Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1863-10-02
l. the Law n Failure 4,

broken ground in favor Of n repeal Of our
Prohibitory Law. That our neighbors Of
the Times really expect the question Of re-
peal to be seriously agitated, as practical
measure, at PRESENTS hardly to he supposed.
The law has stood upon our statute books
for eleren years. Its working has been
watched, its defects remedicd. 50 far as pos
sible. by additional legislation, and on the
elaborate reyisal of our Statutes last year,
in view Of ten years experience Of It's opera
ton, it was deliberately re-enacted. 1t is
the established policy of the Statc-and our
people are not very likely now to turn the
sharp corner of return to the licensed sale
of intoxicating liquors. Be the motives Of
this out-blast upon the Law what they may,
however, the agitation of the subject, if it
serves to rouse the attention of the people and
lead to renewed efforts in the cause Of Tenn
perance, will do good.
The argument OF the TIMES, in brief II
this the law is failure. therefore it
should be repealed the sale of licenses Will
put money in the State Treasury, therefore
let us have a License Law.
But IS the law failure? Have our Ieo-
pie been such fools, as, on a careful revision
of our laws. intended expressly to clear away
the useless rubbish, to re-enact dead letter?
The law fails, as every law must. Just so
far as its enforcement is relaxed. We have
seen the effort to execute the law imlartmlly,
frustrated in measure by lawyers OF respect
ability and eminence, who were willing, for
paw. to assist the more wealthy and inAu-
entail rum-sellers in attempts to avoid the
penalties of the law, and Sy magistrate weak
enough to permit the efforts to be successful.
We have seen the officers. unwilling To
he continually Furnishing the smaller sinners
while the higher ones went unwhipt Of Jus
tlce. gradually relaxing in the attempt 10 sp
ply the law universally, and limiting IL in
forcement to the more open and grps~cr eases
Of It's violation. We have seen the public ma
king the sad mistake Of leaving everything
to the law. abandoning neral effort and
winkins at the partial and lax application of
the statute We have seen in consequence an
undoubted increase of intemperanrc among
us. But for all this the law is gord one,
wholesome in It's influence a terror 10 evil
doors, in greater or less measure in different
places one which to exchange for
licencc law. We verify believe would he To
open the food gates Of drunkenness md
crime We believe the general good orlrr IS ich
characterizcs our State 20 be due, ia great
degree TO the restrictions on the sale Of ardent
spirits; we believe the quiet and good order
for which our town, in spite of its -izc and
large floating population. Is prc-cmincnt
among the larger towns of the State. - he
largely due to the fact that We have. on the
whole, executed the Prohibitory law better
than the rest. Isthc law dead letter. How
was it lew weeks ago, in this place, when
the riots hrok, out in New York? The
worst class of our population showed signs
Of turbulence our citizens became alarmed, |
and among other measures for the public 4
safety, the sale Of liquor was peremptorily |
and absolutely stopped by the officers. The !
rumscllers were notified that the slightest /
violation would be punished, they took the
and for a number Of days the flow
IF fircwater ceased. That this was a most /
raluablc assistance in maintaining order, and |
me that would have been still more valuable |
f the danger Of an outbreak had been great
y, no one doubts. And for it we are indebted
o our prohibitory law. So much for a single
md special OCCASION. But is it nothing that
n general, the open temptation to drink is
emoved from many who need but the allure
nents Of the open bar to indulge; that the
ale Is driven, AZ the Times acknowledges,
0 - dark corridors" and hidden closets
he repressInS effect Of the simple fact that
he sale lie unlawful, is considerable, and can
OF be otherwise in law abiding common
ealth The rumsellers feel this. They are
OF in favor Of the prohibitory law-not they.
he " wholesale vendors" by whom we sup
ose the Times means the agents Of the city
holesale houses, may in their labOrs among
le town agents, profess to desire no change; ,
Iough we doubt the sincerity of the profess {
on but the retailers make no such pre-
nee. We believe that they would rejoice
change the present law for one imposing I
heavy tax on the sale, and find an abun-
mt profit in the exchange. o
We are not denying that there are impcr-
ctions in the working of the law, but the I
medy in our humble opinion, is not in abol- :
hing the Statute; it is in coming to the as- :
stance of the LAWN enforcing it more i'm Il
rtially, and above all adding to it the as t
tance OF moral agencies in the community, :
point to which We shall recur again.
We have only to add to-day that be the "
3 failure or not, we desire in no case to u
tness an adoption of the license system in a,
T state. No doubt money can be put in 81
2 Treasury by it, and 50 it can from the 2
ensing of gambling bells and houses of =;
fame But for one we should prefer to be
,gared by our taxes rather than thus to kl
,p into our purses the price of the tears ~
wives and children, the blood vi
ney of crime and wretchedness. to
lie
The arrival Of nine Russian war vessels in
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