The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1884-01-30
Hawkins County DEPARTMENT.
L. l.. PoATs. Editor.
THE COURTS WRESTLE
HTTH WHLSKYH0W IT'S TR4Er

The Supreme Court OF Tennessee
have been wrestling with whisky.
1t has been a big tussle. Some times
the Court has been on top and some
times swhisky. At Knoxville last
fall it looked as if the Court was
boss. Il had whisky down fat of
biz back, with both knees planted
in his breast, a thumb Sin each eye
and, his right, hand in the Courts
mouth. The prospect was decided
liz squally for whisky. But some
how. the wiry old fellow got loose
from the grip of the stalwart judges
and, at Nashville the other day, the
position ofthe wrestlers was revers-
ed. The Supreme Court is down
now. Its back is in the mud and
its heels in the air, Whisky is on
top. Under the recent decision,
which r6yerses the former action OF
the Court, distillers or manufactur-
ers of liquors can sell without pay
ing a license tax to the State or
county. The fact is the Tennessee
law IN relation to the sale of liquor
is a failure. The tax is too high. Ii
the legislature intends to prohibit
the manufacture and sale of. alco
holic liquors in the State, the mem
bers ought to have courage enough
to march square up to the point and
pass a plain law saying in so many
words that not a drop of the stuff
shall be made, sold or given away IN
the State. This would be the man
ly course to persue and every citi-
zen would understand exactly how
to act in the premises. If, on the
other hand, the legislature intends
only to tax the liquor dealers torthe
purpose of raising revenue for the
State treasury, then the law ought
to be SO changed and the tax fixed
at a figure low enough to encourage
responsible men to go into theitrade.
Three hundred and twenty-f dol
Iars per year is the present tax en-
liquor dealers in small towns and
country places. This is a burden
which the honest dealer cannot car
ry and prosper The consequence
is, the State is lousy with "moon-
sinners men, women and boys,
selling without paying any tax
whatever, and this evil will increase
from year to year until the present
law is modified or made so arbitra-
ry aad positive that it will be fell
ony to deal in ardent spirits in any
way. While all sensible, observing
men must admit that the intemper-
ate use of intoxicating liquor is the
great, overshadowing evil of our
day while all men see, in every
town and every neighborhood of the
State, old mon and young men GO
ing down to ruin and going down
to death because of the intemper-
ate use of liquor, still our people are
not ready for an absolute prohibito-
ry law just yet. We are too far
away from the christian millennium
for that. Perhaps, in the future,
public opinion, not only in Tennes-
see, but in all the States in the Uni
on and in all the christianized ma
tons of the earth, will come to that
point. Then, and not till then, will
this great evil be abolished from
among men. r
In the meantime, while we are
waiting for the millennium, WHAT'S
best to be done The State of Ten
nessee needs money. The current
of the State must be paid,
children must be sent to school and
the interest on the public
debt must be paid, and the debt it,
self ought to be paid in full, dollar
for dollar, without the reputation
of one single cent, AS we cannot
just yet stop people from making,
buying, selling and drinking liquor,
would it not be wise to so manage
the traffic that it would produce the
largest possible amount of money.
for the public treasury? Properly
the tax raised from liquor
will pay the interest on our debt.
But to do this the tax must be put
at such moderate figure as to en-
able the small dealer to pay, other
wise the State will be cheated cut
If its revenue by illicit dealers. 70
Illustrate this: The United States
government taxes tho liquor seller
dollars per year. In
882, some wenty-eight or thirty
liquor sellers paid the United States
AK. Tennessee fixed her State tax |
t $3.50, the county $3.50, the cor
$3.50 making $3.50 in /
owns and $500 in country places
Ter year How many liquor sellers
n Hawkins paid this tax 7? Not one
Whisky and brandy were sold all
he same, and sold every day and
very night, but the State got no
evenue whatever. Seven or eight
undred dollars in cash was paid
ito the Federal treasury for that
ear by the liquor dealers in -Haw-I
ms county, while the State receiv-
d nothing, and all because the tax
-as exhorbitant; so high that it
ould not be paid at all by the class
E persons who were engaged in the
,affic. All that is required of
ian now to enable him to sell
quor in Tennessee without paying
ny State or county license or tax,
to establish a little still house,
imply with the laws of the United
tates and pay his ninety cents per
allon tax, and he can sell as much
, he pleases free from State or
ounty tax, because the Supreme
curt says manufacturer is not a
hoIesale dealer, only the "middle
an, who purchases from the dis. II
Her for the purpose of selling
gain to the saloon keeper being
holesale dealers and as the sa.
on-keeper, who sells by the drink,
the only retail dealer, of course
lie manufacturer cannot be taxed !
a fippIar lint oop call brs4hal