Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 20.djvu/560

WHISKY. 474 WHISPERING GALLERY. Act.' is intended to enable the purchaser of even so small a quantity as a quart to secure a prod- uct which comes direct Irom Government con- trol and has, therefore, suffered no addition or adulteration. The internal revenue strip stamp over the cork of the bottle is imprinted with the age and quantity of the contained whisky. Whisky, in common with other kinds of dis- tilled liquors, bears a heavy burden of taxation in the United States. (See Inter.xal Kevexl-e System.) The gallon tax has been $1.10 since 1894. which is at least four times the cost of production, and a yearly license, called special tax, is exacted from distiller, wholesaler, and retailer. The entire process of manufacture is subject to supervision by Government officers, and the distiller is held to a rigid accounting for all materials used : he must pay tax upon not less than .3 1,2 gallons of proof spirits for every bushel of grain mashed, whether he obtains that yield or not. and hea-y penalties are provided for fraud or evasion of tax. In proportion to alco- holic content the rate of tax upon distilled liquors is much higher than upon any form of fermented liquors. See Liquors. Fermekted AND Distilled. St.tistics and History of. WHISKY INSURRECTION. The term pop- ularly applied to the organized opposition among the farmers and distillers of the four western counties of Pennsylvania in 1704 to the enforee- ment of the Federal law of March, 1791, impos- ing an excise tax on whisky. The law was ex- ceedingly unpopular in this part of the country, where whisky was the chief article of manu- facture, and from which, by reason of the remote- ness of the country, grain could not well be shipped to the East except in the more portable form of whisky. The frontier inhabitants re- garded the law as an unjust discrimination against them, and vigorously opposed its en- forcement. The Government at once instituted prosecutions against some of the chief offenders, but when the marshal undertook to serve the necessary processes he was compelled by a body of armed men to desist. In pursuance of an act passed by Congress in May, 1792, President Washington issued a proclamation commanding the insurgents to disperse, and wai-ning others against abetting them. On August 14. 1794, a convention of more than 200 delegates, represent- ing the western counties of Pennsylvania and one county in Virginia, assembled at Parkinson's Ferry on the ^lonongahela, with Albert Gallatin (q.v. ) as secretary of the meeting. Three com- missioners who had been appointed by the Presi- dent, together with commissioners ajjpointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania, appeared at the con- vention, and offered a general amnesty, conditioned upon submission to the laws, but no jiromises or pledges could be secured from tlic convention. The commissioners thereupon returned to Philadelphia, and on the basis of their report the President is- sued a second proclamation on September 2.5th, commanding submission and announcing the inarch to the scene of disturbances of a force of militia, a requisition for l.'i.OOO militiamen having already been made njion the Governors of Pennsyl- vania, Xew .lersey, Virginia, ami Maryland. ']>im the approach of the troops the ardor of the insur- gents was somewhat dampened, and David Brad- ford, the prime mover in the insurrection, fled to New Orleans. Meantime another convention assembled at Parkinson's Ferry and passed reso- lutions pledging submission and obedience to tile laws. Ihereupon Governor Henry Lee of 'irginia, who was acting as commander of the militia, issued a proclamation of amnesty, re- quiring an oath of allegiance to the United States, and ordered the arrest of those offenders who refused to make a declaration of submission. A nvuiiber of suspected persons were seized. Some were dismissed for want of evidence, and others were bound over to appear for trial. Two were convicted of treason, but were jiardoned by the President. As a precautionary measure, 2500 troops under the command of General Morgan were retained in the disaffected community throughout the winter to serve as a police force. The real signifieance of the disturbances, which never rose to the dignity of an insurrection, was that it was the first instance in which the strength of the new Federal Government to main- tain domestic tranquillity and enforce laws was put to the test. The pronqjtness with which the resistance was put down won respect for the Government and established valuable precedents with regard to its power and duty on similar occasions in the future. WHISKY RING. In American history, a term iiojiularly applied to an association of in- ternal revenue officers and distillers formed dur- ing the administration of President Grant for the purpose of defrauding the Government of the excise on distilled spirits. The ring originated in Saint Louis. Distillers who refused to pay the assessment were entrapped into technical vio- lations of the law and were forced to con- tribute or submit to prosecution. Finally it was discoAered that the revenue returns were far short of the average, but the criminals could not be reached, on account of the prompt infor- mation which they received from members of the ring in the Treasury Department. In 187.'), tlirough the active efforts of Benjamin H. Bris- tow. the Secretary of the Treasury, the frauds were discovered. On Max lOtli sixteen distilleries in Saint Louis. Milwaukee, and Chicago were seized and indictments were promptly foimd against some 240 distillers and revenue officials, besides the chief clerk in the Treasury Depart- ment. Avery, and 0. E. Babcock, the private secretary of the President. The trials began at .Tefferson City, TNlo., in October. 1875, and re- sulted in the conviction of a Treasury agent and a supervisor. Babcock was tried at Chicago in February. 1870. but was acquitted. Most of the other offenders either pleaded guilty or were convicted. The leading defendants who were convicted were pardoned after a short interval. A select committee appointed by the House of Representatives made an exhaistive investiga- tion of the subject. The report with the testimony taken is published in the House ^fisce!lancollS Document, No. 180, first session. Forty-fourth Congress. It was shown that during the ten months endins Mav 1. 1875, the Government had birn drfiMudcl of liil.i;.-|0,0(IO ill taxes. WHISPERING GALLERY. The name L'iven to n number of galleries nn the interior of domed buildings which from their construction possess a peculiar echo, transmitting sounds with great intensity to distant points. The most noted of such whispering galleries is in the cupola of Saint Paul's, London, where a low whisper