The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-04-22
HISTORY OF Thu Law And The PUNCH
The Revenues to the State as
Shown by the Returns.
DIFFICULTIES OF ENFORCEMENT.
Always Nuisance and Never a Benefit
to the Saloon Keeper.
A PROMOTER or PRIVATE TIPPING,

A PkUMUIEk UF PRIVATE IlPPLlNG.
RIcnKoxD. Va. April IS, 1873.
Tho tax liquors by means of tho onett Register
the crude application IN America Of the similar
tho consumption OF food Articles In tho countries
controlled BY civil law. The refined taxation which
seeks collect tho directly from the consumer
the invention OF that Roman civilization to
which the world is indebted for many ideas Like
The Tux contracts by means o! stamps, the tax
collateral inhertances and the tax ON incomes, 1t Is
The producs OF high civilization, and lar search
ing thun the scmi-bsrbarous methods by which gov
eminent was supported by icudal services wardships
guardianships aud contributions in men, horses ana
arms DR.. Moieit has applied old principle In q
bew way. Ho seeks TO make every pay Tor In
duesnce In exact proportion TO the extent of that
Indulgence. and there is doubt the, MIS- idea can
DO applied and made practical. either by the machine
which he has invented or by any other means, tho
result will DO tho receipt OF larger revenue than
from any Indirect tax that Do levied, and much
greater than can be obtained except from burden
Some direct tax ON property. The Monstt tax Is
direct tax on pleasure and self-induigcnce, and ~
they bear very large relation to tho property and
life OF o community the results OF such levy must
DO enormous.
THE PUNCH AND TEX Law.
Tho register is snc idea OF Dr. Monstt, thcn State
Senator and nov Delegate from the county OF Rock
ingham, which put into practical form BY Nj.
Ot,s y. Dean, ingenious mechanic and inventor OF
this city. DR.. Moatt, At Ihe beginning OF The session
OF the General Assembly OF lS7677 began to advocate
bis plan Of tax on liquor by making the seller pay
for everx drink cold the number TO DO asceranod by
Tho Of tho common bell punch. HIS suggestion
met with general rdicule. but he pertinacious,
/ and calling 70 hrs aid Mr. Dcan he At length pro-
, huoed machine for registering drinks THIS was
common old-iashioned square coffee grinder, with
dial on ono side marking numbers, aud AZ each turn
OF the handle bell inside the box was struck and
the hand on shs dial moved ono point This machine
was exhibition Tor several weeks In committee
Of she Senate and afforded object OF
fidieuls. But tho Doctor stuck TO his punch, and
euistjng Senator Grimsiey and the late Judge
Gugon IN his scheme they elaborated the law whiGh
hes since become famous tho Moffett Liquor
Tax Law. This Law passed tho House aitor
ono defeat by q moderate majority, but 90
strong . public sympathy had been enlisted for
during the discussion shat In tho Senate OF forty
three mcmbers only eight or nino could b found 70
voss against It, They tho representatives Of the
psiss, Ihs intention nsd become manifest that the
prevailing motive Of the supporters Of she prejsct
sas to NIX anSshsr tax tho cities, and thus save
and aud the rural population from increase Of
burdens. The law, from tho beginning. has bssn
popular In the country, and while opposed 10 the
cities by the business affected also with
remarkable unanimsy approved by tho mass Of those
constituencies.
The Monet register Is y cAst IRON box with machin-
cry inside moving works like those oil gus metre
II dias The surface Tho nrst DIAL registers
units w 10 ton, the second tons up 10 hundscd Inc
third hundreds up to q thousand, and 50 up 10
million. II is combination Of tno gas metre and an
ordinary table gong or ball struck BY spring with
hammer attached when drink y soia the handle
a b0l Ch n ma ncn fact Ia
hand on the first dts moves one point. This Is The
Monc; rcg'sior IL 10 secured BY ample. ingenious
aud very excellent lock- invented ny Mr.. Johnson,
tho mccpaDc who has the contract Tor making the
machines, aud - 10 quito safo IRON being tampcred
Wnn
Tne Monet Law requires saloon keeper or retail
acscr Of liquors 10 have TWO OF those registers one
liquors For every drink SOLD By tho barkeeper or
bali pint sold BY the retail dealer, the crank Of The
register s turned The Doll sounds and the hand on tho
visits each pace takes the state Of the regis
tor three times mooth just - the state OF tho gas
metre Is taken a. stated periods The TAX on eacn
drink OF spirits vino sold by tho barkecpsr or on
oach hall pnI sold by retail dealer Is Two ana half
cents, on each drunk or half pint OF malt liquor
one half . cont. Wnen u is known that the peo-
pie OF Virginia consume $l5.O0OO00 worth OF
worth is subject 10 this tax and when II is TURNER
known that tue tax Is certainly thirty three per
I'd v~lorcm on tne liquor sold y will DO secn that tho
Nonet register ought 10 produce Virginia revcnuc
81 800 000 Tho friends and sanguInc advocates OF
shis tax never could consent TO admit that u wculd
AMOUNT or rHH Rxvxsus
IL 10 d0ncull this time estimate Of
what will actually paid under tho present inefc,cnt
system OF en- forcing tho Monct Liquor Law, but It
viii q OF exceed $500 900 which Is about ,wos6ros
more tnsn was previously received from tho tax
liquors The Auditor OF Public Accounts IN
his report tho General Assembly January 19, 1875
furnisnsd statement OF partial returns from twcvc
ciiies and from thirtytnrce counties and estimating
the annual yield from those places Tor whole year
on inc basis OF what had been returned placed the
amount 81 s241 Ill IL. He then estimates that the
nssns "a. total yield Tor me current year $4 hi IL
II Is quito apparent now, with an experience
Tended oosr 10 ls sna oaor u
saloon keepers, found IN timc great iainng of IN
their business on account OF Tho crushing naturc Of
the tax, they have been impccd moro and
moro 10 evads the paymons Of Il, aud tDo returns
have steadily diminished s,ncc January. The cause
the liquor trade and the inefnecncy OF the Law itself
The statute 10 crude, Ill dgested easily ovaded
no effective macninery by which u can DO enforced
now The LAW CAN DE EvADEp.
The registers are placed. according to the Law, In
the place where tho liquor sold, exposed to tho
pubic view THIS 10 su1ciently complied with by
placing them tho shell behind the counter bar
distant several ioet from the spectator Or customer
and u Is impossible tell In ninety OF
u buudred whesnor she machine registers or not
Then the macnp itself 10 detective. Tho disls it
ars about the OF naif-doar. which makes tho
hands and marks on II very small aud practically
iuy,sibls from the front Of the bar Inc fraud
allen, dealer cms have false bell ws,cn he can ring
and II would be very dilicut 10 tell the SOUND OF AN
ordinary gong IRON she sound oil tho one In tho regis
ter But tue fact 10 that, 40 soon tho novelty OF
the register on, will pay the slightest
tsstion - whether tho bell Is sounded or no In
Decd tho great MAJORITY OF uppers think Of
register unless they are accidentally reminded Of by
the sound OF the bell
Tho MoGs,t Liquor Law imposes . Tine OF not less
Than SO more than 500 Tor failing TO register
each every drink sold. and gives onethrd TO tho
intormer IL the prejudice Virginia against
tnormss shis induccmset has been fouas utterly
ipoyerattvc Indeed 50 lar has this prejudice gone
that gentlemen nave informed vsiators OF the
law solely from patriotic motives ami from desire
10 have me law enforced and who expressly refused
20 have any thing do with the nc have been
understood and msrcprcscnteu and SGT upon by public
opinion that such patrotc and Interested attempts
aI csased tbat there ~ absolutely power
compel the fraudulent liquor dcalsr 70 register his
ssles uniets ne chooses 10 90 10
THE REGISTER A POLITICAL ISSUE
TO enforce sucn tax very rigid laws will
have 10 enacted, and tho people ri Virginia will
etuoe lnY M ~ nv