Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-09-05

administration are TO be taken into account
with regard to whisky. There Is moral side to
It. To cheaper the price of whisky is to increase
IFS consumption enormously. There would be
no sense in urging the reform wrought by high
license in many States, If the National Govern
ment neutralizes the good effect by making whis-
Ky within the reach Of everyone at 20 cents a
gallon. Whisky would be everywhere distilled If
the surveillance of the Government were with
drawn By the remission of the tax, and Illicit
sales could not then be prevented even by pol
icy as rigorous and searching SIS that with which
Russia pursues the Nihilists. II would destroy
high license at once in all the States. So
long as there is whisky TO tax would tax it.
. The tax ON whisky by the Federal Govern
ment with its suppression Of all Illicit distilla-
ton aud consequent enhancement Of price, has
been powerful agent TO the temperance reform
by putting it beyond the reach Of so many.
This cannot be reconciled with the Chi
csgo platform. But some Of the organs
insist that the several States could tax
liquor should the National Government
cease TO do 80. Listen again to BLAINE:
The National Government has an absolute
monopoly ofthe revenue from customs, because
the States are forbidden by the Constitution to
levy a tax on imports. The excise tax was LEFT
open to both the National and State Govern
ments But as q matter Of fact, 1t is only the
National Government that can effectively levy
ADD collect it. Should the State of Illinois, for
instance, attempt to levy an excise on whisky,
the distilleries would be removed across the
river TO Missouri. Each Safe in turn that should
attempt to collect an excise tax would find itself
bafied and disabled. II Is only the National Gov
eminent that can dot.
Senator EDMUNDs in q speech in Con-
gress held that good morals demanded q
whisky tax, and added:
The true principle upon which taxation ought
to be imposed is to put the highest possible rate
on articles Of luxury; and what can be more so
than this, an article the production of which 1t
would be a great advantage 10 this country If 1t
could be discouraged instead Of encouraged, and
leave the corn and the wheat and the rye that go
into poison to be fed to the children Of the drunk
ard, instead Of turned into liquid aud given to
him as adrink2
The Republican platform OF BLAINE
own State of Maine runs a. follows:
We are unalterably opposed to the abolition or
reduction of the internal revenue tax on liquors,
and demand that all possible reduction of taxa
ton should be made on neceSssIies, and not
upon luXuries
And if we turn to New highlands great
thinker, EMERSON, We find in his essay on
Civilization, the wise remark:
whata benefit would the American Govern
ment, not yet relieved of its extreme need, rem
der TO itself and to every city, village and ham
.et in the States If il would tax whisky and rum
almost to the point OF prohibition.
Here WAS GRANTS view given to Con-
gress and the country in his annual mes
sage of1s70:
Tax liquors of all sorts, and tobsccoIin all its
forms.
The mOrslities are net with the Repub-
licans in this campaign.