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About The Oregon daily journal. (Portland, Or.) 1902-1972 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 29, 1907)
r ACT Of PiHirrcmrf Oirtlaw forced oui of THE OREGON SUNDAY JOURNAL, PORTLAND ' SUNDAY j MORNING , SEPTEMBER 29, J9Q7 ' . ' t I AST r ww x x x -ovv. rut 1 jar " r m r- ar i r , ,. . u sa p"" i. vaw . a x v iwtv . jir.im - Mmii m. - m mam ' ---- in m 4 IV, Business by Local Option and Public Sentiment J0 Ajj no Awri or read even if he has never sampled it of "moonshine" whisky, and of its picturesque, lawless maker, the "moon thwer"f For years the "moonshiner" has been the Tiero of song, and story, a roughly romantic figure,, appealing strongly to the popular im agination, thrilling melodramas have been "built around him; dime novels have been filled tvith his adventures. His readiness to die in defense of what he has regarded as his inalienable right to pur tue happiness and the nimble dollar by the Uis filiation of "mountain dew," has won ad- . miration for his wrong-headed heroism, even from those who had no sympathy with his illicit business. But now, if the internal revenue men are Hot "over sanguine, the "moonshiner" is near the end of his career. In a few years, it is as serted, he will be as extinct as the dodo. With him will end as thrilling a serial ttory of romance and adventure as ever passed into hlsiory. D AVID A. GATES, chief of the national jovern- ment'i laUrnal rTnue ipnti, believes that the next ten yean will wltneaa the final paaslng of the "moonahlner." ; ' Thla will not be, Mr. Oatea admlta. ao much becaua bf the activity and devotion of the revenue men, though these Qualities are unquestioned, as because of the Change In popular sentiment In the regions where the "taoonshlner" la making hla last stand. Tact la, th "moonshiner," who has always heretofore td th sympathy and tacit support of th communities Ja which ha lived, la gradually being legislated out of Kxlartanoe by those yry communities, Th states which hare been hla stronghold are, one atfter another, "going dry." They are discovering thatv the liquor- question. In the rural districts at least, is In xtrlcably tangled up with the negro problem. ; The country people are afraid of the drunken negro. Outrages, which have aroused the entire South and re sulted. In -lynching Innumerable, have been traced. In nany case, to the mountain stllL --For-lt--thera that the negro dives get their sup Vllea, and It la "moonshine" that drives the vicious, loaf ing negro of the country districts mad. 80 the people have decided that the moonshiner must go; and, that Jpelng th case, there Is very little doubt that he is going. For mora than fifty years since Uncle Bam set hlm fcelf seriously to the suppression of the mountain still It has been war to the death between the "revenuer" and th "moonahlner," and neither aid waa particular aa to bow many deatha resulted. 4 . BACK TO WASHINGTON'S TIME V Probably th first moonshiners, though the name had 'Dot then been coined, were those who fomented the whisky rebellion In western Pennsylvania during the early years of Washington's administration, a revolt that waa pnly broken up when federal troops took the field. . These were the only "moonshiners" for whose sup pression an army has been called Into service, but there fcaa been for years a sort of guerl'la warfare between the makers of Illicit whisky and the armed revenue offi cers,' which will only cease when the "moonahlner" Is axtlnct. He la In th class with the buffalo. In that he Is "dy ing out," but with this difference that there Is no effort feeing made to prevent It Game preservation laws do pot extend to him. : TMoonshlnlng" Is an ancient Industry, and It Is only comparatively recently that It has ceased to be an honor ftble on. : r When our grandfathers were young men a great many frf them owned and operated private distilleries. The promiscuous making and sale of whisky was as honorable and right In those days as the raising and selling of bogs. . Country gentlemen all had their stills. Each man tnade as much whisky each season as he had corn to apar tor, saved what he wanted for family use and sold th rest at about 80 cents a gallon a grade of whisky, y the way, that now costs from $4 to $6 a gallon. t ..When the government forbade thla sort of "every-man-bis-own-distlller" scheme, the better and law-abld-fmg class submitted gracefully to the Inevitable. But the gorest free lances, knowing little and caring less fon law, took up the industry, which meant big returns tor little outlay of capital or labor, and began the manufac ture by stealth, generally at night end at secret places. JEIenoe the term "moonshiner." While there have been some illicit liquor manufactur ers to the cities, the real stronghold of the Industry has been In th mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia fluid the Carollnas. : Th "moonshiner" is essentially a product of th hills. Jjla face Is rarely, seen in the market places. He is convinced that his business Is not Illegal. He believes thoroughly In his God-given right to make whisky, and b regards It as an liunnKemuiu 01 his liberties aa un American citizen to break lus still or lay the heavy hand of taxation on the spirit which he manufactures. And In defense of that right he is ready to die. :.t BY MOUNTAIN STREAMS At th. same time he realizes that discretion Is the bUr part of valor, and be builds his still with a view to concealment It mutt be where there Is water In a&unaance, however, so he chooses a deep gully or ra vine, or the banks of a creek running down a mountain side the more out of the way, the more Inaccessible the jitter. As a means of livelihood the "moonshine" whisky Industry U fairly profitable. It "requires little capital. iL'he "moonshiner a' plant is, a a rule, simplicity itself. An illicit .till can oe made as cheap as (10, with the furnace built in primeval fashion of rock and clay, and the "worm" adapted from a gun barrel. It may cost on the other hand, a alga a a if me 'mooiit.nn.er lakes urilcient pride in tils business. The usual investment la. perhaps, 300 or S25U. Uh stills ar crude affairs, of course, as compared with the elaborate machinery of the big distillers. But aa average sized still can be made to produce eighty gallon, ot marketable whisky a week, which sells readily U 81.14 or 8L30 a gallon. . - 'i'hat weans an income of $S0 a. week from materials costing about 830. " ' Seventy dollar a week would mean a princely Income for those part. If the men worked steadily, but they don't No "moonshiner worthy of the name would de mean himself by working when he had any money in hla clothe' Moreover, there ar time, when tber can't work for lack of wat.r, and time, wh.n th.y ont work .Z-rt1 - iZ?ir t-tl-Tyzi 1-2?jSS??-ifF U X for fear of th. "wwain," ' - f -ife'-J&l- Jflrn WSIK'Ml'VOSw com, from the t!ll. colorless. It is moreover, raw T?JfV?"TV- dii- tH?7 1235 J V"? r lT-- -"-l ' rY J i 2&2Ert j&V i '.e . whoM throat bu dmb mad eallou to th bnrnln 72 'rlc 'Wii H 'WhT fluid by long familiarity, or to th ngro loafw who C, -jpL llpJffl 6rfrfr tfy& 4ct"tj Jtrcrze Officer cannot get It too strong. A little perhaps he sends to tae towns, and sells to the negro divekeeper-and that results In trouble and lawlessness on the part tt the consumer. ' As to the class of men who have been "moonshin ers" these latter years, they have been mostly a worth less, thriftless lot, too laxy to raise cotton and seeing no fan In farming. The "moonshiner" of today Is not at all a romantic figure. He la very much like any other denlsen of the outskirts of civilisation. His clothing la poor and scanty. A more Intimate acquaintance with soap and water would be greatly to his advantage. A hair cut would make another man of him, and a shave would probably make him a stranger to his own family. He is a desperate man, ready to die In defense of what he claims as his God-given right to make whisky, but, on the whole, preferring not to. He takea no chances with life or liberty. ' At the first hint of danger. It Is fight or flight, ac cording to clrcumstancea If It Is fight. It is fight to a finish; and that, in times gone by, has not made for length of days for the revenue agent The "revenuer" is a good deal more of a hero In his way thali the "moonshiner." He rides into the wilderness, and sometimes he doesn't come back. . His calling Is as dangerous as that of the soldier, and he gets none of the soldier's glory. If he la killed, his wife Is not pensioned by a grate ful country. On the contrary, if any provision is made for his widow and his fatherless children, it Is In the form of a grudgng allowance which must be author ised by special act of Congress. He rides armed, of course, with the best and most modern weapons, but he rides continually in expecta tion of ambush, knowing that everywhere he Is watched by hostile eyes, perhaps covered by hostile guns; that the moment the "moonshiner" thinks his still or his person Is In danger he will shoot. Until the "moonshiner" shoots the "revenuer" may not. By that time it Is sometimes too late. There Is considerable advantage In the first shot, and that ad vantage the rules of the service deny the revenue agent. He must wait for the other fellow to fire first (as a rule, he does not have to wait long), but once fired on, he can fire as often as he likes and as accurately as he Is able. Since 1874 fifty-four of the government's revenue agents have been killed and ninety-four wounded In When ConscicnceGrapplcs theGuilty Mind H rOW do you do, Mr. Brockett, do you know me V John Brockett, a farmer living near Derby, Conn., looked up from his dinner table one day and saw a well-dressed man whose face seemed familiar. Yet he shook his head vagruely. "I'm So and So," replied the man; "you re- member I worked for you eighteen years ago." "Yes, and stole $200," said Brockett. "The police gave up looking for you years ago. You have nerve to come back." "Well, I've come to pay you the money," said "Mhe man. He drew out a purse and placed bills amounting to $200 on the table. Then the for mer hired man explained that a number of years ago be had been converted in Chicago, and had got a position in a dry goods store, of which he was now manager. "I made up my mind to pay -ou, and saved my vr So here you are." UCH Instance, of the workings of conscience are not rare. People who steal money, ride on cars without paying fare or defraud others in any way often feel a change of heart after many years. unU go to the greatest trouble to right the wrongs they perpetrated. v, Interesting and uniqu. ar. th. little stories re vea.au iu iutuuM oiuces, banking institutions, post otucs and other places. The merest chances, the death of friends, conversion, often cause people to re member small and petty thefts. .Their conscience burns, and then they, make restitution. One would hardly think that the memory of steal ing a free ride on a trolley car would worry a person. The Intentional sending of a letter with less than the required postage overlooked by the postmaster, would hardly be regarded a. a mortal sin. Yet people often " remember these things years after the occurrence. Often it takes the heart a long time to melt Into penitence. But as these little Instances prove, hearts of the unjust often. Instead of becoming calloused, be come more sensitive with the- passing of yeara Some time ago General Passenger Agent Danley, mm 81 M , ,11. f N i r , L fights with "moonshiners," many of them never seeing the man who fired thi shct. This does not Include marshals and deputy marshals who were killed In mak ing arrests. John Carver, a posse man, killed in a raid In the Smoky mountain district, along the border line be tween North Carolina and Tennessee, In 104. was the last of the government officers to lose his life In such a fight. - Back 10 her home In Jackson county, Kentucky, re cently went MVs. Adaline Rose, having been released from Jail through th clemency of President Roosevelt Her sentence of six months, coupled with a fine of $1000, did not convince her that "moonshlnirig" was wrong. She announced her intention of abandoning the pursuit however, because the had become convinced that she could no longer evade the "revenuers." For seventeen years this woman acknowledged she had been a noted "moonshiner" In the Kentucky moun tains. Through her career there ran a thread of trouble and tragedy. When her husband waa killed by a feud- of the Chattanooga and St Louis Railway, received a money order for 84.60. "This is for the conscience fund," wrote the sender. "Twenty years ago I stole a ride between Chattanooga and Nashville, and the memory of this has often wor ried me. At nights I think of this act of dishonesty, and hope thjs will wipe out the debt" Mr. Danley purchased a ticket between the two points and had It canceled. Then he wrote the man, telling him to be at peace. Railroads often receive money orders of Just this kind from persons who have stolen rides on trains. "Sometimes these letters' surprise us," said a rail road official. "The amounts in most cases are insig nificant Sometimes people send In money for the fare, of children whom they had taken at half ratea They confess to telling untruth, about the age. and offer restitution. "Undoubtedly the conscienoe fund is a tribute to the honesty of mankind. It Is a pity purlolners of larger sums of money In banks and financial Institu tions are so rarely affected by the same change of feeling." John C. Fetxer. receiver of the Milwaukee Avenue State Bank, of Chicago, which failed through the ma nipulations of Paul O. Stensland, received a check from an Institution for $26. The check came from the president of a college In Illinois, who said that about a year before Stensland had contributed this amount to the college library. Inasmuch as the bank had lost through this man, the president declared that he felt he would be doing a wrong if he did not return the money. He said he felt that it belonged to the creditors. - CHARITY SCREENS DISHONEST Y "It more men would follow this example," said Mr. Fetxer, "many of the creditors ot wrecked institutions would benefit It Is a fact that men engaged In dis honest dealings contribute largely to charitable insti tutions, for It does them good. It directs suspicion from them and gives the reputation of being religious and honest." More than fifteen years ago Mrs. Martin J. Ervln, of Klngwood, W. Va., lost her property for failure to pay taxes. It was bought by a lawyer and politician for $300. The man deeded the house to a young woman, to whom he was engaged to be married. A disagreement arose between the couple and the en gagement was broken. The lawyer went to the Klon dike, where he made a fortune, and the young woman married a clergyman. Nearly a year ago Mrs. Ervln received a letter from thi young woman. Sh stated that th house "S ' rr - Ml". j4. 7ypic.fToajij'hioex 1st, she continued hi Illicit buslnesa Frequently she stood guard with a Winchester rlfl whll th men sh employed worked at the still In a -deep ravine. She la non-committal aa to whether he ever shot a "revenuar," but says that the Idea of letting human blood waa al ways repugnant to her. But from present Indications It will oon b a oaa of Othello's occupation gone. Th tat Legislature, with, the people back of them, ar doing what th revenue officer with th whol fdral govrnmnt ffosf of tfc &r& Crucfe Afterv. back of him has not been able to do. . "The "moonshine" belt lies south of the Ohio river, and Includes parts of Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas. North and South Carolina and Virginia. Mississippi, Missouri. West Virginia and Floi da also have Illicit stills, but the traffic there haa never amounted to much. Georgia and Arkansas have had, perhaps, the great est number of stills, and hav. produced more than half the Illicit whisky made In the country. The Georgia "moonshiner," however. Is a poor creature; his stills are amall. he sells mostly to his neighbor., and Is not particularly prosperoua But one by one these state, in th. former "moon shin" belt are going "dry." Recently Georgia de clared for prohibition after January 1 next County after oounty In Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi was still la her possession, but she could not regard the property as her own. It had been bought at too low-a figure, she said, and she felt a wrong had been done Mrs. Ervln. What additional amount would sat isfy herT Mra Ervln replied that $300 would do. And .0 the clergyman', wife sent a check for that amount Sometimes conscience nag. at th. heart of the .mall boy who surreptitiously steals .ticks of candy from stores. Children are by no mean. Impenitent Some time ago the secretary of the Board of Education ot New Xork city received 20 cents' worth of stamps from a lad, who signed himself "Reginald Smith." PAID FOR MUTILATING DESK He had been naughty on day, he' said, and bad whittled at his desa with a penknife. He was .0 sorry, he assured the secretary, and hoped the amount would pay for the damage he had done. Aa there waa no address given, the secretary was unable to reply that It would. Sometimes conscience will make men do strange things. It impels them not only to return money, but often, when this Is impossible, to make confesslona When Governor Folk, ot Missouri, got a letter from a former member of the St JLouls House of Delegates, confessing to hav. distributed $250,000 of boodle money, he was rather am axed. "I'll make a clean breast of It and feel cleared."., wrote the man. And then he told of the various trans-' actions of the "combine," of how the money wsa raised and distributed during ,a campaign. There is a great fund of truth In the saw about conscience making coward.. While walking along a street In Atlantic City, John, Bowie, of Washington, D. C., happened to look up and recognlxed the police headquarter. Hi. heart cea.ed to beat for a moment, and then, in fright he took to hi. heels. A detective, standing on the steps, was attracted by hla strange behavior, followed and caught him. When the detective' questioned the man he broke down and confessed that he was wanted on a larceny charge In Washington. The crime had .0 weighed upon him since Its commission that he had not slept a night The mere sight of a police station filled nlm With terror. t - . A unique story of change of heart was revealed In a petition presented to the License Court of Phlladel- . phla for the revocation of a liquor license. Declaring that he was opposed to impure liquors which were manufactured, and that-he realised the evil, of the liquor business. Matthew M. Farrell asked that hla license to sell liquors In West Philadelphia be revoked. As a result of hi. action, FarreU received letter, from - all part, of th. country praising mm. " hava TOt out liquor, and thy hava bn "y countU that hav bn th partloular trongholda at th -moonhlnra." Mor than halt of Taxaa.U 'dry. though to b aura "moonshlnlna- ha nvr ba much of aa Industry In texaa. In Alabama Is It unlawful to Mil liquor aftr t o'cloctorln th ciu. or ttr o'clock la th country tfUtrlota. North Carolina nt Leglilatur will consider a prohibition law. Th aouth wMtern part ot Vlrghila, th wlld..t part o tha atata. th only part whr th "moonshln" haa flourUhao. haa taken advantage of loal opUon to odry It la admitted by aoutbrn jopla that th -ra, questUo U at th bottom tha prohibition quaatlon, for th criminal olas amonr th nro raoa la a prao ttcally unoontroUabl lmnt whr whUky U par. mUTnt rmarltabl featnr of all this anti-liquor 1 tslctlon la that It 1 not for th protection ot lo much a. in th. Int.rt ot th rural t th law doe not attempt abaolut prohibition, th regulation, a to th tal ot Mlquor are much m6re stringent In th country than In th towna Whw local option axlita. It U not tha town that go dry". It 1 th country. In Kentucky, for Instance. whr th law 1v ,r,ry local community th right to pas upon the liquor question, county attr county Is falling- Into Una In Missouri hr ar only vn count!. In which liquor can b. bought; In Tnn. thr ar only thre. In th. latUr aUt it 1. algnlfloant that NashvUle. M.mphU and Chattanooga the thr, Urgwt clU.. ar. th. only point, which .till have .aloona, PROTECTING THE HOMES The most notorious "moon.hlnlng" district In th Jk ih are known to b In th neighborhood of rA trJ where th llauor law ar being framed jir " iv t&rA left alone, at the mercy of the drunken negro, mad dened by "moonshine" whisky. And the people In these outlying counties, who have always been ready to protect and conceal th "moon shiner," to warn him of danger, and sometime ven to help him in his resistance to the "revenuer," are now th first one to glv th agent every possible Assistance. It I. that fact that is sounding th. knell of th. "moonshiner," and that will in time make th revenue agent, job something of a sinecure In the very region, where formerly li was most strenuous. Another factor In th. lnforcement of th law agaln.t Illicit distilling in th South I. th faot that ther 1. now a federal penitentiary at Atlanta, Oa. Th. "moonshiner" who was willing to risk hla Ufa rather than be sent to prison, and exchange 'for th. fre. air of th.mountaina, the sweet freshness of th hill, and forests, the close air of confinement In a northern prison, had the Judge' sympathy. Close confinement for a man of hi. class In a lo cality to which h. was not acclimated often meant death within a short time. But now that the Atlanta penitentiary 1. complete. Judges do no hesitate to Im pose a prison sentence on the "moonshiner." It Is taken for granted that a soon a. hi. prison term expires, the "moonshiner" will take up his old pursuits. It Is simply as If h. had been away on a visit He hold. It no .ham. to have served a term In prison for "moonshlnlng." His friends congratulate him on hi. return, and he prepare, to resume business at tha old stand a. soon as he can get a new still. , Of course, even the most hopeful of th. Internal revenue men doe. not anticipate tha entire extinction of th. Illicit whisky industry In the Immediate future. 4 There ha. always been, and there always wiy be, more or lea. of It In the big clties New Tork doe. the biggest business of th aort; but Chicago and Philadelphia have alway. their aeoret tills In operation. In January, 1899, on. of th most elaborate stills f ounJ In the experience of th revenue office was raided In Gerraantown, Philadelphia. It oc cupied a second-story front room, and fourteen barrel. Of "mash" were found there fermenting. However, this sort 61 Illicit distilling, a It I. car ried on in cellar, and attic, of th city, 1. a very differ ent affair from "moonshining." . It I. a. prosaio a. aoap boiling and little or no danger attend, th. raids. But the "moonshiner," the rugged, picturesque hero' of the craggy mountain tide, with his primitive .till hidden In the underbrush, first cousin to th. cowboy. In th. estimation of th .mall boy, and next of kin to the feudsman who, Vy the v way, has been found both among th "moonshiner" and tender th banner, of th. "revenuer" for th. sole purpose of lawfully laying his enemy is doomed. " Hla day 1. past because th people to whose tolera tion he owed hi. existence have cea.ed to tolerate him. They; no longer regard him aa merely a technical lawj ; breaker, a rather-to-bVadmired rebel agalnt an -un-Just law. but a. a serious menace to tbe entire com munlty in that it fs from him directly or Indirectly . ,. : that the negro element get. most of It liquor, under : , th Influence ofwhich It becom a hideous danger to. th entlr community. .r'-1 "Moonshining" Is being uprooted In Ita own strong bold, and by th work of its own people, SJ ," i J