The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1854-01-25
A Valuable Opinion.

has written long and very ablo lcttei
to somebody in Pennsylvania, giving hi
views in relation to the Vermont liquor
law. The opinions expressed by Cover
nor Eaton in relation to the operations
and effects of the law, are in striking
contrast with those given by the Ben
nington pettifogger, who said, in his re
cent message to the Legislature, that
1.-THE truth, however, cannot be disscm
bled, that the present law has proved
Intellectual and inadequate to restrain
the use Of and traffic in intoxicating
liquors" Upon this subject His Excel
ency uuqucstionably spoke from person
al knowledge, so far as limited (?) use
wos concerned, but not of general on,
throughout tho State.
The letter of Ex-Governor Eaton i,
quite long; but the most essential par
of it is embraced in the extracts which
we give below. TO every unprejudicec
mind, that views the question from any
other position than from tho grog>shoT
or the gutter. the opinions and reason
ings of the FIX Governor will appear
perfectly sound and tenablc. The fol
lowing arc the extracts -
That the law has exerted an immense
influence, and accomplished great good
is as plain to him whose eyes are no,
rcsolutely closed to the light of truth
as is the light of the sun to him who
opens, at midday, eyes that have not
been dcadened and darkened by paralys
is or veiled by cataract.
Yet, on the other hand, | would not
ovcrstatc the amount of what the law
has actually accomplished. Enacted as
it was, and executed as it has been, in
defiance of the strong and bitter opposi-
tion of portion of the community, no
one would suppose that in the short
space of few months it could have ex-
ertcd in full its beneficent influence.
And, besides, so vast is the magnitude
and extent Of the evil to be removed, no
reasonable man can expect to see the
whole work accomplished in a single
year, even under the most favorable au-
spices"
After advcrtipg to the opposition the
law has experienced. and the difference
Of opinion which exists among we'll
meaning men as to the necessity of pro.
hibitory legislation, he says
That the adoption of regulations,
such as we have resorted to, is the
point to which all advancing and i'm
proving society is steadily tending. l
have not the slightest doub.. And
hence, ito this complexion Pennsylvania
and every other State in the Union
must come at last, if they are to make
any substantial progress towards high
er and more perfect civilization.
"How soon such prohibitory laws as
We have enacted will be in force through
out the Union, do not assume to say
But scarcely any thing in the history Of
human progress is more surprising than
the rapid advancement of public scutl-
mont on this subject. 1t seems as if
experience had been bringing the public
mind in our country almost conscntane-
ously to the conviction that it is to such
legislation we must resort, to find rem
cdy for the woes and wrongs Of the traf'
tic in intoxicating liquors
The enactment of the Maine Law in
this State has unique stionably. as n pri
mary effect-though for the future l
fear Incorporated to the prejudice ot
the political party to which l must ad
nit myself still attached But l rejoice
that what has been lost to mere party
has nevertheless been moro than gained
to the wide interests Of humanity. The
welfare of society, indeed, has been pro
NOTED on a broader scale OF bcnefcenee
than any simple political organization
could aspire to reach And hence moi.
ther the politician nor the philan,hropisi
has any occasion to deplore the result
IL might notice here that, during the
recent session of our Legislature, efforts
were made to destroy the law, BY an en-
tire repeal, or to modify it so as to rot
it of all its effective energy. But it wa:
to no purpose, and the maintenance o
the law, in all its essential features anC
characteristics, may now bo regarded a
fixed fact in the history of Vernon
legislation. ."-Isniprance &amdard