Omaha daily bee., 1888-03-07
TO PROTECT MOONSHINERS.
Provisions Of the Democratic In
ternal Revenue Bill.
SMALL HOPE OF CONVICTION
lllict Distillers Made Practically Ex-
empt From Interference - Made
the Bourbons Wince-Senator
Ingalls, Great Speech.
A Southern Industry Encouraged.
WASHINGTON BUREAU THE OMAHA BEE,
5l3 FOURTEENTH STREET,

WASHINGTON. -. u, March D.
There is more sectionalism in the internal
revenue bill presented by the democratic
majority of the committee on ways ana
means to-day If possible than there is in the
tariff bill made public last week. 1t has well
been characterized by leading republicans
this afternoon as IA bill for the protection OF
moonshiners." From the first to the last
word the measure is in the interest Of the
moonshiners and the volators Of the special
tax imposed upon manufacturers and retail
ers. Under the bill absolute discretion is
accorded local federal officers who make ar
rests and sit in judgment upon violators OF
the law and every advantage possible Is
given that peculiar phase Of the traffic in to-
bacco and Installations known only to the
south. Supreme authority is given the com
missioner of internal revenue when the pun
ishment has been imposed by the court,
while the provisions for melting out justice in
the first instance give every advantage to
communities linked together by the common
sympathies of law breakers. There is
general endorsement of the measure so far as
it relates to the reduction of internal taxes,
but the revisions of the administrative laws
meet with disapproval by all fair minded
men.
FRAMED IN THE INTEREST OF MooNsHINERs.
Tonight met Representative Owen, of
Indiana and asked him what he thought of
the democratic internal revenue bill, and he
he said: 1T is a picturesque scheme. After
relieving tobacco Of $50, 600, 600 tariff and re-
pealing the special taxes upon manufacturers
Of stills and retail dealers in liquors, it pro-
ceeds to erect II statute with meshes in it
large enough for the little moonshlners of
Virginia, the Carolinas and Tennessee to
slip through and never get caught. These
states are ornamented with. illicit distills
with a capacity of one to three barrels of
liquor per day. This is great and profita-
BILE industry down there, that has suffered
up to this time for lack of proper protection.
Most criminal statutes, you know, have
minimum and maximum penalty, the latter
only being adjudged in extreme cases. This
repeals the minimum penalty and leaves the
courts discretion to afix the penalty.
In the midst of universal senti-
ment that regards defiance of the
governments internal revenue laws as devo-
ton to the state, this law discharges the vast
majority of the offenders with the possibility
of reprimand from the court. The sixth
section provides that no warrant in any case
shall issue for arrest, except when made by
tuc EcNcuuc COllcCUOT-WuOSG pIcScHCc IucTe
Is usually at the risk Of his lifc-unless affi-
ant has personal knowledge of the crimes al
legged. The possession of kit of burglar
tools, carrying of quantities of fruit to the
secret and guarded place, and the carrying
away of barrels of liquors signifies nothing.
To inaugurate an investigation and prose-
cution one must have personal knowledge of
the manufacture. Section 13 provides that
when one of these stills is seized it shall not
be destroyed as heretofore, but shall be sold
The poor fellow having escaped the mini
mum punishment can buy it back and resume
his occupation. 1t appears that after all
these precautions it is feared that some of
these men may at sometime be arrested ana
convicted and another section is added CIV
ing the court authority when any one is pun
ished for such offense in any jail, has his
health thereby endangered to make provis-
ions for their comfort shall be deemed proper.
don't think so beneticient and salutary a
trodden race. The measure should be en-
titled, "a bill to protect the moonshiner and
promote his industry"
SENATOR INGALLS, SPEECH.
Senator ingalls, speech this afternoon was
all that his friends expected and more than
his enemies wanted. The characterization of
the president by the senator from Kansas
was enjoyed greatly by the republicans and
made the democrats Vince painfully The
senator concluded that since the election of
Cleveland any man--his antecents, educa-
tion, character and qualifications being no
standard-could we'll aspire to the presidency
and expect to lead his party in campaign
II he be a democrat. The presidents treat
ment of the soldiers and his infautile plea
that 1t was not safe for him to go to St.
Louis during the G. A. r. encampment last
fall were commented upon in severe man
ner, because the cold facts We're so plainly
ana well stated. 1t was the conscience of
the man, taht conscience which doth make
towards of us ALL that stood in the way of
Cleveland visiting st. Louis when so many
veterans were there encamped Cleveland
knew that he had been the enemy Of the SOL
der and he could not face him.
Two hours before Senator ingalls, began
speaking in support of the G., A. II. or disa-
bility pension bill the galleries were filled to
Overfiowing, and hundreds of people were
turned away. AS soon as he began the fact
was whispered around the house, and more
members came over than could get chairs or
seats to rest upon. So the wall around the
senate chamber had line of men against it.
Mr.. Platt, of Connecticut, took the chair of
the president pro tempore. When Mr.. In
gals vacated 1t to speak every senator in the
city was at his desk and gave the utmost at
tention throughout. MIR. Morgan, of Ala
bama, and one or two others on the demo
cratic side attempted to get Mr.. ingalls, into
controversy, but they could not stand to
him half minute. 1t was like one running
against buzz saw whirling at the highest
rate of speed, they were cut in two before
they could recoil. Mr.. Ingalls, moved away
the char to his right and had space of six
feet in length to traverse as he
spoke His full black frock coat
was buttoned to his throat, and
his slender form more than six feet in
height, lowered like the tall oak in the forest.
1t is improbable that the bubbles of an ad-
ministration We're ever so thoroughly
punctured by any one. 1t was with con-
siderable effort that the char suppressed the
outbursts OF applause in the galleries and on
the floor of the chamber. At Senator Ingalls,
left sat Mr.. Allison of Iowa, who kept his
head bowed much OF the time in efforts to
choke his risibles, which at times gave vent
In hearty laughter over the biting sarcasm
and ludicrous comparisons of the speaker.
On Mr.. Ingalls, immediate right sat Mr..
Hoar, of Massachusetts,, and then came MIR.
Sherman, of Ohio. In front throughout the
speech Mr.. Evarts, Of New York, sat, his
chair turned full around so he could get a
straight look into the face of the Kansas
f, statesman. Not word escaped any of this
party Of distinguished men. On the demo
cratic side Mr.. Beck, of Kentucky, made full
notes, frequently writing on slips of
paper and passing them over to Mr., Voor-
hees Of Indiana, and then to his colleague,
Mr.. Blackburn. MIR. Morgan, Mr.. Gray and
others on that side had their heads together
much Of the time, al evidence Of the effect of
the remarks being uttered. II soon became
evident that they We're plotting, for some