The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-03-28
why Not Lc, Rum raw its Own way

There nrc now on record in the District
Attorneys onlcc more than one hundred in
di.tmon,~ and about nvc thousand COM
riaint- againa' rumscllcr-. Excluding cases
wltrl may hereafter arise II the legislature
all iourii~ without pa-"in,; az ENr,s" law. II
VIII cost the taxpayers fully S5.0Oo,O01 to
prosecute the liquor dealers under the oil
law Oi i7j7. These 300 cnsc- must all hc
tried IN the Court of General Srs sipns. The
thrrr trials already concluded have cost
Sl.5m. Til" remaining indictments, at the
same rate will involve further expense of
sio.wn, aud IL the 5000 Complaints now on
il.r nrc forced upon the attention of the
Grand Jury tho total cost 20 the people. in
Guiding the expenses preliminary To trial,
cannot fall short OF S},nJo,Ooi. The Court Ut
General S"-"ion- could do nothing for years
g. COME except try liquor sellers. and the
Grand jury room. ~ we'll n the District
Attorneys Office. would hc hopccssly cholird
M with such eases. to the exclusion OF all
,thcr business.
liut this vast expense to tho people would
hr incurred merely to clear up the docket as
II now stands A. long a. the law OF 1851 re-
Nain- in sYtcc. aud the agents of the tenn
pcrunce societies continue active cases will
continue To- accumulate. Another season 81
arrests and indictments would douhlc the
mountain. and so ON. TIL the prospect he
comes hcwildcring to contemplate
which l. tlc wiser plan. to tax property
sSwn.ooJ a year in an attempt to punish
men for scllin, rum without license, or to
tax the rum itself from s6,0)ooj0 to $4,000
OBJ, ior the privilege II being sold, and thus
Ht..i.4 lao.
the taxpayers shoulders
Figures furnished by the President OF the
Wine and Liquor Traders Society indicate
the sale OF NVoo ooo glasses of liquor in this
city in one year. say that 900 000uOJ of these
arc malt drinks and 3oo,ml.Nn0 alcoholic. Tn
,cr the EScisr law now in force IN Virginia.
tho city would derive an annual revenue of
more than si2.0on.0c0. all clear gain, and all
out of the pockets Of the hihuinus classes.
But If alcoholic drinks wcr" taxed only one
cent cncn. instead Of two AMI a hall cents.
and malt drinks ono-quartcr of a cont in
stead Of half a cent. the returns would It'll
reach tine sum of - -jooO' Add moderate
estimate of the revenue from specific
licenses. and tine aggregate would be about
S6.o.0.ol0 year.
by thcadoption " Or. MoFFrrT's system
II taxing the umitsclf instead Of the seller,
the taxpayers of Ncw York would. there
fore, be- about ten million dollars n year
hotter OF than they are at present. The
system world in measure discourage tip
ping. fut il makes the tippling more eN-
Yon-ivc. II Injuries no business interests.
II puts all transactions over the bar counter
OH strictly cash basis. II leaves little or
no room for frauds on the revenue. Il COM
ucl- mon who drlnk up TO the limit 81 their
financial ability either To drink loss at "a
time or less often. Il does it, own police
work and at no expense TO the people.
What do Dr.. CROSBY and other earnest
temperance workers think of the bell regis
tor as temperance advocate And what
do the taxpavng people think of it as n
measure Of economy;