The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-09-12
Law AND LIQUOR.
The Registers In Operation i'm Rich
rnOnd.

rnOnd.
DIR. MoFyETT-s INVENTION SUBJECTED TO
A PRACTICAL TEST-THE INSTRUMENTS
PUT IN A LARGE NUMBER OF LIQUOR SA-
LOoNs-soME INFORMATION ABOUT THE
LAW-PENALTIEs-w WHAT REVENUE THE
MACHINE WILL BRING IN.
Yesterday. under direction OF Commits
sioner er.of-the-Revenue r. B. Munford and
his deputies, j. W. Wilkes and II. Ii. Will
.kins, the liqusr-taX registering machines
proyided for in the Moffett law were put up
in large number of the bar-rooms OF the
CITY, and were at once set to work by the
proprietors. A collector from the Treasu-
rer's office went with each deputy to re-
ceiye so for each register put into the
hands OF dealers The dealers, rs general
thing. received the officers OF the law re-
spectfulIy and kindly-only in few in
stances was temper shown. AS the law Is
to be executed for some time to come, at
least, the more sensible liquor-dealers have
resolved to "accept the situation y quietly,
and by putting the entire tax upon the
consumers (as was intended) leave it to the
latter to do the growing and complaining.
ADVANCE IN PRICES.
In most OF the saloons where the registers
were located the price OF alcohollc drinks
was advanced from ten to fifteen cents, or
two drinks for quarter. The price OF
lager was not raised. It. still stands at five
| cents, but new glasses, holding nine or ten
Der cent. less than the old ones, are used.
The dealers have with great unanlmity
stoppcd the credit system. That will be
their gain. The consumer pays the entire
Tux. The dealer makes by the abolition OF
the credit system, by the two and n half
cents extra on all-single alcoholic drinks, by
the register affording check upon the bar
tenders, and by from ten to twelve per cent.
in paying, as the majority will do, the tax
in coupons.
REGISTER! REGISTER.
Have YOU registered to-day?
That was the popular salutation yesterday.
The question was addressed TO popular
old merchant about noon. He was intent
on his business, and had not been in BAR
room for many day, and he responded:
"My gracious We are not going to have
another election, are we?"
By the word "rcgister" he understood
that we were to be bored with that awful
but inevitable preliminary to another cleo
ton. He was shown his error, and, with
half dozen others, went to the nearest sa-
loon to witness liquor-rcgiSter in full ope-
ration. As he slipped his lager from
dainty little glass he remarked:
Registering isn't such fearful bore,
after all.
So thought hundreds yesterday.
The liuuor saloons favored with registers
had an unusual run. People were seen en-
terine bar-rooms who never entered before,
as far as known.
They didn't care to drink.
They only wanted to see the register III
operation.
BAsELESS FEAR.
Full discretion is given the Commissioner
az to where to locate the register. AS
general thing they were placed on the coun-
tiers. that being the most convenient place.
But it by no means pleased those most di-
rectly concerned. Some OF them SAID that
the newspaper-men would come around,
take the state OF the register and publish the
same, thereby exposing their business 10
their rivals, and all that. 1t is not likely the
newspaper-men will do anything OF the
kind, except where party is charged on
warrant with violation of the law. There
is n more reason why q liquor. dealers busl-
ness should be needlessly exposed to the
public than grocer's or shoe-dealer's.
COLLECTIONS, sIDE-SoTEs, &C.
Collections will be made monthly. Bills
will be in form very much ike CITY gas
bill, and will be payable to Assistant Trea-
surer W. P. Ragland, at Goddin's Hall.
The liquor-dealers are furnished with
COPY of the law; but it is not in the very
best shape. Liquor-dealcrs are not lawyers.
They ought to be furnished with the law
printed with copious side-notcs. The copy
given them has no side-notcs or headings.
Many saloon-keepers say they mean to turn
the crank on Sundays as we'll as any other
day. The register will not tell that they
have been selling on Sunday. The city or
dinance offers no fee to the iniormer, and
ANYHOW the penalty OF the Sunday ordl-
nance is less severe than the penalty OF the
Motfett law for failing to turn the crank.
WHAT THE THE REGISTER WILL BRING IN.
Last wear the whole amount paid by all
the LIQUOR merchants OF the State into the
Treasury was S1S7,0O0. Richmond liquor
merchants paid $4,000.
Say that man sells per day 60 drinks OF
spirituous liquors (taX on same Sl.50), or ~
drinks spirituous liquors and 100 OF malt
(tax OH the two S1.50). his tax per annum
Isl. .5Ox365) would be S54S. Three hundred
and fifty dollars averaging that amount
would make total OF $191 800 per annum
for Richmond. Add to that $50, 900 for spe-
cific licenses and taxes not colectable Dy the
register. and the aggregate would be SILL
800. Ordinarily Richmond pays one NTH
OF the liquor.taX OF the State. There Is IN
this case reason to suspect that the law VIII
not be as rigidly enforced elsewhere as III
Richmond: therefore, say we will pay one
fourth of the whole amount, and we have
An entire amount for the State OF over $780,
900 per annum.
The above estimate IS very low one.
The dealer that doesn't sell IS worth OF
liouor per day can't keep agoins. The re-
ceipts OF many are five times this sum. The
estimate, therefore, makes liberal-eyen eX-
Observation-Disclosures for "leakage" Tor
the bar-rooms and stores that do not keep
omen on Sunday; for many small estaDllsh-
ments that do not sell malt liquor; ana 1or
the reduced tax the retail dealers pay.
NOTES AND SUGGESTIONS.
State officer OF extended reputation yes
terday went into Broad-Street saloon and
purchased glass OF lager. 1t was delight
fully cool, and he was about three minutes
swallowing it. After that process had been
satisfactorily completed he wiped his lips
with his handkerchief. Then he looked IN
uuirincly at the bar. keeper. After little
While he said to the latter dignitary, g You
forgot to turn the crank"
The answer was "No, I havn't; but you
forgot to pay me-"
.sOh, did I,'' was the response; and
five-cent piece was slapped down upon the
counter.
Then the crank was turned, the bell
sounded. the dial moved forward, and the
bar-keeper announced that the debt OF Vir-
einia had been reduced hall cent.
Colonel John B. Young, of counsel for