Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1907-05-16
Internal Revenue Collector After
Dispensary Commission
WANTS BACK TAXES
Which He Claims Is Due Uncle Sam
On Account Of the Dispensary
Having Done n Wholesale as Well
~ Retail Business. Claims Thir-
ty-fivc Thousands Dollars as Lii
cense Fees.

ty-five Thousands Dollars as Lii
cense Fees.
Major Micah Jenkins, collector of
internal revenue for South Carolina,
has notified the state dispensary COM
mission that immediate payment
must be made to his department of
beer license fees aggregating more
than $4,000.
This claim represents the differ
ence to date between the gross
amount of license fees actually paid
by the State on behalf of its several
county dispensaries, and the amount
which the internal revenue depart
ment alleges should have been paid.
The licenses taken out were for re-
tail beer dealers and permitted sales
to individuals in single sales of not
more than four and seven-eights gal
Ions each. The departments conten-
ton is that nearly every beer dispen-
ser, as a matter of fact, repeatedly
sold to individual purchases more
than the specified amount of beer at
one time, and by so doing placed them
selves in the class OF wholesale deal
ers. The fees for retail dealers is
$25 per year, that for Wholesale
dealers $125. with penalty of SO
per cent for failure to pay in ad-
vance.
Major Jenkins claim is for $685.
600 in back licenses, prior to the
past fifteen months, and $5.427 in
back licenses incurred during that
period-$35 ,427 in all, without in
nI fx,o hn <Nf
which would bring the claim up to
about $4,000. The department has
agreed. however. to remit the pen
atty in case the face amount Of the
claim is paid over within ten days.
Attorney General Lyons and the
commissioners attorney. Mr.. w. F.
Stevenson of Cheraw. are in consul
tation as to the validity OF the claim,
which the commissioner has been
quoted as saying 1t will fight. The
local dispensary organ this morning
quoted dispensary officials as saying
that II beer dispensers had made sim
gle sales in excess of the A "a gallons
limit. they did so in disobedience to
explicit directions, and the state COM
mission could not. therefore. be made
to pay excess license ices and penal
ties. incurred through the disobedi
ence Of the dispensers. The infer
ence drawn was that the department
would have to sue on the individual
bonds of the several dispensers, If II
proposed to collect the $35, ,427, the
retail licenses being directed to the
dispensers by name.
Major Jenkins said that the de-
partment had issued the licenses to
the state board as principal. the dis
pensers being named merely as
agents, and that he would certainly
look to the state board for the mon
ey. If this board can reimburse 1t
self by suing OH the bonds of the dis
pensers, that Is it's own affair. The
internal revenue department has no
bill against the several dispensers;
it's claim is against their principal
and employer, the state board
1t Is claimed in certain quarters
that the department cannot collect
excess license fees and penalties for
a period extending further back than
fifteen months.
The department alleges that more
than the legal quantities have been
sold in the whiskey dispensaries, as
we'll as in the beer saloons.
The several summons in the case
have been served upon DR.. w. j. Muir
ray, the chairman of the state com
mission, and DR.. Murray has called
meeting of the commission.