Rock Island daily Argus., 1888-03-09
REDUCING THE REVENUE.
An Interesting communication On "A
Subject OF Much ImpOrtance-The
New TarIH BIII.

Subject OF Much ImpOrtance-The
New Tar,T BIII.
Col. II. b. Burgh, of the wholesale
liquor firm of Beardsley Il Burgh, of this
city, has written very interesting COM
munication to a Chicago trade journal on
the subject of revenue reduction. The
L Ter, which is printed in full below,
contains many new and original ideas,
and no matter what the readers ideas OF
this much vexed question, he will find IN
its perusal u great deal that is interesting
and suggestive.
THE question of reducing the SUR
plus revenues" says Col. Burgh, lis one
of paramount importance, and all sorts
of schemes have been advanced to show
there is one that has not been suggested
by the press or in congress, which | think
would be Just and opportuUe. | refer to
the abolishment of the law imposing
special tax on dealers in manufactured
Tobacco and dealers in wines and liquors
Under these laws every grocery in this
broad land who sells tobacco, and every
keeper Of hotel. restaurant, dining car
and news stand where cigars ARE sold has
to pay the United States government
twenty cents per month, and every per-
son who sells wines and liquors has to
pay S25 per annum. To collect these
taxes large force Of officers has to be
kept on commission and a system of sur>
veilancc maintained that is inquistorial |
in char acter"
The communication then reads:
Thousands of persons are prosecuted
for violations of these laws
and inadvertent violations.
For instance should dealer take Il part>
ner into his business after the paym ent of
the special tax in May, or dispose of his
stock to new man (and changes of
these kind are constantly taking place in
The wcst) a new liability to special tax is
incurred, which, if not paid within the
calendar month in which the change
axes place, subjects the tax payer to a
penalty of fifty per cent and liability to
Should the X. of l.. or any
lther society hold an industrial fair, a
party or picnic at which cigars were
sold, liability to special tax is thereby
incurred. and if not paid, prosecution
must necessarily follow. The abolish> {
nent of the law would relieve the people
rom all these veXatious troubles and
would also be a great relief to the wine {
md spirit trade; in that it would relieve
he merchants in that line of business {
rom the operation of ruinOus embargo {
hat weighs heavily on their business-at :
east upon those of them who are .
ocated along the lines of the
,rOhibition states Under decisions of ,
he United States courts and the regula~
ions of the commissioner of internal
evenue. every person who ships liquors
}. o. ID. or with bill of lading attached ,
o sight Draft, is held liable for special
ak at the'plaCe of delivery, it being held 1
hat as there is u condition precedent to
he delivery of the goods the sale is not
onsumated until the money is paid, and
hat therefore, the shipper is liable for
pecal tax on these alleged sales at each
nd every place where such deliveries g
re made. A wholesale liquor dealer Mt
'oCk Island, Kansas City or Omaha !
hipping goods INTO the prohibition states
Iowa and Kansas is, for obvious
easons, constrained to ship goods @, o.
}. or with bill of lading attached to sight
raft, unless payment is made in ad-
ance, and in the course of year may
ave thus shipped to more than fifty
,wns, at each and every one of which,
nder the ruling referred to- he would
ave incurred liability to the
Decial tax of 800. Many more OBJ,
ctions could be urged against the con.
nuance of the special taxes, but the
mple fact that they are unnecessary and
terfere with the natural course of bus
ess will, | trust. be sufficient to induce
leir abolishment.
Speaking Of the matter this morning
oil. Burgh remarked that the Millstariff
Il now before congress proposes to re-
ice the special tax on dealers and man.
'acturers Of tobacco from $40 to 81
9r annum, and the colonel could see no
qson why it should not be abolished Z
together, as it required the same
achinery to collect 81 as $40 Let
c manufactured article pay the tax" =
id the colonel, land drop it there"