlscAson OF all tLs dls-
tlllat's property, as veil - Imprisonment Tor y
term OF years.-8anoEally, not short ono.
eithos, No cases are compromised thote. The
GoyerDment Inspector geta bis evidence aud tho
trial conuutnea about half ~ hum.
R.-Do you secol!eot any particular instance Of
n attempt Of this kind
IA man once knoH in Germany, now en-
gaged In b,lslpeas in Now York, but u TINT tlmo
tho proprietor OF littlo Gormsn distiltory. com
mttted eoms Irregularities, amounting to NOT
mure than 44Q0 OF $500. lie VIVA tried, con
vlctsd. hls property seizou, and b. was sent to
prison