The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1845-12-25
V o L . VII. NO. ~

from one state alone but from many, if not
half the states oflhe Union. Do the men
who counsel you 10 cast your votes for
Licenses to afford conveniences 10 dram
drinkers and 10 make temptations public,
think we cannot read 2 Do they think we
cannot apply arithmetic, -or compare the
relative population of New York and
Vermont,'-or cannot judge, in the light
OF sound and accessible information. as to
the relative habits Of The two masses 10
those statesq
I The Hon. Benz. F. Butler, late Al.
lorney General of the U. S., after care.
iul estimate of the waste OF bread slufs, Of
time aud labor, &C., &c.. states the inju.
ny TO The stale OF New York alone 10 be
in round numbers, eighteen millions of
dollars.
Now employ your own judgments az
to the soundness ofthese data-remember
that The present population OF he Union u.s.
say twenty millions, and of Vermont, say
three hundred thousand--make your own
allowances for differences of habits and Of
morals, and say whether Vermont does
NOT suffer in her industrial prosperity. 10
the amount Of from one million to one
million and half of dollars annually.
Fellow citizens, The law which, afe.
the ordea Of new and protracted scruti-
ny, was let, by your Legislature, at their
last session, untouched upon the statute
book, AID which empowers you to throw
off, if you prefer il, the burden of these
grievances, first by ballot, and next By
insisting on the execution Of the statute ia
its penalties, was passed subsequently, TO
the fluctuations in Massachusetts end
Conneciitu;, which established their !e-
gislaIlon, as we suppose, upon stable
basis, and made the PAoPLE the arbi,er
of their own civil condition.
But now that The law has sustained, un-
shaken, all attacks upon il, our opponents
are bending their efforts 10 make j. appear.
in con,rarIely 10 On elementary principle
of society, that restrictions upon llceLces
have increased the COZ sumption, that the
removal Of temptations, from open shors
and public bars to Ihe secret lecesses in
vi ich he laws are violated unseen, has
increased the force 6 temptation. If any
consideration al all were due 10 so absurd
an idea, we would oppose 10 i! such est-
mony as that Of DR.. J. A. Allen, who
volunteered to The Counly Convention late
ly assembled at Mitd!ebury, the declura-
ton that, in the range Of his practice dur
ing the year past in this region, where no
licences for dram drinking were admitted,
there had been an unprecedented absence
of "mania a po,u " and o:Aer diseases
which originate in The use CT alcoholic
slimuIanIs. lu short, the flimsy pre!ence.
TO which we have alluded, is only one Of
the many links in the strong, but as we
trust Intellectual endeavor 10 chpin down
The virtue ana independence Of this com
monweaIlh TO the bondage Of aniqua.ed
and ruinous ideas and practices.
Go, therefore, TO the polls, we entreat
you, FREEMEN, who know how to exer-
cise tie reality Of constitutions roting -
When such cause as that OF the trafick-
ers and drinkers hangs in suspense, the
endeayor TO sustain Ii is always vigorous
and united. 1t is no time, therefore, to
nndtrraie the va're Of your individual
activity. You draw 10 sword-you wave
no flag but you do cast vote which
may be the turning point, in your county.
of this whole contest and indescribaby
numerous and important issues.
ALEX. G. TWINlNG, CHm q
THOS A MERRILL,