New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-17
DISTILLERS Defeated.

The Senate has done well in killing the great
Job of the whiskey dstllers. There is no
occasion for imputng any unworthy motives
to Mr.. Kelley, or other gentlemen who 74vored
the bill in the House. for it is evident that, in
natural confidence that the interests of the
Government would be faithfully and eflectually
guarded 10y the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, they may have acted upon his recon-
mendatOn. Nevertheless the fact remains
that the opinions expressed with much earnest
ness and ability by Secretary Folger have been
Judged more worthy of confidence by a strong
majority in the Senate. A large share of the
credit for this decision is due to Secretary Win
dom, whose experience as Secretary OF the
Treasury enabled him to command the atten-
ton of the Senate, and whose energetic and
thorough investigation of the business ought
to have made the passage of the bill impossible.
The Government has escaped an enormous pos
sible loss, which the dIstillers and others had
well-nigh attained the power to inilict upon the
Treasury at their pleasure.
At the same time, it is well that the attention
of the Treasury has been called to the char
acter of the security given for considerable
part of the SIC, 100000 of taxes now unpaid.
he SuHClcuCy Oh lucu WHO uClu Ou many
different bonds should be thoroughly investi-
gated, and that task, it is stated, the Depart
ment has already undertaken. In cOntempla-
ton of the law, the whiskey itself ought to be
a sufficient security, because it was never antic-
ipated by the lawmakers that the Government
would be compelled to carry, tax unpaid, a
quantity Of spirits exceeding whole years
consumption. Should the Government now
be compelled, by any conspiracy of dealers or
by disasters in the markets, to look to sales OF
spirits now held for the collection of taxes due,
1t is evident that sales could only be ef-
| fected slowly, with difficulty, and with strong
probability of loss. 1t is papable fallacy tC
reason that at least the amount of the tax will
at any time be paid for the whiskey on hand fol
| it is widely known that powerful combination
| exists to secure repeal or large reduction
of the tax, that it has the aid of nearly all the
Democratic members Of Congress, and that it
is quite willing to promise most potent polit-
ical assistance to Republican aspirants for
office. Not few Republicans, too, are quoted
| as believing that n tax of GO cents would be
more advantageous to the Government than
the present tax. Under these circumstances
men who believe that reduction to 60 cents
or less is probable would hardly be anxious tC
buy large quantities of the stuff at 80 cents
inasmuch as it is now selling at only 26 cent:
| more than the tax.
The truth is that the latest change of the law
which permitted spirits to be kept in bono
| three years instead of one year, was decidedly
against the interests of the Government. 1t en-
couraged and caused dangerous over-pro
duction, from which the market must nov
suffer for long time. The enormous accumu
lation of unsold stocks of this article, petro
leum, cotton prints, and some other products
is enc of the principal causes of the existing
depression in business and the bill which tn
| Senate has wisely defeated would only hav
made that evil much greater