The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1848-03-30
1864 1921
Majority in favor of Licensing, thirteen!

In tho above returns the votes of this town were
MT included and for the reason rendered last week,
viz: the meeting was not warned. The editor OF
the Temperance Herald gives his readers to under
stand that the State is sold to ram! The editor OF
the Liberty Gazette reteratcs this charge, and the
editor of the Green Mountain Freeman says-"show
us the Wing editor in Vermont who has advocated
the No License question: Virtually charging tha'
no Wing paper in the State hat taken that SIDE
Now, if we are not very much mistaken, the Ph@-
nix, Brattleboro Eagle, Mercury, Banner, Galaxy
Vermonter and St. Adams Messenger, haze advocat-
cd that side of the question: and the Voice OF Free
dom has repeatedly said, take the No License NJ
o stead of the License" We however agree with the
Burlington Free Press in the opinion that the re-
suit of the vote on the question OF Licensing or not
licensing does not decide the question as to whether
the Frecmen of Vermont are in favor of temperance
We will present some Of our reasons for entertaining
this opinions one of which is, the licensing tormeG-
ical and mechanical purposes does not contine the
sale to those uses The wherefore of this is, Apoth-
ecares love money too well, as rule, to question
very closely, those who present their bottles and
Jugs to be filled. The mass of frccmen who are
really temperance men, see this, and knowing the
No License law docs not accomplish what was con-
templated either refuse to vote, Or as we think err
roneously, vote so to lessen the monopoly OF the
traffic. second reason for the opinion entertained
is. me have had experience as rum drnker and a
tetotaer, and we knoc that, Eaw never excrted any
influence in favor of our abstannG from the use OF
Intoxicating drinks. Twelve years of experience
in the latter practice, and our observation and
knowledge of men obtained both before and since
we ceased using strong drink riyets the conviction
in our mind that so long as alcohol is considered by
nearly the whole community as necessary for medl-
cnal and mechanical purposes so long at least will
persuasion be moro powerful against its use as a
drink than law enacted by bare majority OF the
freemen of the State.
We trust our readers will see in the foregoing, the
reasons why our faith is not very strong in the eff
cacy of legal suasion in this case. Does any ask,
Are you in favor of general license system -
we answer No, and have already ntmated so.
"What course would you adopt2"
Had we the power we would abolish all the license
laws on the Statute Book of Vermont, and let King
Alcohol stand on his own footing and merits awhile.
We would employ argumontatve agents to visit
rum sellers and rum drinkers, until the experiment
should be fully tried Of graphing with the old mon
arch while he was Invested of his strength, coming
from State authority. Should the plan not succeed,
of eiecng the arch fellow from drinking circles,
would make the vendors of this evil spirit response
bic for the paupersm coming from their traffic, and
would make them accessories in law to the crimes
perpetrated by the agent they sold for money.
These are our present views, and if any reader OF
the Voice dsagrces with us and wishes to go into
rational discussion of the best and surest means to
used in doing away with the use of Intoxicating
drinks, and promoting permanent abstinence from
them, as drinks, we will give them chance in this
paper soon
But what shall we say of our friend Poland Of the
Green Mountain Freeman? Hetakes the ground of
No License law, and lays down the principle in
his Liberty party arguments that if men do not vote
for the candidates of that party, they are proslavc
ry, and responsible for the continuance of slavery.
At the town meeting held in Brandon, in March,
lS47, the Liberty men united with the Democrats,
and elected the select men-taking two Of the first
and one of the second party. These men, who were
tho proper authority dsobeyed the injunction of the
law which made it their duty to post up legal
warning for the meeting of voters in this town, (pre
vious to the 1st Tuesday of March, 1SlS) for the
purpose of their voting for or ayaiast license Had
Brandon votes been counted, the majority would
have stood 81 against license. Without these votes
the majority stands 10 for license. Here, the Lib
erty Party voters united with the Democrats be-
cause the Wigs were not able and pure enough to
90 with the others-the Liberty selectncn were the
majority-that body did not dc its duty in putting
up legal warning, and in consequence of their ne
elect the ptoIe State has gone HcenSe We therefore
can not see, allowing Mr.. Poland's logic on other
occasions and subjects to be sound why the Liberty
Party of Brandon are not morally responsible for all
the evils consequent on the result of the late license
election, throughout the State. And since the COM
bined votes Of the Liberty Party and Democrats
outnumbeFed the Wing votes in Brandon and since
the same selectmen who refused to warn the meet
ing spoken of were reelected for another year; and
since the Liberty men in the other towns of the
State continue fellowship with those of Brandon, we
would like to have Mr. Poland tell as how the pure
minded seven thousand" Dan clear themselves from
being accessory to all the crimes committed during
the RUM year. on which we have Just entered, in
consequence of the majority vote for license.