The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-05-19
FRAUDS AND LAWLEssNEss.

II llislllCI VI illI<tl UaStil1He III
lwestern North Carolina a subject to
(which we addressed a few remarks
yesterday. is receiving attention from
1.-The press of the state generally. The
Wilmington Messenger thinks there
mast be an immense amoun of law
ilessness and fraud among the illicit
Idistillers and revenue officers of tn.
iWestern part of the state. as the time
Iof me edera court of the district is
taken I'D in irving these men for vio-
Of the law. It does seem that
1.-THE Illicit distilleries have increased
under the Watts law. but it is not
clear why The Messenger includes the
officers In its charge of in
lcreased lawlessness. seeing that these
linen are making an increased number
iof arrests. and are destroying a stead
lily increasing number of Illicit distil-
~Ileries. all this with little or no CO.
Iorera:ion from the state authorities.
Iwho aprear wholly unmindful of the
lfact tina such a course would be in
Iline with a plain duty."-Asheville
tGaZette-News.
Why The Messenger included the
revenue officers IN its charge of law
Il~essness was because Of the numerous
convictions of these officers for partjc-
l~ipation in frauds on the government by
lowners of licensed distilleries and :.e-
lcause of the newspaper charges that
!many of these officers are in collision
with illicit distillers. 1t can hardly
be denied that there is much fraud il
the conduct of the licensed distilleries
and hat a certain class of revenue o1a-
lcers often enter into collision with
their distillers, and aid them in their
fraudulent practices Or connive at them
flor gain.
The Charlotte Observer also quoted
from the editorial of The Messenger
referred to by The Gazette-News and
Isaid:
! 1t dOes seem that the revenue OFF,
lcials are uncovering 4 lot of block
LADDERS these DAYS. and there are doubt
Hess many who are not caught. In
deed. it is asserted hat there is more
Illicit distilling going Oh in North Car
lolina than ever before. If so. proba-
Ibly nothing could be worse for the
for. as our Wilmington contem-
lnOrary avs Illicit distiiling breeds
more crime than any other unlawful
IO~ccunation men mage in There is
Something about crime of all kinds
that begets other Violations through
Imere contamination as it were. This
lis in some cases shown in the matter
lof licensed distilleries where the prac-
ltice of evading the law is followed.
In the case Of the full f1edeed moon
lshine' distiller it is often necessary for
him to terrOrize an entire community
lin order to conduct his operations.
The Guilford barn-burning incident
was a case in point. In connection
with the blockading of whiskey we
lare reminded that the United States
Iofficials seem still to be the only ones
interested in enforcing the laws. de-
lspite the state statute or the subject
and the intimation that county officers
would hereafter c~o-operate with the
traders of INCL SAM. The Watts
law has PLAYED havoc with the licensed
ldistilIories in some sectors. but it is
of no i'll keeping down
lmoonshiners. it seems.
Seldom does one hear of a state CT
official taking any steps 10
break up illicit distilling. In the sec
lions Of the state where capture Of
these stills is, almost a daily occurrence
|ty revenue officers county officials are
blind to their existence. Can any one
explain why this is the case?