Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-04-21
AlAKING WHIaKEY-

Washington. April 21:-When
George w. CuretOn, who lives up In
the northern corner Of Georgia--i
Dade county to be exact--pinned his
faith to United States internal rev.
enue stamp authorizing him TO make
whiskey, and proceeded TO do so. he
got himself, the state Of Georgia,
and even the federal government It.
SELF into a peck Of trouble. He and
two federal revenue agents were
landed In Jail. the state of Georgia
defied the national government to re-
lease them, and for the last six
months there has been bitter legal
warfare which has only just been
terminated.
The whole controversy would have
been avoided in the FIRST place II
ICureton and some of the others in
volved had realized that the United
States does not license" anybody to
go into the liquor or. tobacco busi-
ness. The license must come from
the state or district in which the
business is to be carried on. The ma
tional government merely insists
that those who engage in the busi-
ness must pay tax tOdJncle Sam for
the privilege.
Nor does it make any difference to
the national government whether or
not those who want to pay such a
tax live in prohibition district. 1t
is always ready to sell the stamps
which show that tax has been paid
and which guarantees that there will
be no federal interference In one
town in the dry" state of Kansas
over one hundred such stamps were
sold last year and in the state of |
Maine-also stronghold of prohibit |,
tion--over 500. But Cureton's case, |
in the prohibition state of Georgia,
was peculiar one
Living up in the hillse with a I
sparse but thirsty community around
him, separated by many miles from
the places which cater to the desires
of the bibulously inclined, Cureton
conceived the idea that there was
good living, if not "A fortune, to be
obtained by establishing still"
and selling its products to his neigh
bors
Being wise in his generation, and
having knowledge of the implacable
fashion in which the revenue man"
will dog down anyone who tries to
run that kind of business illicitly.
Cureton decided that it would be SAT-
est to be open and above-board in
out his plans.
So he went to tne Office of the
nearest Collector of Internal Reye-
nue., and passed over the taxes re-
luired by the Federal Government.
fhen he went back home and started
1 real distillery. {
Everything went along smoothly
'or time and Cureton was making
money as well as whiskey. The gov
srnment storekeeper and gauger Wis.,
ted his place from time to time ana !
'erificd the amount of liquor that he
was making and saw that his ac-gN
;ount Of material used was correct. I
dis neighbors had their regular sup
ply OF mountain dew with the gov !
srnmept o. X. on it, and voted
sureton good fellow. If
But this peaceful scene could not
asst forever. After some months the :
tate authorities learned Of this far
WAY mountain dfstillery running in |
'iolation of the state laws, and they |
ent a sheriff to Investigate. Cure I
on was arrested and brought to trial !
n the course of which the govern {
nent storekeeper and gauger. B. p.
thompson by name, was called upon
o testify as to waSat was in Cure
on's workshop. Thompson refused |
o give any information on the
ground that the government regula- {
ions prohibited revenue officer 8
rom disclosing any knowledge I
sained In the course Of his business.
He was promptly sent to jail for con- n
emp of court {
About the same time Deputy Col /
ector ". y. Crockett broke off and {
'emoyed the lock which had been :
'laced on the distillery by the sheriff
md he was placed in prison.
The national government was ar
aged against the state government. ]
agents OF the one upholding the
Treasury Departments regulations
md officials and others supporting
he trampled dignity OF the state