Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-04-06
The License Vote.

1t wi: be seen, by the certificate of the Secretary
of State in another column that the majority in favor
Of License is fourteen The votes of few towns, not
legally returned, would increase the majority to about
fifty.
The causes that have produced this result we believe
to be two-fod first the failure of the friends of No
License during the past year secure rigid enforce
ment of the law and second, the almost unbroken
silence of the political press upon the subject We
do little at this time than barely state these
as in our Judgment the principal causes of our late
defeat 1t cannot be denied that very many of the
professod friends of temperance who last year voted
No License, have this year reversed their votes and
aided in destroying the law. Many others were too
Indifferent to go to the polls. On what ground p
"Why" say they, "the law has been in operation a
year. and yet there is just much ardent spirits con-
sumed and poverty and crime resulting, as before."-
This statement goes very far beyond the fact but were
it true, it would furnish valid objection to the law.
at lest until reasonable efforts had been made to en-
force its penalties, If as much spirits have been sold
and consumed ever, of course it has been in viola
ton of the law and whose business was it to see its
provisions enlorced The friends of the law of course,
for its enemies could not be expected to enforce law
which they had voted against and were endoavoring
to evade by every imaginable MEANS But the friends
the law lacked the moral courage to enforce its pro-
Visions and thus secure the heathfu benefits it was
designed to bo5tow. And through this means can it
be said, with much plausibity that the law has had
no effect to check the sale and consumption of ardent
spirits.
So it was in our own town of Montpelier. During
the carly part of the year there was comparatively
speaking disposition to observe the law apparently
visible among all classes but soon through the laxity
and orbeamnco Of the supporters of the law, its
mics soon began to set it at defiance And when, as
was often the case during the summer, our most &C
tive temperance men entreated to vindcate the
Iaw the final reply was that at was so mixed up with
politics that nobody would move in the matter until
after election" Thus the subject rested until after
election, when alcohol had obtained such force as to
defy all opposition from that day to this
Thus it was in our last legislature The wings
who had been charged with the paternity of the law
by certain license democrats, wore so fearful that the
continuance Of the law would lose them the State
that the law itself would have gone over board but
for the votes of some democrats who cared more fol
No License principle than for license votcs Through
the same motive have the political editors in this state
as general thing utterly neglected to present this
subject to the favorable consideration of their readers
Our statement with regard to this point, made two o.
three weeks SINCE has been pronounced Substantially
untrue" by the Brattleboro' Eqg5. Perhaps it was
We hope it was But we do not now recollcct of
single Wing or democratic editor in the State who has
manifested anything like proper interest IN securing
a No License vote at the late election.
Some complaint has been made in certain quarters
that VIC manifested bad spirit in declaring that tn,
Estate was mortgaged to rum, and that we could al
ready hear it gurgling at the corners of the street,
We acknowledge that we used emphatic language tt
express our sorrow and modification at the result ant
we will most cheeHuly make public retraction wher
the events of the coming year shall prove our words
to have been false.
We have little sympathy with the opinion express
ed occasionally that the result of the late election il
no test of the state ofthe temperance cause that null
titudes of the staunch friends of temperance voted il
favor Of cence from various motives; that the caus
itself rests upon the high and impregnable basis o
moral principle, &c. This may be true; we hope
viii prove Sc: but so far as our personal observation
extends, those who thus reason, generally speaking
are DESTROYS of banisbing every morai question lror
the polls to the keeping Of other men, while they ar
allowed to monopolize the ballot-boy for purposes a
far removed from moral principle the east is from
the vest They are not remarkable for their supper
of temperance either morally or politically; and de
sire it to be banishcd from the political arena, so tina
it shall not trouble them!