New-York tribune., 1877-09-15
VIRGINIA's NOVEL LIQUOR TAX.

VIRGINIA'S NOVEL LIQUOR TA4.
THE MOFFETT REGISTER NOW IN USE.
REPUTATION LIKELY TO BIZ DEFEATED bf pHi>h
ING MEN-oRIGIN OF THE sCHEMK-oPPosiiioN
TO IT-DETAIIs or ITS OPERATION.
(rRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE IRibushI
RICHMOND, Sept 12.-The Moffett register IS
now IN operauon in all the prime pal saloons OF Rich
mopd and Will soon be placed in every licensed barroom
and LIQUOR store in Virginia I is intended TO Keep an
account all liquor sod and 10 afford the COnmsSoh
ers OF The the basis Of taxing the trade III ac
cordapce with the Act OF the Assembly From 1t much
is exrected There not dollar in tho Treasury
the talk about compulsory adjustment and repudiauon
has already greatly weakened the public credit, ana
tbouch the insane asyums, and the Institution Tor the
Deaf Dumb and Blind suffering for the funds ayapie
and overdue them by the state the Richmond Danks are
little inclined to loan the small sum OF SlOOoOO asken
TO relieve pressing necessities In addiloh the
interest 10 the bondhoders millions in and the
General Assembly 10 meet in December viii hnd no
funds Cunoss in the borrowed 10 pay their
salaries In anticipation OF such state OF affairs the
MoAett law was planned and passed. II is expected
10 produce $9OOO0O per annum II reyOliuonizes tne
hquor trade and applies to the business OF taxcoectg
an automatic machine, essentially the same as the New
ri Third-ave. ear fare register.
Nearly every liquor dealer in Virginia abhors Dr.
it is uttered they breathe And yet DIR. Mof-
fet IA " mild hammered" man. lie is member OF the
Senate for Rockingham County, about fifty years OF
age was educated a physician, but has gwen some
attention TO law; is fine speaker pleasant gentle
man, and determined friend of State credit Last WIN
ter he greatly impressed with NrSinas unhappy
financial condition The demagogues had convinced the
people that they could bear more taxation and tha
as the yearly deficit was $7jOO0O they must finally be
oyerv helrned with the accumulation OF interest Tie
country members constituting threefourths OF TIE Gen
eral Assembly would hear OF no advance OF the lax
$50 cents on the 500 assessed valuel land; stamp
taxes instruments OF writing had been proposed ana
rejected and various other projects looking to raising
more revenue without depressing the andholders or the
trade Of the cites had failed by opposition either from
the country city members In this direfu extremity
Dr. M0aeti conceived the plan of taxing dran-drink-
crs He called 20 his assistance Ons Dene, mechanical
inventor Of Richmond and the Maet register was tie
vsed and the Of forever given TO Virginia for her
territory.
The machine is generally called the Moffett be-punch
The idea from III street carpunches, undoubted
w. but there is no punch in it, about the size Of
common ceaI-bOx. All the machinery Is incosel within
a box when is male OF casr n. on tne front OF the
box j. combination of dGis, registering lrom l u
1O0OO00. on the reverse side IS crauk Ihe register
l. permanently uNcd on counter win the didl Aclhs
tie customer and trccr nix nearest ne bartender Nhtle
malt ana spWiuous liquor" are soiu, thcIo ,s
for appropriately labelled Suppose glass of acer
t.
therefor i've cenis lie tuis the crank once; u eony
WITHIN the box sounds and the hands on the dial
orward point The alcoholic register IS exact
y the same. nut the atter hqnor taxed 2 cers per
Drink, the former oneali cent per drink Bus are TO
hc made up 10y deputies Of the Commission OF the Rcye
nue. who Will month inspect each register.
In the beginning, Dr. Mof3u never proposed TO tax
alcoholic drinks above cent. That his first
idea aud the bill was drawn in that shape. But the
l. ouor Dealers Association through their President,
| made substantially this representation:
"a 10 fn, fag
cent ana To put il on the consumer as Is mtendcdl We
will have sell for ii cents That VIII be Inconvenience
on Will force the down 10 10 cents, aud then
dealer not the consumer, VIII have 10 bear the bur
den Maze the pig cents viii scli two drinks Tor
quarter, and thus iOcate the Tx Where II belongs
That argument was admitted force and the bill
was changed The tax increased from cent to 2i2
cents on achoholc drinks and allowed to stand one
hall cent on malt liquor In that shape the bill was
contract for the manufacture OF tn registers was
made bv the Auditor OF Public Accounts and supply
rived here August while the Conservative Convention
was fighting the state ticket Five Of the registers
were put in ace in neighborhood wheretn conven
ton sat and where drinking was going at rapid
tatc Hardly had they been well hXed IN place WHOM
Jnd e Hughes Of The United States Court, issued order
esanine Their ON tne ground, as alleged by the
louor dealers tuat the registers miringed patent
one Founiare. fOuntare's patent for fare register
they proposed TO tight Mofiei. The case came UP fOr
hearing Al AcXandrd on the 4th Iht decision OF the
MoGett's application for patent; but about 1e 9th ii
rf,nt was issued by the Commissioner TO MOfet. On
r Sth Jujg. Hughes dissolved the restraining order
refused the liquor dealers an injunction 10 prevent tue
use Of Moelt register decded incidentally that the
Moett patent not infringement upon FOuDtai e's,
ana continued the for fan and final hearing it,
as raised the distractions the sth, Tuesday,
I1 the work OF placing the REGISTERS III the liquor
looms and stores of Richmond was begun.
The trice OF alcoholic drinks was Immediately sd-
vauced from ten to fifteen Two tor quarteI), and
LAGER beer was continued at the old price, five cenis-but
smaller glass holding tenth less than the old one.
was Introduced According the most moderate
mae Richmond will pay SCI 900 per annuin, and the
State SS44OOO If such expectations realized, Vir
gina with this tax and the one on property IN
force can pay per cent her entire debt and meet
all her governmental expenses In fact the total deficit
VIII be fully met The Moliett drinks is above
gwen reaches also, liquor sold Oy the measure ~ 10
five gallons but is somewhat lighter than the
other Penalties for violation Of the law are severe
Iiquor dealers pay the tax found against them IN
tax receivable coupons But Only aoont Fl'ZoooV OF
such coupons mature per annu and II used extensively
10 pay liquor tax they cannot De empOYed Ia pay prop
erty TAX III any the surplus VIII reach the Treas
ury iu currency As every coupon Is likely 10 be
Noheit quOr rigidy en- orce1, Nirgnas financial
dincnties would b. AT end, and reputation would
never be mentioned again. Consumers pay the tax
cheerfuy. Few OF them complain.
But the liquor dealers VIII never quietly submit They
will probabi, make fight before Judge Hughes
the Ito Of October; they VIII make II test in voting
for members of the Legislature they will resist by legal
rocthods wherever and whenever II is possible, with
what prospect the that attends tne execution Of
~ MnGeti law for the next few months Will, IN great
measure determine.
In 1850, when England was going mad about