Daily Republican., 1879-05-12
The LiQuor Bell Punch.

The L.iqusr Bell Punch.
As means Of raising State revenue
the Moffett bell punch is still looked
upon with great favor by the Virgin
ians, and it may now be said to be well
established as permanent feature Of
the taxation system in that State. At
the recent session Of the Legislature an
energetic movement was made to repeal
the law, but it utterly. failed, not be-
cause it was any check to intemperance
so fearfully prevalent in Virginia, but
because the State would feel the loss Of
revenue with which to pay her officers
and carry on the government. 1t has
been ascertained for the two years it
has been in operation that it has failed
to collect for the State Treasury any
thing like half the amount expected,
simply because the liquor dealers fail
to turn the crank of the register every
time the thirsty ones step up to the bar
and take q drink. This, however,
might have been expected, as in this
particular process Of collecting taxes
the liquor dealers could hardly be ex
pected to be scrupulously exact in reg
istering every drink when it was sure
to take from them just so much hard
cash to be paid into the State Treasury.
If Virginia wants to collect the full tax
on the sale of liquors by means of the
Mofett bell punch she will have to get
disinterested parties to do the punch
ing. 1t is said, however that the au-
thorities are preparing for more rigid
enforcement of the law, so that hereaf-
ter we may expect the report of better
revenue returns. In some counties the
Courts have refused to renew the licen.
ces of dealers who have been obviously
rem;ss in their official relations with
the State during the last year. 1t is
noticed that in Richmond the Judge
has decided to renew the licenses, but
gives notice in his charge to the Grand
Jury that if he finds any dealer evad-
ing the law hereafter that he shall re-
woke his license, and furthermore re-
fuse to grant anybody else license to
sell at the same place. The law re-
quir-s the commissioner of revenue to
inform the Judge whether tho dealers
appear to be complying with the law,
and the Richmond Judge tells the
Grand Jury that little calculation,
based upon the monthly returns Of the
show that there is a
fearful leak somewhere; that it must !
be amongst the dealers, for large ma
isrity of them could not carry on the
business for which they are licensed
and pay the specific taxes required by
law without doing five times the amount
Of business their registers have hitherto
indicated. 1t was supposed when the
law was passed that every tax payer
would b- interested enough to have
every drink he took pay its tax into
the Treasury, and that public senti
ment would support a strict enforce
ment OF the law, but Virginians woald
rather lock upon the new law as an in.
vasion, and an interference with the
old established usages, aud therefore
with the drinking portion Of the popu.
lation it meets with but little favor,
and the dealer himself of course is 0p-
posed to the law because it takes from
him what he claims as his own and
gives it to the State. In the face OF all
these difficulties, however, Virginia has
been able to hold on to the Mciiett
punch anotl er year a. least, at the end
of which time its benefits will be more
fully known.