The Russellville Democrat., 1882-12-07
The Internal Revenue Machine.
 Washin Utou pnst

WhShiHNtVu uct.
 Referring to recent uttcrances of this journal condemnaLory of the un- warranted and dangerous course of the Administration, in attempting to control State elections. the Richmond Dispatch sas s: 'slf the Washington Post IS in earnest Tn its expressiops -of desire to see elections in the southern States relieved from the manipulation of Federal officials. it must fall in with those who are ad. vocating the entire abolition of the internal revenue department" The Dispatch goes on to show that every man of the four or five thousand em ployed in that department is "a con stant, untiring and effective worker for the Republican party.n In ad- dltion to these regular employees our Richmond contemporary shows that there are many "others who are ap. pointed upon occasion to perform un known duties of a very particular nature, but who travel from place to place electioneefing for the Repub- lican candidates for whatever offices are to be filled at the elections near at hand, these being the times when the servlces of such strikers are most needed"
 Our Richmond contemporary en tertains no doubt that but for the electioneering done by internal rev. enue officials, Tilden would have been elected by such majority as would have forbidden the idea of counting him out D, fraud, and Han cock would now be President of the United States. "Nobody," says tie Dispatch, "can well over-estimate the influence these officials exercise over the voters, especially the negro voters. No matter for whom the ne gro intends to vote, he will change his mind at the last moment ii only one of these Government agents comes to him and tells him that somebody else is the right man. IT ten thousand negroes had pledged themselves to Dezendorf on the 4th of November that they would vote for him, they would nearly every man of them have refused to redeem that pledge 1T on the 9th of Novem- Der a Federal official had come to them and told them that the Presi- dent of the United States wanted them to vote for Libby.n
 For these reasons our contempo- rary is surprised to find "any good Democrat" in favor of continuing the internal revenue department "which collects nearly a hundred and fifty millions of dollars from an impover- ished people for the use of Gov ernment so rich that almost the en- tire amount of those receipts consti- tutes surplus in the treasury"
 The Post is not in favor of contln- uiDg the revenue department, as at present organized. but is very decld- edly in favor of continuing to collect most of the revenue derived from in ternal taxation, especially the eighty odd millions paid on liquors.
 The Post proposes to collect the taxes on liquors by the sale of stamps from the Treasury depart ment, in precisely the same way that is successfully followed in collecting other portions of the internal reve- nue taxes.
 This plan aooiishos the outfit of officers throughout the country, thus removing the weighty objection of the Dispatch and saving large amount now paid for salaries and incidental expenses.
 A carefully devised system of sworn returns from distillers, with heavy penalties for violations of law and slight increase of the detect i've force will be as effectual in pre- venting frauds as the present cum bersome and costly mechanism.
 Abolition of the internal taxes means no reduction of tariff; for this reason we are disposed to hold on to the liquor revenue.
 But while clinging to that in the interest of the people and in accord ance with the best sentiment of the country, we show how the political machine, which has been so long to control local elections, can be mustered out and laid on the ehelf