Morning journal and courier., 1882-06-10
Letter From West Virginia

How the Revenue Laws Made to
 Work in Some Parts of the South.
 HAYWOOD, w Va, June l.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER:
 Few city persons whose business does not bring them into relations with the United States internal revenue collectors office know or care anything about the revenue laws Still less do they picture to themselves how, in outlying rural districts, and particu- larly in the South, these laws are used by pri, ate individuals to gratify personal malice and even up old scores, and by self-impor- tant. ignorant and brutal government em- ployes to make their power felt during their short-iiyed t, nure of office. I not long ago read in the AtIdntic very interesting article in which the writer gave his impressions gathered during a few days sojourn among the professional law-breakers of another part of the South I have lived among the con- stpdiHed law breakers of Fsyette county for four years and have seen and felt the appli- cation of the revenue laws in way that the writer in the AtLantic had only heard of.
 Ilaprimis, there is class of people who, having little means, no education and no knowledge of the world, live life which is totally without enjoyment or recreation, as we understand the terms. To this class to- bacco is as much necessity of life as tea or coffee to .hose who enjoy the benefits of civ ilization Tobacco is a necessity of life to the mountaineers of West Virginia. My neighbors, however, are all poor and cannot afford to pay from D cents to $1-25 pound for A filthy mixture of sulphate of iron, mo- lasses, licorice and damaged tobacco, when they are able to raise for themselves genu- inc, if low grade, article at cost not exceed ing five cents pound. So each man has his little tobacco patch which he cultiyates, not for profit, but to meet the household demand If, for any reason, his crop fail he is driven to buying ''store tobacco" or to begging the free gift of few hands" from 8 kind heart ed neighbor 1 say free gift" for our pa ternal government here steps iu and forbids him to give his neighbor in any way, directly or indirectly, an equivalent. He may neither pay his neighbor In money, nor in work, nor in trade :" nor may he send "present, |" if it depend in the remotest degree on che previous gift of the tobacco-+unless the sell CT has paid the government license of $50. And here comes the injustice. The producer is allowed to sell his tobacco to the manufao- turer in bulk but if he wishes to sell how ever small a quantity to 8 consumer he must pay prohibitiye tax. The retail dealer in manufactured tobacco is only taxed five dol lars. This law is certainly ingenious; for by it's operation the consumer, if he is not also a producer, is compelled to use manufactured tobacco, although hs may prefer raw arEi- cle This legislates business into the hands of the retailers of manufactured tobacco, making the busipsss an exceedingly desirable ans and thereby increasing the number of special tax stamps procured every year from the government.
 But Uncle Sam has got another method still more ingenious, for throwing business into the hands of the manufacturers and thereby increasing his own revenue. The lew requires every tobacco manufacturer to comply with certain formalities and to put up his tobscco in a certain prescribed man ner. The packages must then be stamped by the proper officer. Now everyone who knows