Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-09-25

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 25s 1859.
war Upon the spy System.
The Los Angeles Chamber OF Com
merce took prompt action yesterday
upon the letter of General Vsndever, in
which he shows that the Internal Reve-
nue. Bureau is being used by the whis.
key ring for the purpose of crushing out
the wine industry of California. Aseries
of resolutions (Which we publish else
where) were adopted and steps taken to
have the matter brought conspicuously
before the country and Congress.
It is monstrous that the administration
Of system of laws should be practically
abandoned by department of the Gov
ernment to ring that is interested in
crushing out all industries in competition
with its own. Yet this is an actual fact.
It is understood that the whiskey ring
of the United States, composed Of Trust
which embraces all the distilleries east
of the Rocky Mountaine, and welding a
capital of one hundred millions of dol
lars, is really the power in the Internal
Revenue Department.. The wines Of
California are in competition with the
ring in various ways. First, as the
taste develops for wine amongst
the people, the consumption of
whiskey is lessened. Second. the
wines of California, both from their
quality and purity are driving out the
imported wines of France, and the
whiskey ring sells a very large per-
centage of its product in spirits to the
French wine adulterators for the purpose
of fortifying their manufactures. No tax
is paid on the spirits thus exported, and
the spurious wines they fortify are re-
turned to this country to compete with
the pure wines of Californis, which our
vignerons are forbidden to fortify through
the construction placed upon the law by
the Internal Revenue Bureau at the die
tation OF the whiskey ring.
If the Revenue Bureau were not run
by the whiskey ring there would be some
chance for the wine-makers of California
to obtain justice, but as long as the
ring can make Regulations, binding upon
our vignerons, through that Bureau, and
secure the appointment of their myrmi-
dons as agents and spies, it is impossible
for the California wine-growers to con-
tinue in business. They are harassed
night and day. A system of espionage and
nocturnal vieitings IS kept up with view
of worrying the wine-maker into despair.
The law allows the appointment ol
twenty-six Government agents for this
whole State. That would seem to be
enough, but there are over one hundred
acting as such in Southern California
alone. By some hocus- pocus the law is
twisted go as to warrant the ring in
swelling the twenty-six agents to hun.
dreds of underlings as 'specials," who
are selected according to the depravity Of
their character. A man of infamous
record, handy with his pistol, law-break
ing, overbearing and full of swagger
puffed up with a consciousness of hi
"brief authority" and unscrupulous Al
to the means he employs to carry out the
ends of his masters-the whiskey ring
that is the kind of fellows who represen
the Internal Revenue Bureau in thi
State and who are filling every vignerol
with dismay and disgust. They are pait
out of the sack of the whiskey ring, anS
they well understand what power is be
hind them.
If so infamous misuse of power as il
permitted in the Revenue Department
cannot be put an end to-; if the whiske.
ring is greater than the Government O
the United States and can subvert it
officers and the laws to its will, then i
is time there was some great pclitica
upheaval. The people will not tolerate
the domination of go infamous power
The administration of department o
the Government in manner 80 scanda
lous and tyrannic cannot stand whel
brought out into the full view of th
public eye.