The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-04-04
wHIskEY AND THE SYSTEM.

wIfISkEY AND THE SYSTEM. d
Yesterday we spoke in general terms of the
prevalence II NE opinion that the whiskey
business, certainly IN the manufacturing end. is
impossible of honest conduct.
Today We present a remarkable communioa.
ton with an attending affidavit. which goes TO
chow in detail and special circumstance q curl
Gus eorroboraiion In fact the operation of the
internal revenue tax is generally conceded to
make prohibitory the manufacture of whiskey
except where the manufacturer defrauds the
Government It follows from the precautions OF
the law that In the generality Of cases 1t is i'm.
possible to defraud the Government without the
conniyanee of revenue officers. We thus have
the case brought down to the humiliating basis
that In order to obtain the revenue from It's H.
uuor taxation. the Government itself is party
u its own robbery!
We ask for the communication referred TO
careful reading. 1t states the case of the
-noonshner' with a peculiar frankness, and
from novel angle. Why. indeed, should the
mountaineer with surplus corn hand not ven
ture 70 break the law Of the land. when he knows
that Its violation is part Of the business and
almost perqusire OF the large corporation that
does under the cover Of the law the same thing
that he endeavors TO do without It's knowledge?
other have been writing about the illteracy and
iawiessness Of the mountaineers has appreciated
this open temptation which the Government It.
self puts In their way? Who. in prating about
the immense amount Of money invested in the
whkskey business and brought into circulation
through it's medium, has pau2cd TO think upon
what open and fragrant corruption of Govern
mountaineer with his copper still. stops to con-
denim more justly and more harshly the corpora.
ten whose -a.stilling is done with steam power
whose books jugsed In order that 1t may
break the law by debauching the officers of the
law.
What Is here said is of course. general In
character, except 10 the particular affidavit
cited There are honest revenue officers as there
are sober barkeepers. Perhaps there are honest
d.stillers. though the average whiskey man will
smile at the suggestion But that the general
r. ndition exists, not only in Richmond, but
throughout the country, man of information
ran deny The remedy. If remedy there be- is
changed attitude on the part of courts, and
different view the part Of the Internal Reeve
nue. Department as to where its functions cease
when II detects violations Of the statutes under
which It has It's being AT present that attitude
Ii nothing much better than one which consid.
ers the amount OF money ii can collect, regard
less Of how it is collected. Tha, is 10 say, that
the department blinks at corruption, while as
sarning TO punish it.
One Of Grover Cleyelands appointees once
sssa aae fIl4cft yS1sf3frr pe9se srToKe@ he had
dlscoy4red ..Mr Cleveland told me to tell you
boys to move little farther back from the
read
The crudiiy Of that advice is exactly what in
the case OF the large distiler the Government
now says with respect to populations in enor-
NOUS amounts
q I5pth there shaH come reform which will
cause the Government to give Jail sentence
instead Of taking check, the least Dragging
about the money that Virginia exscts from its
whiskey traffic the better.