Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-13

Our Threatened Wine Interests.
Tho uinau q I'd icfs of California for aor,o

are in fair way OF conquering, but they
have been exposed to policy upon the
part of the government of the United
States which threatens to be more inim-
ical to our wine interests than all of these
pests put together. The phylloxers,
although still existing evil, is under
stood, and is being extirpated. Mildew
is a drawback incident to certain con-
ditions of the atmosphere and methods
of cultivation, and it can be contem-
plated without dismay. The NAL nero,
a pest comparatively new, is being
studied by intelligent and energetic
men, and will undoubtedly be shortly
extirpated. But an Intentionally hostile
policy towards our infant wine and
brandy interests on the part of the
revenue officials of the United States,
whether dictated by the Whiskey Ring or
no, is danger and drawback which no
vigneron can contemplate without dis
may in the present state of his i'm.
periled interests.
That this new and strange peril exists
We are prepared to show.
For many years France had the
monopoly in furnishing to the American
trade or markets the so-called sweet or
branded wines. These eo.called wines
were manufactured at Cette or Marseilles,
the great world center of bogus wines,
and as base of these fabrications they
used for many years American grain
spirits-the "pure spirits" of COM
MERGE. So large. had this trade
grown at one time that there
were bought on the Chicago
market seven hundred thousand gallons
of this "pure spirit" on French account
in one day. As California production of
these wines came into use and favor the
French Cette wines were driven out of
the market, and thereby the whiskey
distillers lost this valuable trade in
spirits sold by France. Nearly all the
large drug house manufacturers through
out the United States, realizing the
superiority of the California products, are
now using our wines in the manufacture
of their drugs, to the exclusion of the
French.
Tie "Whiskey Ring" a thoroughly
organized, rich and inscriptions organi-
cation dominating the Internal Revenue
Department and controlling most of the
appointees in that Department, have for
years been doing all in their power to
break up the wine men of California by
placing hostile agents of the government
over the Internal Revenue matters of
this Coast. The representatives of the
people, and our Senators and Congress-
men, the latter with realizing sense OF
their duty to their State and
people, have always exerted them
selves in behalf of California wine
interests, and have caused the recall
of these Whiskey Ring agents assuming
to act as the agents of great govern.
ment which ought to be supposed to be
willing and even anxious to foster a
growing and benefcent interest, like
that of the California vineyards. One of
these agents was B. M. Thomas, who is
said to have betrayed the interests OF his
employers, a distilling company in Gin
cinnati. 1t is asserted that as reward
for his perfdy in this case he was ap.
pointed to high position in the service
of the Whiskey Ring under the admins.
tration of President Arthur. By some
inscrutable agency he was retained under
Mr.. Cleveland, and under Mr.. Harrison
he seems to have dominating influence
in Internal Revenue matters on this
Coast over Collectors, Agents, and, what
is more than passing strange, even over
our Representatives. His great ambi-
ton is to detect some poor wine man
in some technical violation of the laws,
30 that he can have him arrested and
broken up. He was the party who lately
got Grant, of Fresno, convicted and sent
to prison, and who also got young Allen,
OF Pasadena, into trouble. The agent
Eldridge, we are informed, on what we
regard as good authority, WAS formerly a
fourth rate lawyer in this city, and his
willingness to aid Thomas in his work of
prosecuting our vignerons suggests from
what source his appointment came, not
one of our Representatives, as far as we
can learn, having been committed to his
selection.
Thomas. has for months been openly
threatening to break up the wine men
in the interests of his employers, and his
acts prove that he is in earnest. He has
employed man by the name of Shaffer
as spy, and he is to get 10 per cent. of
what may be got out of the poor wine
men on compromise, when detected,
as his reward. He goes around pretend
ing to look for positions during the day,
or turks in dark places to pounce down
on some distiller during the night. He
has succeeded in having appointed
corps of so.called gaugers, who are really
npies, to visit wine cellars, distilleries
and so on, during day and night, and
they are now nlying their calling at Fres-
no, where they 'Asye. created so great a
terrorism that the Win men have aban.