United States v. United States Industrial Alcohol Co.

15 F. Supp. 784, 18 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 330, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2123
District Court, D. Maryland·Decided July 27, 1936·No. No. 5297·Published·Cited by 2 cases

Opinion

CIIESNUT, District Judge.

This case is again before the court on the pleadings. On tile prior occasion the defendants’ demurrer to the plaintiff’s declaration was overruled. (D.C.) 8 F.Supp. 179. In due course the defendants have separately filed their pleas. As to these issue has been joined on the first and second, replications have been filed to the fourth and sixth and the plaintiff has demurred to the third and fifth. The question presented is whether the demurrers should be sustained or overruled.

By the declaration in this case the Government brings a civil suit at law to recover from the defendants internal revenue taxes in the amount of $8,140,514.88, alleged to be due under the Revenue Act of 1926, § 900, (44 Stat. 104, 26 U.S.C.A. § 245 [see 26 U.S.C.A. § 1150 note]), effective February 26, 1926. The statute is set out in the margin.1

For a clearer understanding of the questions now presented, reference should also be made to section 481 of title 26 of the 1925 Code (26 U.S.C.A. § 1320 (a), providing (hat denatured alcohol for use in the arts and industries may he withdrawn from bond, free of tax, under the conditions prescribed by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. A similar provision, was contained in the National Prohibition Act (section 10, title 3) U.S.C.A. title 27, § 80.

in the opinion reported in 8 F.Supp. 179, the contents of the plaintiff’s lengthy declaration were summarized as follows: “The declaration alleges in substance that the defendants, the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, a West Virginia corporation, and its wholly owned subsidiary, the [786] United States Industrial Chemical Co., a Maryland corporation, had industrial alcohol plants and bonded warehouses at Baltimore, Maryland, and were engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling industrial alcohol, and in the course thereof withdrew from bond large amounts of distilled spirits from their bonded warehouses under the false and fraudulent representations that they were to be used for industrial purposes only, but really with the design and intent that after said distilled spirits had been denatured and manufactured into a product called 'lacquer thinner,’ the latter was to be chemically treated and the alcohol was to be recovered and used for beverage purposes; and that the latter purpose was carried out under circumstances which, it is alleged, made the defendants responsible for the diversion of the distilled spirits, so withdrawn from bond, to beverage purposes. The time was 1929-1930.”

To this declaration the defendants demurred for the specific reason only “that said alleged taxes for the recovery of which this suit is brought are in reality penalties to enforce the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, laws enacted pursuant thereto, and that by ratification of the Twenty-first Amendment of the United States said Eighteenth Amendment and all laws passed pursuant thereto became inoperative and no recovery can be made thereunder.” After somewhat extended consideration of the subject matter, including a review of the history of the legislation resulting in the Revenue Act of 1926, § 900, and applicable decisions of the Supreme Court, it was concluded that the power of Congress to enact the revenue statute referred to did not depend on the constitutional authority conferred by the Eighteenth Amendment and therefore the statute did not fall with the enactment of the Twenty-first Amendment repealing the Eighteenth Amendment. The demurrer was therefore overruled. In view of the novelty and difficulty of the question presented it was stated in the opinion that the demurrer was overruled without prejudice to the defendants’ renewal of their contention if appropriately raised at later stages of the proceedings. On the familiar rule of Maryland pleading that a demurrer at any stage of the case mounts to the first error in pleading, the defendants now renew their contention that the declaration was insufficient for- the reason stated, but the question has not been again argued. Counsel for the defendants say that it was made merely to preserve the point on the record. The Supreme Court has never passed upon the precise question and so far as I am aware no federal appellate court has done so, although there are some district court decisions dealing with the subject in which different conclusions have been reached.2 I think it unnecessary, therefore, to further consider the particular' point at this time.

The defendants’ third plea sets, up the defense of the five-year period of limitations, to the extent it is applicable on the facts. The 5th plea is of a different nature. It presents the defense of former jeopardy based on the fact that on July 20, 1931 these defendants were indicted in this court for conspiracy to commit, during the period covered by the declaration in this case, certain offenses against the United States with regard to intoxicating liquor and the possession of denatured alcohol and recovery therefrom of distilled spirits and the diversion thereof to beverage purposes in violation of the Act of October 28, 1919, commonly known as the National Prohibition Act, 27 U.S.C.A. § 1 et seq., and also in violation of the Act of June 7, 1906, 34 Stat. 217 (26 U.S.C.A. §§ 1320 (a) and note, 1322, 1323) ;• that they pleaded nolo contendere and the Alcohol Company was fined $10,000 and the Chemical Company (its wholly owned subsidiary) was fined $1.00, which fines were paid on March 26, 1932. -The plea also expressly alleges that the suit is brought for penalties and that the Acts referred to in the indictment' in the conspiracy case are the same as those for which the penalties (not taxes) are now sought to be recovered. The defense, is based on the Fifth Amendment which provides “nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb;” and also on section 5 of the Willis-Campbell Act (42 Stat. 225), 27 U. S.C.A. § 3.' The full text of the plea is copied in the margin.3

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United States v. United States Industrial Alcohol Co., 15 F. Supp. 784, 18 A.F.T.R. (P-H) 330, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 2123 (D. Md. 1936).

15 F. Supp. 784 (United States v. United States Industrial Alcohol Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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