The age-herald., 1897-12-24

1 ID qulie three times the total income an- nually of the state of Alabama. When 1t comes to whisky consumption, the govern ment steps in with it's laws regulating in- terstate commerce so as effectually to pre- vent any state from an experiment with prohibition of the liquor traffic. The South Carolina dispensary system was bona fide effort in the general direction of state limitation of the liquor traffic. but ere the system could be put in operation, under reforms suggested by experience in the ev- cry day trial of it, in steps the United States courts to squelch it. throwing the community back upon the horrors of vil- lage grog shops.
 The many poor farmers congregated about the Birmingham postoffice last week were not dragged from home to answer any crime standing under the name of whisky distillers or whisky consumers, but 10 answer for the peculiar American crime or omission to pay taxes on the industry of making whisky to sell or whisky to con sume without sale. The farmer may make the corn and shrk his taxes. If detected the remedy against him i9 solely by civil process He cannot be put in jail in de- iauit Of taxes on his crop or his land much less shot down at home and his property burned. But the tax or license due for the dlStilllng privilege is treated in an entirely original and desperate manner No other tax In the world is collectable in that way. The collectors go in the night armed with weapons good for, say, fifty shots each man, delivered in rapid succession If the ochhquent Is at home and surrenders with out caVll, he goes to jail here for six months, year or two years Hence is dis patched under heavy guard to some cold prison Tn some high latitude which is apt To De the closing chapter in his life.
 Alabama once licensed distilIeries ana fltr Nobody was shot down in default of pay ment; no property was destroyed. It is now become a very queer and paradoxical thing, this tax Alabama mountain dis tillers. Up in Ohio and Pennsylvania the money of these times has geratly congre- gated, per force of the federal laws which have taxed Alabama money out of exist ence Therefore the Ohioans and the Pennsylvanians have many towns villages, hamlets, many manufacturing laborers who consume corn and rye at fair prices to the farmer. Give a single thought to the Alabama farmer in his isolated stua- tioni His nearest neighbors produce for themselves every crop that he might have to sell. Every farm in the whole congress sional district duplicates it's neig4lboring farm in crops. How is this farmer wbo has surplus of corn, to use it as a re- ward for his toll in producing it?
 The laws, state and federal say it is no harm to make whisky, no harm to sell whisky, no harm to buy and drink whisky.
 It looks a little peculiar-very peculiar indeed when you come to find how much difference there is between Alabama in the United States and the United States in Ala bama!
 Following up the mention of the federal tax on whisky, it is impossible to collect it by civil process In the southern states, because the people are not in condition to justify the imposition of it. federal tax here on manufactured textiles, shoes, blows, etc., is practicable; federal tax on incomes at the north is practicable. If one walks about the city where the show windows bloom, it will be observed that mems suits, for example, that were held at $4.99 last Christmas, are up to s6.44 now. The rise is a federal or tariff tax and it is readily paid
 A tax that can only be collected by shoot ing to death the tax payer, imprisoning him in penitentiary a thousand miles from home and destroying his property, which becomes bad property solely because of the tax due and unpaid Is not tax but. a war measure. It is confscation and oppression.
 The tax on the textiles, clothing, shoes, tin buckets, etc., goes, every dollar of it, and more, to the payment of pensions. Let us see how pensions go. private pension bill was called in the senate last week as soon as the body got down to work. Sem ator Pettus of Alabama, arose to ask for information, the senate knowing nothing of the rights of the claimant. It was eX- plained that the pension bureau had re- jected the application, but Senator Gallin- ger, of New Hampshire hoped there was equity in it. The facts were these: Soon after the seven days battle around Richmond an army surgeon of McClellan's army wrote to his friend, a certain doctor in New Hampshire, to come down to the army hospitals for ten days to take his place and his duties in order that he might secure a brief leave of absence The country doctor went, received his pay (pre- sumaby) for ten days and returned home. He had never entered the army and did not enter the army at any time. The country doctor lived from July, 1862, the time of his return from Virginia, at home, where, in January, 1864, he died natural death. The pension claim had no other foundation than this incident of army life related.
 Senator Pettus seems to have asked the question merely to make public one of thousands of cases like this. The pen sion of SIT per month was enacted by the senate, nemine contra.
 The commissioner of pensions says con gress must appropriate 900 and not $l40,0O0 900 called for by the secretary of the interior for pensions. He says last years pension fund is $S, 900 short and there are over 900 applicants not yet on the roll
 Private" Allen said as he had much to do with producing pension conditions he would express one of his objections to wid- ows' pensions. He had found that the old and inflrm pensioners were being gobbled up for husbands by young maidens who expected to become widows in time to ne- joy the larger part of the years of life.
 JOHN w. DUBOSE.
 Attack on School