The Middlebury people's press. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1841-1843, 1843-03-01
For the Peoples Press
THE LICENSE LAWS.
AsppurIEs OF THE .ppaosArrnc AUTHOR,

kNpDurIEs OF THE APPRoBATI6C AUTHORITY.
By our present laws no license to fevern
keeper, or retailer can he granted except in
Court fine. The County Courts IN Term
time only are authorized TO grant tavern
licenses, giving the landlord a right TO keep
a dramshop. And the applicant must apply
with certificate of Recommend obtained
at special meeting of the authority, and
signed by the majority ofthe whole board OF
the Town, or show that the civil authority
failed to nominate an lnnkeeper Tor that
town. BY the act of Is4l, The Board OF
civil authority are empowered and required
upon application to grant licenses" 10 per
sons to keep temperance houses luis Is
great Improvement
1t is plain that if A landlord askes for lie
gal recommend to the Court, he asks ior IL
especially to enable him to gel rum iicehse'
and fcr this only; for the authority theeh-
selves can grant license equally gooa 'or
every o her purpose, and that TOO, without
the cost for license. By act of lS4s, ne
old law commanding the County court 10
grant licenses to retailers, rs repeater anu
the law now reads, ''may in their di:cfeuo,l,
grant licenses TO reta Tiers" thus giving 'ne
people chance TO prevent the location Vi
retailing shops in Town. These iate aIe-
raIions in our license laws are probably the
reason that induced rhe state temperance so
ciety to 'sr-corntnend no farther legislative
action at present." The people can now
Govern the matter in their own county by re-
nonstrance 10 the civil authority or 10 the
County court.
To those members ofhe Temperance soei-
ely teho compose IN perl the Gufhors'es Jor
approt nag Inkerpefs.
As the time is near AZ hand for yoc IN be
called together to act on applications for
tavern licenses, aud believing that the lend
ing of your official names 10 help create a
dramshop, will sscountenance tile use OF IN
toxicating drinks; and thereby cause you to
violate that part of your temperance pledge
wherein you engage TO discounienance ihe
use of them Intoxicating drinks) through
the community" 2iid also the spirit OF the
whole pledge, desire to call your attention
: to the subject, and have recited the sub
stance CT our license laws.
! You will perceive tina, your otflciat name
cannot be needed except TO secure license
leyaiziug dramseling. How then eau you
reconcile it with your conscience 10 assist
an iunkeeper to g I such Il license IS more
than can comprehend. .u
Ifyou sign the appreciation you will he'P
make n grog shop and no soPhistry can pre-
vent the fact from existing, that, that shop
was created by the aid of a member OF the
temperance society. Thus on sunday me
e9th Of January last a h:an perished III tne
ice in Shorehan,, having been made drunk
ell Ivy landlord who was appreciated ny
members of the Shoreham Temperance So
ciety. Now can any thing prevent It from
being tue, that they did appreciate the
means used to bring this drunk2rd TO the
grave?
Is it possible to imagine conduct more lu-
dicrous, or inconsistent, than for an intelli-
gent man, to openly pledge himself to oP-
pose certain practices, and then Immediate
", 10 officially license Others &" over the
country TO multiply and propagate those very
practices
When will public opinion ever be on the
right side Il our public officers, most popular
men, continue 10 cast their whole Influence
III the wrong side. Even TO the doing oil
that officially which as private citizens,
they have pledged themselves to oppose =
Cannot member ofthe Temperance Socie
" refuse an office that requires him - legal
ize Ia: rum traffic If lie cannot how car
we expect rum-seller to relinquish trade
however demoralizing) that promises lu-
crative reward
Should any of the friends of temperance
thidk u advisable To oppose the application
for license Of a would be rumseiier, |
would say to them, that that court will re-
qulre more than hear-say evidence that the
applicant ought not 10 receive Il LICENSE
The rpmonstrance should be signed by tine
men of popular influence, or majority of
the freenen in The town; or well attesteti
facts be presented, TO The court, showing
wrccklcs<ncss in his vending his liquors.
Believing rs do, that the several boards
of civil authority in this state, possess pow
er and influence capable of vastly beneiitt-
; ing society have prepared tins comnunica-
ton for the press, hoping 10 call their atten-
ton, particularly, to the very great impor-
tance OF CONSIDERABLY discharging their of
fetal duties in providing suitable keepers of
public houses.
c. Rich.