The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-01-17
MAKING WILDCAT BOOZE
ST|RS UP Junk SAMMY
From Saturdays Daily.

/ sion of what is popularity known as
'moonehning:" in other words, the
making Of Illicit whiskey.
One reason why the Illicit traffic
! has continued in spite Of the efforts
of the internal revenue department
to put stop 10 the illegal process
of manufacturing distilled spirits
without warrant of law may he found
in the fact that in the main the own.
ers of snch concerns have confined
their operations TO the mountains or
to Sparsely settled districts not easy
of access by those charged with the
duty of breaking up distillercs OF
this character.
Tho districts most f9vorahlv 10
Gated for the operation OF these un.
lawful concerns are almost entirely
confined ~ Tn7nnceee, A'aba M
Moth Ca"olina, Ni"g'ria and Coor"'a
Kentucky is not included in the
list for the reason that. althourh the
eastern part Of that state ie noun
j'ainons, so many lawful disti'leries
ore in operation in the dark and
bloody ground" comparatively meag.
81 opportunity has been offered to
mo moorehiner in that territory to
dispose of his goods at a profit.
And yet no inconsiderable amount
of Illicit whiskey is made in the
mountains of Kentucky, not only for
'home consumption," but for sale to
whosoever will buy. There is good
reason to believe that quantities of
the stuff are sold across the border
in Tennessee and other states touch
ing the Pme GraeS commonwealth.
The Wildcat Whiskey.
PERHAPS no state in the Union has
the making of wildcat whiskey pros
Dered to such degree as in Ten
nessee, and perhaps, also, nowhere
has there been more persistent effort
to suppress the traffic; but in spite
of the most strenuous watchfulness
on the part Of the government Of
ticials the business goes on, not in
as uninterrupted way, to be sure, as
in other years. hut still it goes on,
and likely enough it. will continue to
do so for many years to come.
Tn no state in the Union are more
alert. aggressive or more capable
field men employed i'm breaking up
these wildcat concerns than in Ten.
nessee, yet they find plenty of work
to do. They are never idle more
than few days at most, and then
only when planning new raids.
Contrary to popular belief. the null
Hn'icitv Of moonshjne dietilleries in
this state is not altogether due to
the temperance laws of the state,
if at all, for long before statewide
prohibition was dreamed of the
woods were fun of them." and il
has been only by the most agrees
sive search inaueurated in the last
few years that their hiding places
have been discovered.
This is the view taken of the sit
uation by the most experienced
raiders" but there can be no cues.
tion that under the methods adopted
by Collector Dunlap and Revenue
Agent Booth the business of wildcat.
ting in Tennessee has been greatly
curtailed in the last three or four
years: but this was made possible
only through the watchfulness of the
men at work in the field.
eootleagino Is Different.
Bookkeeping of the ordinary kind
has probably increased since The
statewide law went into effect, but
as rule this class of offenders do
not deal in wildcat whiskey. dealing
mostly in rectified spirits. which they
sell at a good profit, for the reason
that they are able to purchase the
cheaper brands at a low price. OF
course. Bookkeeping, to limited ex.
tent, is carried on in the "moon.
shine" districts. but for the most
part the manufacturers dispose of
their products themselves, or through
regularly appointed agents, who are
in a way connected with the plants
whose whiskey they offer to the
thirsty.
A popularity of the average moon
sinner is that he does not consider
himself an outlaw in the ordinary
sense of the term. He grows his
corn and his fruit and as a free-born
American citizen he feels that he
has an inherent right to make such
use OF it as may seem to him best
for his own interest. In taking
this view Of the matter he
does not mean that he is ignorant
or the fact that the laws of the Fed.
eral' Government prohibit the making
of illicit whiskey. He simply means
that the powers that be- have no
right to attempt the enforcement of
oppressive laws-laws that deprive
him of the privilege of earning a
livelihood for himself and family. He
is shrewd enough to know that IL
VIII be necessary for him to dodge
the revenue raiders whenever he
can, and this he manages to do in
a great many instances, in spite of
the watchfulness of the officers. He
has no particular animosity against
the revenue men or the government
they represent. but he does resent
any interference with his business on
the part of anybody. or course it
is illegal to make and sell whiskey
contrary to law, and this he knows
as we'll as anybody, for altogether he
does not lack shrewdness or common
sense. What he objects to is inter.
ference with his inalienable rights
under the constitution as he under.
stands them.
West Tennessee Farming Country,
There are localities in the western
part of the state just as well adapt.
ed for the making of wildcat whiskey
as can be found in the mountains,
and many have wondered why the
business is not carried on as ex.
tensively in that section as in the
more rugged country of the upper