River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1880-12-09

should not go INTO effect earlier
than after three months from its pas
rage. The same may be said in regard
to check stamps. A large stock of
stamped checks is now in the hands of
individuals, banks and bankers, upon
which stamps have been imprinted.
think it would be wise that operations
Of repeal should be delayed at least
three months so as to give time for the
use of these stamps, whenever the in
terests of the government will allow it. ,
| think it will be wise to confine the
internal revenue taxation to spirits,
malt liquors tobacco, snuff and
cigars, and special taxes upon
manufacturers and dealers in
these articles | am of the opinion
that reliance can be placed upon re-
ceiving the sum of 120 million an
nually from these sources which
sum would gradually increase with the
increase of population, but which
would probably be subjected to diminu-
ton upon recurrence of hard times.
In considering the question of reliev-
ing patent medicines from internal
revenue tax it should be understood
that large number of articles put on
the market as medicinal bitters are used
as beverage by persons engaged III
the sale of such articles and are not re-
quired to pay special taxes as retail
dealers in liquors; so that If these ar
ticles were relieved from taxation me-
dicinal bitters would be sold every
where without paying any internal
revenue tax whatever. In passing
upon the right of these various medi-
Gated bitters to be taxed as such and
sold without the payment of special
tax ~ retail liquor dealers. the officers
are often seriously embarrassed to find
the exact line between medicinal bitterS
liable to a stamp tax, and compound
liquors, subject to be sold only us a
beverage In my opinion it would be
wise to continue the stamp tax upon
all medicated bitters, containing more
than 20 per cent. of proof spirits. In
reference to the tax upon savings banks
| would say, that in my judgment, these
taxes should be removed, or the whole
legislation upon the subject of taxing
savings banks should be modified and
made more equitable, and there
would seem to be no lust
ground for continuing tax upon
capital and deposits of banks,
and bankers fit is found that the reve-
nues are Sufficient without it.
During the last four years
and -four months, 4,061 illicit
distilleries have been seized and
4 ,339 persons arrested for illicit
distilling Twenty-six officers and en-
ployes have been killed and 81 wounded
in the enforcement ofthe internal reve-
nue. laws During the past sixteen
months 1920 stills have been seized
and ,265 persons arrested, and 10 ofli-
GERS wounded in the enforcement of
the laws, while The number of stills
seized and persons arrested since
my last annual report Is
very large; | am satisfied that there
will be decrease henceforward in the
number of such seizures and arrests.
Regarding the encouragement of legal
distilleries, the report says that in
every county where legal distilleries
have been established in any number,
elicit distilling has almost entirely
ceased Violent resistance to the law
has become almost unknown, and
there has been large increase of rev.
eDue.
General Raum advocates the passage
of house bill 6,460 entitled "a bill to
regulate the manufacture of vinegar
by the alcoholic vaporizing process"
now pending in congress and says,
while great majority of manufac-
turers of vinegar by this process are no
doubt following legitimate and honest
business, | am convinced there are
many who have engaged in the bust
ness for the express purpose OF de-
frauding the government of its tax
upon distilled spirits"
The total cost of collecting internal
revenue for the fiscal year was $500
S42, being 1868 per cent. of the total
amount collected Estimates for eX-
penses for the fiscal year ending June
so. 1882, are s., 500, $50. During the tis-
cal year 81 ,002, GA stamps were issued
the value of which was 1874 942, $50,
The total amount of collections from
tobacco, for the fiscal year ending June
80, 1880, was 3S,S70,140. This
amount includes the collections of i'll
ternal revenue taxes imposed upon
imported manufactured tobacco, snuff,
cigars, and special trxes paid by manu-
facturers of and dealers in leaf and
manufactured tobacco, and is less than
the receipts from the same source for
the fiscal year Immediately proceed
ing, by $1,264,862. The decrease on
tobacco and snuff was s., sol ,246, of tins
decrease s., $50, 700 was on chewing and
smoking tobacco, and $267 ,526 on snutf.
The increase in collections from
cigars and cigarettes was $2,389,636.
The increase of productions, manu-
featured cigars, etc, was l4,649, 416
pounds. The report continues: The
entire receipts from manufactured to-
bacco. including snuff, for the year
ended June 80, 1880, were $21 SOL, 1853.
This is s., sol, 246 less than the receipts
from the same sources during the year
ending June 80, 1879, and 1853, los
less than the receipts from the same
sources during the fiscal year ending
June 30, 1873, when taxes on snuff
were collected at the rate of - cents
per pound and manufactured tobacco
at q cents pound. These collections
were made from 3,966,30S pounds of
snuff, and 132, 500 ,527. pounds smoking
and chewing tobacco. Had there been
no reduction in the rate of interest on
snuff and tobacco, the number of
pounds which reached taxation during
the last fiscal year would have yielded
revenues of $33, 023, 505; or 11,21S,7H
more than was collected.
The total collections from cigars
cheroots and cigarettes, for the fiscal
year ended June 80, $780, were Sill,
90, 0SS; this is $2.3S9,G3G more than
the receipts from the same sources
during the previous fiscal year,
owing to the large increase
in the collections from cigars
and cigarettes The total collections
from tobacco, snuff, cigars and cigar
cites amount to $50, 726, S52, which is
only 81, Al, $40 less than collections
from the same sources for the previous
fiscal wear To fairly determine the
facts of IA reduction Of the rate of tax
on manufactured tobacco, including
snuff made by the act of March /. 1879,
comparison should be made of re-
ceipts of two entire fiscal years. In
1878 when the rate of tax on
snuff was 81 cents per pound and the
rate of tax on chewing and smoking to-
bacco was "A cents per pound and
when the tax was uniformly collected
H.. r., $1,000, g., ,4,,roI 4Oknoon