Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-11-08
CHEATING THE GOVERNMENT.
Commissioner Capers Says Virginia
DistiIlers Are Not Toting Fair.

DistiIIers Are Not Totins Fair.
For every gallon of whisky upon
which the government collects revenue
the distillers in some places are maxi
ing from two or three gallons" is the
statement Of Captain John G. Capers,
commissioner of internal revenue.
There Is no way by which fraud can
go on at any Of the government distil-
leries except by direct collusion Of the
gauger and storekeeper with the distil-
ler. And this collusion has been go
ing on in nearly every state to some
extent, though most notably In Vir-
ginia. There, on account Of q number
of stills having been moved there from
North Carolina, run out by the Watts
law, there are more distilleries than
the agents have been able to look af-
ter.
I'm most of the cases where makers
Of whisky have been cheating the gov
ernment out Of the revenue tax, 1t has
been done by running small block
ade still, but this situation in Virginia
ic a peculiar one. There the distiller
has got the gauger in with him and Is
making anywhere from four to five
Is paying no tax. The way they do
this Is so simple that 1t Is exceedingly
difficult to detect them, because the
inspector has to be on the spot at the
very moment the distiller substitutes
a private barrel for the one which the
gauger is required to use. The gauger
Is required by law to stand at the
spout through which every drop Of dis
titled spirits must come, and as soon
as one barrel Is filled he must roll that
barrel away into his warehouse, which
Is so built as to prevent anything be-
ing taken out without the knowledge
Of the gauger. Then he must put un-
der the spout another barrel Every
pound of grain the distiller purchases
must be accounted for in the quantity
of spirits distilled and gagged, but
there Is a margin of 20 per cent: that
Is. the distilled spirits gagged must be
80 per cent Of the maximum amount
which that kind Of grain can produce.
After this 80 per cent has been gauged
by the gauger. the custom has grown
up in some localities for the gauger
then to look another way or take a
walk, during which time the distiller
puts under the spout another barrel
and after filling II rolls 1t down the
hill.
This is the HlOSt cONllloH way III
the government to be defrauded OF the
revenue. although there are other de-
vices, all Of which, however must be
with the collusion Of the government
gauger. This official may not always
be a willing party to the fraud. The
distiller making a large amount OF
money by 1t is able to nay fair
amount to the one who allows him to
do it, but he generally is able to do
II by intimidating the fellow, and
threatening to shut down his still and
throw him out Of job II he does not
look the other way or take that walk"
A vigorous campaign has been going
on in Virginia during the past several
weeks. and Commissioner Capers has
ordered thorough investigation Of the
situation. He has sent four revenue
agents there, taking them from North
Carolina and Tennessee, and he has
put in fifteen additional revenue inspec-
tors. From these reports have been
turned in to him giving information
upon which a number Of raids have
been made. Some of the largest dis |
tillers and the most influential In Vir-
ginia are about to be raided.-Zach |
McGhee's Washington letter