Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-04-16
TEMPERANCE COMMISSIONER,

TEMPERANCE COMMISSIONER.
When the people elect to the office of
County Commissioner a man pledged to
the cause of temperance they of course
calculate on having chosen an honest man,
who takes the office for the purpose of do
ing its duties for the purpose for which
the office was created, and for the COM
pensation provided by law and without
any intention of serving his own ends at
the expense of the buyers of spirits. But
when man making no pretensons to a
desire to limit the sale of spirits, is chosen,
perhaps they do not expect to get his SER
vices for the merely nominal pay allowed,
and calculate that he will in some way
"make something" We doubt however,
if it is generally understood how the thing
is to lie brought about, or to what an OK
tent the office is made to serve the pocket
of the commissioner, or how difficult it is
for even temperance commissioners to re-
sist the temptation to make the Office yield
them handsome remuneration.
AS partial evidence of corruption, we
would refer to the warmth of feeling al
ways carried into the contest between diff
ferent candidates. Why should they be
SO anxious, or so liberal in the use of mon
ey to obtain an Office which pays SO small
a salary?
Now we don't pretend to know anything
about the matter. but we have suspicion
that the explanation would be something
like the following:
Sometime between the election and the
coming into office Of the commissioner, the
agents of wholesale dealers make him q
visit, and solicit the patronage of the coun-
ty, which by his power to appoint aud re-
move agents, the commissioner can control
The only question that an honest man
would ask, would be, "Can get as good
an article, at as cheap rate, of you as of
any one else?" And the answer would
determine whether or not the county would
patronize the dealer; but man loving
himself more than his neighbor, and his
interest more than his honor, asks " How
much percentage will you give me?" and
the answer will be something like this :
" will give you ten per cent of all the
money received for liquor sold in your
county at the price of the good article,
with the understanding that you allow me
to so far reduce OF adulterate it as to make
up to me what give your
If there is no direct evidence to prove
such an arrangement, there is abundance
OF indirect, and we are inclined to believe
such an argument is made between the
dealer and the commissioner, and if so.
the great attractions of the Office is ex-
planned, and when VIC take into consid-
Grafton the ten per cent adulteration of the
wholesale dealer, and to this add the
amount of that by the retailer, which NAV
surely be put as high, we can readily un.
derstand why it is SO difficult to get q
pure article. And when we consider how
easy matter it is to deceive the common
buyer, in relation to the quality Of liquor,
and the enormous profit that can be made
by both commissioner and retailer, il
would almost be wonder if any man
'eouta resist the temptation to make lit.
tie profit for himself. We would like for
curlosity,s sake, to know how matters have
been managed in our neighborug county
Of Orleans. How is it Mr.. Standard?
Has there been no complaint of poor liq.
uor? Have not the agents of the whole.
sale dealers been as thick in your county
as with us? And how is it with your
newly elected commissioner? Have they
made no propositions to him?
As for usin !" spupky Lamoiller we can.
not soy whether our new man will be hon.
est OF not but we hope no will. Con.
sumers Of spirituous liquors do not wanl