National Republican., 1883-02-13
A sMA11 sr11n VOICE

n SMALL STILL NOlCH
Speaking Through the Senate Committee
which has Investigated the "Wood-
bine" DistiIIeries OF North Carolina
The Political Influence OF the Revenue
Office.
Majority and minority reports were made
to the senate yesterday by the special senate
committee appointed TO investigate the
method of collecting internal revenue and tho
conduct of the collector in the sixth collec-
tion district of North Carolina. Under the
resolution providing for the inquiry, which
was offered by Mr.. Vance, the committee in
vcstigated the subject of political assessments
and charges of the division of pay between
storekeepers and distillers, tho rendering of
false vouchers by the revenue officers and
fraud in the gauging of liquors, and the gem
eral subject of the participation of govern
mont employees in local politics. Mr..
McDill and MIR. Mitchell presented the
majority and Mr.. Vance, the chairman, the
minority report. Mr.. McDill says that about
1000 printed pages of testimony wero taken;
the greater part of IL was henrsay and tn at
there was an utter failure to establish oven Il
single specification of the numerous sweeping
charges mado by Mr.. Vance and his political
associates against DR.. Mott, the late collector.
lt was shown, he says, that while DIR. Mott
was collector he permitted heavy assessments
to be made of his subordinate5 for political
purposes but that when this was done tho
same thing was being done all over the conn
try by both parties and that DIR. Mott
should not be judged according to public
sentiment of to-day for acts performed
two years ago. The report of the mdjority
goes into the subject of Illicit distillng and the
ovasons of the revenue laws by the moon
shine" whisky manufacturers at greatlength,
and justiies the action of the collector in APP
| pointing . large number of assistants to bring
| to justice the vioators Of the federal laws
| Mr.. Vance, on the other hand alleges that the
| appointment of an increased number of as
sistants in 1881, previous to the canYass for
| the congressional and local elections was for
political, and not strictly legal purposes. lie
alleges that tho internal revenue system rs it
| Is administered in North Carolina is politi-
cal machine, run at the expense of the gov
ernment in the interest of the dominant
party. lie describes the origin and growth of
| the moonshine system in the North Carolina
mountains as follows:
Being remote from tho seaboard markets,
from time immemOrial the people have been
accustomed to convert their surplus grain and
| the products of their orchards into the porta-
bic form of spirits, which they could readily
| haul away in wagons, and exchange for cash
or grocery supplies. For this purpose great
numbers of farms were supplied with small
copper stills as a regular part of tho farm ap-
pliances, designed, not for the general busi-
ness of distilling, but only for the owners in
divdual convenience and that of u few neigh
bOrs. They were only in use during few
weeks in the year. When, therefore, at the
conclusion of the war the internal revenue
enforced there it found many hum
dreds, perhaps thousands, of these
small stills in the possession of these
people. These laws were to them a surprise
and q grievance. They were complicated,
intricate, and relentless, and their manifold
provisions operated to entrap both those who
undertook to comply with and evado them.
Under the system Of moieties and bounties
for informing, and the fees paid for convic-
tions, there can be no doubt but that the
difficulties of compliance were greatly in
creased by official cupidity. Many ignorant
people looked upon these laws as u punish
ment inflicted upon them for their participa-
tion in the war against the union, an opinion
which was strengthened by tho fact that
many of the agents selected for their execu-
ton were strangers from the north and,
still more, We're natives regarded as
political renegrades. When to these
is added the further cause that the law was
not infrequently enforced with harshness
unnecessary violence, and in u measure ut
terly defiant of the feelings and prejudices oi
the people, there can be no small wonder that
the whole system was detested and open and
covert resistance thereto was often mani
tested. Illicit distilling and dealing, called
. there "blockading," became common, and
did not meet with the reprobation of public
opinion. Indeed, with some exceptions
there was nothing in the manner of exc
cutting the law or the character of its officers
that commended itself to the better classes o.
the people. All this was of course demoral
izing, rs the shabitual disregard of law mus
necessarily be-" Mr.. Vance asserts that the
expenses of the internal revenue service il
sixth North Carolina district for the yea
= 1881 were 20 per cent. of the collections
, owing mainly to political appointments fol
campaign purposes. He closes his report by
recommending the exemption from licens,
I tax of all stills having not more than 30 gal
Ions capacity per day, and reduction i'll the
tax on whisky and tobacco, so that tempta
, tions to dishonesty among his people may b'
, further removed.