Evening star., 1895-08-02
WHISKY
The Hidden Still and the Devious
Methods Employed.
MOONSHINE OPERATIONS AND PROFITS
RecoIections of the Bristow Raid
on the Rings.
Feet OF THE LA W

IL + q II " i ~ Il IL Il II "A w
| 'It is stated" said Mr.. James ]. Brooks,
| for many years connected with the secret
service of the treasury to a Star reporter.
| ''that the Forthcoming annual report of the
| commissioner of internal revenue will show
! the seizure Of 1900 Illicit stills during the
past fiscal year. Seeing that the tax is
| now $l.10 upon every proof gallon of
| whisky, these extensive seizures need not
| excite surprise but rather they show
| that the grain distiieries, bonded to
| the government, have not been Sc
| riously involved in this trouble. That
| they are not is creditable alike to
| them and the officers authorized to enforce
| The necessarily onerous laws for the col
| lection of the tax on whisky. The fact
that our public debt is increasing SO
! rapidly, and all attempts to furnish ade-
| quate revenues for meeting the current
expenses of the government having thus
| far failed, and intelligent, well-meaning
| (but uninformedD men are advocating
| still higher tax on the manufacture of
whisky, l see a good reason at this juno
| lure for recalling many of the facts. errors
| in legislation and adminstration which be-
! sat a condition Of things quarter of
century ago the like of which has no par
| shameful, so harmful, to the people was it,
| that to avoid repetition thereof all hon
| est endeavor should be put forth.
Il believe the conditions are ripening,
| he crisis is impending, and will again be
| thrust on the nation, unless the voice of
| experience has weight with our law-mak-
| erS. The eXigencieS of a fratrcdal war
| compelled the taxation of all professions
ca!lingS ard occupations. In one form or
! another nearly every article of luxury and
| necessity was taxed. Whisky bore first
tax of twenty-five cents per proof gal
| lon. 1t was afterward raised to sixty
| cents. again TO s1JO, and finally to 81
| per gallon. These different advances
covered period of four years. Legislation
during this time on this subject was large
| 1y experimental. Europe could give us but
lew precedents, SO we had, as it were, to
| feel our way; hence many mistakes were
made.
I'm period of less than three wears from
| June, 1864. to March. 1867, our internal
| revenue laws were thoroughly revised
| three times.
How Easy 1t Is.
THE process of distllation from molasses
| or the scrapngs of sugar ships was Of the
| simplest character, and an outfit inexpen-
| sive. This class of stills was the real Illicit
| still. and was run by laborers in our large
| cities; it recognized no law was run in
| cellars, Kitchens stables and out-of-the-
| way places; paid no tax and depended on
| superiority of physical force rather than
| secrecy for success; cost of material nom
! lnal; of labor nothing; product from 80 to
| 800 gallons cf spirits each twenty-rour
hotrs-think of the amount of tax avaded
| Dstiiiers of grain required expensive ma
| chinery, and being too bulky 10 operate
secretly. this class of distil!eres paid spe-
| cial tax and We're bonded to the govern
| ment before permission was given to distil
Surveys of working capacity We're fixed by
| the government. also the quantity of sDi;it
DrOtncaI sha1
OF grain AS for cthe actual cost of the
| material producing proof gallon of spirit
l hazard nothing in stating that whether
| OF molasseS or grain. eighteen cents would
! cover it. Contemplate for q moment a tax
| upon an article eleven times ~ eater than
the cost of its production What a terrible
| temptation.
The close of the war cut off the sources
| or profit many who by Questionable
practices had amassed fortunes. These and
| others lured by the prospects of an easier
way to procure wealth than ty honest
| endeavor, left indusNial pursuits and
plunged into the vortex of fraud ana so
| extensive and glaring We're he frauds per-
petrated that one officer in single year
! made l:,o seizures of unlicensed dstiIleries
| and stolen whisky. Bonded distilleries Of
| grain. each in charge of several commits
stoned officers of the government regard
| less of law and regulations were run to
| five times the capacity fixed by the govern
ment, carefully. however reporting their
product as assessed on capacity, and clan
| destinely removing the other four-fifths,
Whlcn thus escaped taxation.
The Large DistiIIcrs.
at was frequently demonstrated that large
| grain dstilleries defrauded the government
| of $1,000 per day on their actual produc-
| ton. Every report made to the govern
| ment of grain purchased and used and of
| spirits distilled and sold was made under
| the solemnity of oath. 1t is appalling
| to contemplate such wholesale perjury.
"Antecedent to the tax period there We're
| few distllers and these continued their
business until undersold by fraud they
| were forced to quit business or Join the
| mighty phalanX Of revenue robbers, and
| many virtually closed awaiting better
| times. Many were the devices put in OPP
| GRAFTON for the collection of the tax Stem
| ellis We're at first largely employed for
branding packages tax paid but immedi-
| ately upon their appearance each dlstiiler
| had exact counterfeit made for his es
pecal use when stock was taken prece-
! dent to a change of tax, and the officer
| branded it as being manufactured prior
| to a given date. Thereafter and for months
subsequent to the date on which the iu-
| creased rate of tax went into effect the
| trade was. to a man. furnished with
counterfeit brand, under which they put
| their whisky stolen daily on the market
| as beng old stock. These tricks were re-
peated with every change of the law. so
| long stencils were used. Later a shrewd
| Yankee invented u spirit meter which the
government adopted, an expensive affair,
| running into thousands of dollars, and
| compelled the dstiller to buy and have the
! same attached to the tailpiece of each con-
! derser. They protested, but Vainiy, and
| their places were closed until the meters
| were attached There was mourning for a
| time but soon experts were travelling the
| country and teaching how the meter could
| be made to register any amount to suit
| the dstiller, and all was again serene for
| him. After fair trial the instrument was
| cast out worthless
Extent Of the Fraud.
'"The commissioner gave figures showing
| that GO per cent Of the amount of spirits
| reported made and warehoused was after
ward stolen under color of law. Add to
| this four-ffths of the whisky made. which
was never reported or warehoused, and
| imagination is paralyzed. 1t was mainly
! through the efforts of Mr.. Rollins that
the act of July 90 hssS, was passed reduc-
|