The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-06-26
NJ. Quad and the 1Ioonshiners.

Mr. c. b. Lewis, better known as III.
! Quad, of the Detroit Free Press, claims that
the southern moonshiners are more sinned
against than SHINING.
In the course of his visits to scores of jalls
/ in Georgia, Alabama and the Carolnas, Mr.
Lewis SAYS that he had many talks with
moonshiners and their families. He came
I TO the conclusion that they were forced to
/ dstil whisky without license because they
/ had no market for their corn. They are
1 poor and illiterate, but honest, and the
/ world owes them living. None of them
with their limited facilities could produce
more than a barrel or two Of whisky III
season, and they sold it for money to buy
the necessaries of life The product OF all
the moonshiners in the south would not de-
prive the government of a revenue worth
| collecting.
AS lie proceeds Mr.. Lewis warns up TO
his work, and gives hisreaders the following
salty talk:
While one may not encourage men to break alaw
the manner in which these moonshiners are treated
IS enough 70 make ones blood boil. have found
them in jals where they had lain for four, six and
eight months without trial I have seen them
sent oil to Albany and other prisons testimony
NtilNlA hSff was IdlIh perjury 4IGIS arc 44StAN5
fees connected with the capture Of moonshinerS,
and the object Of federal officers is to make these
ices. II u clear case can lie made out, the moon
sinner is tried IN open court. II not, he is taken
into private room and threatened ana bulldozed
ana declared guilty. 1t isn't the people of Atlanta
or any southern town who are to blame for this, but
federal officials who have something TO gain by 1t.
In Two instances which came under my notice l
was perfectly satisfied that federal Official encour
aged moonshiners to go into the business that he
might turn about and raid them and make his fees.
There can be no record produced to show that
single man of them ever produced enough whisky
to set ten dollars ahead of his daily wants. Corn is
about the only thing which they can grow on their
miserable mountain farms, and if not made into
Whiskyit would be worthless
have given many poor moonshner whom
found railing in jail big silver dollar to send to his
sick and starving wife and children, ard if could
have my say about it they should have liberty to
run their little one-horse stills open and above
board. None ofthem could then make more than
poor living, and the revenue lost 10 Uncle Sam
would not equal the fees of one single deputy
shal.
Much of this is undoubtedly true, but the
writer's prejudices have caused him to make
reckless charges in a sweeping way against
the federal officials as a body. This is all
wrong. In this region the federal officials
as a rule simply enforce existing laws. The
odious instances of oppression referred to
by Mr. Lewis for the most part occurred
years ago under corrupt republican admins
trations, and such hardships as now befall
the moonshiners are the Necessary result of
bad system. Our whole internal revenue
system is so hopelessly bad and oppressive
that even with just and humane men in Of
fee it cannot fail to vex and afilict the peo-
pie.
Mr.. Lewis suggests that i would be
good thing to have a congressional commit
tee appointed to investigate this matter of
moonshining, and the idea is not bad one.
The country would like to know all about it.