The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1878-03-14
A VEXATIOUS TAX.

| VbhhIiuUD lhh'
What is known rs the Mofrett Register bill
yesterday passed the House Of Representa-
tives, but In n sbapeso cmasculated that there
Is nothing left in 1t but vexation to the Liquor
dealers, expense to the State, and dlssatis
faction and discomfort on all sides. IL the
Mofrctt register Ii to be adopted In Louisiana
Mt all, the rato of the tax ought to be high
enough to create M immense revenue for the
State aud Mt the same time so rob and impov-
ersh the liquor dealers that they would be
| finally vanquished In fight against It, The
magnitude Of the spoil, In short ought to jus
tify the desperate and arbitrary measure.
| Members of Legislative bodies. indeed, when
| they resort to these extraordinary measures
| of taxation should bear in mind and act upon
| the noble sentiments expressed III the follow
| Ing lines:
| A little stealing Ia dangerous part.
| But ealing largely is annble art
| tia wrong to rob hanr roost OF hen,
But stealing millions makes us gentlemen.
| Tho original bill was such a measure II
proposed to wrest from the liquor dealers, for
the benefit of tho creditors Of the State, 90 per
cent of their gross receipts. There was u
| splendor about this magnificent tax grab
which was well calculated to captivate all
classes of the community, outside Of tho liquor
dealers, who were to be benefited by 1t. Tho
| original bill was quite attractive In another re-
spect 1t provided an easy and lucrative oc-
cupation for that vast army Of gcnteel bum
| mors, too refined to work and yet unwilling to
perish. Under the original bill this class Of
gentry would have become first-class patriots; );
| I'm hpfr
luxurious living and helped pay Off the pub
| lilo debt by becoming spies and hlackmailers.
Great, indeed, was tho inventive genius Of the
statesman who first devised a law converting
espionage and blackmaling into patriotic
| occupations!
But unhappily the Democratic Legislature
was not up to the mark. The Radical mem
bers seemed oil under the influence of liberal
greasing, to be ready to stand up to the or
| iginal bill. But the Democrats lacked the
nerve to plumber any class Of tho community
of twenty per cent OF their gross receipts and
to create in our midst noble army Of spies
and backmailers. And SO tho bill was visited,
and hammered, and altered, until now 1t has
passed the House providing for a tax of five
per cent on tho gross receipts c5the liaSor
men.
But In its present shape 1t retains many of
its obnoxious, and all of its expensive features
while 1t provides for the collection Of COM
partively small tax The BILL MS 1t has passed
the House, will add little. If anything, to the
revenues OF the State. Tho liquor dealers are
perfectly willing to pay very heavy license:
but they are determined not to submit to the
annoyances and surveillance imposed by tho
Moitet register. and thoy are lcagued together,
with n considerable sum of money to resist IL
through the courts.
The moment the actO,eoomes a law. thoy
will apply to the courts and test 1t to the bit
ter end. They may bo beaten aftor while:
but they have means and attorneys able to
resist the law for months: and what the State
wants is rcrenuc nor. She wants revenue
to meet the expenses of government: to carry
on the schools; to repair levees, and to pay
interest on the debt; and we warn the Senate
before whom this bill is now to come, that
she will not get 1t through the Mofret rcgis-
ter tax This yedr-whcn wo most need it,
The liquor dealers are not SO IclODpposed
to paying five pcr cont OF their gross earn
ings to tho State rs they are to the manner in
which ii is proposed to collect the tax Our
legislators, representing u free people, should
bear in mind that tho amouSt Of tax is not
what generally renders it SGIlious Men re-
sist illegal taxes, rcrntious taxes, ,0nd arhtra-
ry methods of enforcing taxation. The liquor
mon will resist this tax If it bo reduced to one
per cont: and yot they are wiIlinpto pay Il
heavy license on thoir business. If the Senate
viii promptly vote tt7vtf tIIfis iiiiI sttfa provide
for license of two hundred and fifty. or even
five hundred dollars on liquor saloons. thcy
will secure without difficulty. withouOsScs
or blacllmaicrs, and without resistance, u
much larger revenue for the State than will
ever be derived frog ohc Mofett register.
There are over two thousand saloons in tho
State. from which license Of two hundred
and fifty dollars can be collected. or a revenue
of over six hundred Thousand dollars. No
such sum will ever be collected through the
Mofot register.
We do not speak without full Information.
The principal saloons are willing, If required. |
to pay d much larger license, and we have
not heard tOman Interested in the business |
express any indisposition to pay u lice0e of
$3.50 q Q 1
We are writing only in the interest Of the
State and we ASK the members of the Senate
before they pass the House BILL TO inquire
into this subject; TO acquaint themselves
with the bitter. fierce and vindctive resist
ance which is organizing against the Mo1ett
register system of taxation, and then deter
mine il 1t would not be wiser to abandon it |
and impose license of $3.50 or even $500
upon the liquor saloons. and thus secure,
without opposition or hostility. a much larger
and surer revenue for the State2