The age-herald., 1898-07-02
100000 Sold by Collector Bing-
 ham in Last Two Days.
A SUPPLY ON EVERY TRAIN
The Druggists Are Having Hard Time--S55 Worth of Check Stamps Used Each Day-Complica-
 lions Arising.

The much talked of war tax of the United States government went into effect all over the country yesterday and a great amount of interest was manifested by everybody. Numerous mistakes were made but this is all that could be expected on the first day, especially as many business houses and individuals were unable to obtain the nec- essary stamps.
 Internal Revenue Collector Bingham yes terday receivd a notice from the treasury department saying that the Washington off, flee was being hooded with inquiries to know what would be the effect if no stamps could be obtained, and were not used on papers and packages where the law re- quired.
 In answer the department calls attention to the law which cooers such cases and in explaining the law says that where it was impossible to procure the stamps and where the failure to affix them was not due to any wilful design to defraud or deceive the government the taxpayer may in such cases be relieved by the collector from payIHeLt oI peAdlty.
 Nothing Impossible Required
 The law does not require impossible things to be done, and the government does not insist that business shall stop and thsc merchants shall withhold goods from the market simply because the stamps are not to be had.
 Where instrument, such as bank check, is not stamped at the proper time by the proper party, it may afterward be stamped by any person or party who has an interest in the paper.
 But in all of the exceptional cases cited above sworn statements >of the facts must be made to the collector, who will then as- sess the taxes which are due.
 100000 Stamps Sold
 Up to the time business closed yester- day Collector Bingham had sold in Ala bama 500,000 documentary stamps and 10O.- 900 proprietary stamps, amounting in all to about $15, 0O0 And this does not include all the numerous cities and towns in the state which are not yet supplied. Stacks and stacks of money are piled up in the collect or's safe from parties out of town waiting to be exchanged for stamps as soon as they arrive Every mail brings them in in big bundles, but the supply is quickly ex- hausted.
 The Drug Stores
 The drug stores are having the hadest time of anybody in town. Nearly every article they sell has to be adorned by stamp of greater or less denomination, with the druggists name written across 1t. which, of course, takes time and trouble. No raise in the regular price of any Of their wares was made, however.
 The 2-cent stamps all bank checks were perhaps the most conspicuous of all. These can be obtained at all banks and must be attached by the party drawing the check, and not the bank. As each bank in the city handles on an average of 400 checks day, Uncle Sam's share amounts to $S a day on each banks business. The depositors of the seven banks in town thus pay over $50 day for their checks alone.
 The government also reaped small har- vest on telegraph messages yesterday as Lent stamp had to be attached to every message before the office will accept it.
 Freight and Express
 The freight offices were all required to affix Lent stamp to every bill of lading issued, though they were required to issue only one bill. If the shipper wants any more bills he must furnish his own stamps for them
 On the contrary, the express company had orders from it's head office to require the shipper to furnish the 1-cent stamp required for it's receipts. This is of the little incongruities of the war tax yet to be explained.
 There are numerous other commercial and legal papers which were required to be stamped, and all of them have appeared from time to time in The Age-Herald. A complete list of them can be obtained at the collectors office