Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1867-03-15

have called before the committee large
number Of eminent and worthy gentlemen,
including ex-governors. ex- Judges, ex yors.
acting Mayors, professors in Harvard College,
quite number of Roman Catholic clergy
men and divers ministers Of other denomina-
tions-including Rev. Dr. B1wles and E. NJ.
p. Wells Of the Z pi' copai church, Rev. DIR.
LOthrop Of the Unitarian and Rev. Doctors
Adams, Blagden and Bacon Of the orthodox
Congregational, aud others These gentle
men haze with very general accord agreed
that it would 6e well to do away with the pro-
hibitOry law IN Massachusetts,. Theyare some
of them pretty strong men, but the reasons
they give for their belief are not always so
strong.
Thu, oae holy man declared his conviction
that the great need of Americans, is ''gocd
gros." Of course be did not approve of
any law which stands between the people
and ibciT tiprle. Others, number of them,
agowed themselves to be as much opposed to
license law as to prohibitory law
DT. Adams wound W his testimony, and
glaged it, worth. by the wild assertion that
"a man would endangcr bis reputation as
moral man, if he preached Temperance in
the pulpit to-day in Boston -
Mr.. Hiilarj told the committee ne consid-
cred ''the great evil Of our country to be
drinking 'chen tie stomach IS empty" The
valuable inference from this valuable opinion
is that a repeal Of the prohibitory law will
correct the evil by filling tie peoples stom-
acbs 5efore they ger drunk
Several excellent gentlemen, who appar-
emily expected that after the law was passed
there would he no more selling or drinking
rum pressed their disgust at the ineficien-
cy 81 the law, and wanted it done away
with because 1t had nor brought sh5u. the
millennium.
Diners. ais. '-i al in tact. oan-ljcr,d the
Laws Practically ga failure" But are Mt
,hesa iuiaential gentlemen, if tha, were 50,
largely responsible TOR the fact, by their
neglect to sustain aud encourage its oxecu-
ton?
Others blame1 the law because moral
effort. for the repression Of drunkenness had
Jagged, since tic law t-ok effect. But are
NOT ,has, q rgymen and mayors and profess
or largely responsible for this relaxation of
4. 5ral effort? Have htsy been doing their
duty in applying the admonitory and per-
suasive inf Fences, which the law IS INTENDED
t. aid, got TO supctseie? VIII they do any,
thing worth mentioning in that line if tie
law is repealed
Others did not believe in the principle Of
Prohibition as applied to practices which
cannot be wholly prevented. They said, in
the words Of one Of their number, Rev. Mr..
Jones Of Pelham, " if we are to have an
evil, we should have it openly where it can
be handled and regulated" To be consis-
tent these gentlemen should advocate the
repeal Of the Law prohibiting murder, steal
ing, smuggling, gambling, prostitution, &c.
Men igH steal, let us have the evil licensed
50 that it may be handled and regulated.
They lriR gamble, let the bells be licensed
and so on through the list.
DR.. Bacon, who owned that the prohibi-
tory law Of Connecticut did much good
while it was enforced, made the most SEN
sible remark We have noticed in the whole
testimony thus far, when he said that .'the
trouble with the law was that the average
public opinion was not in favor Of its strict
enforcement"
OF course that - trouble - Is not a reason
for repeal in States like Vermont, where the
" average public opinion is in favor OF the
enforcement of the law; but in any case. is
the remedy to lower the law. or raise public
opinion?
No need to specify opinions further.
There are plenty Of them such as they are,
sustaining each other in their weakness by
their number, and presented, as the Boston
Recorder states, very unfairly by the Boston
Daily Press, 1.-THE TrareHer and one other
evening daily excepted) by emitting admis-
sions on cross examination &c. go as to
make the best for license and the worst for
prohibition. But nobody need jump to the
conclusion that the law is in much danger of
repeal in Massachusetts,
Nobody supposed that all good men in
New England were unanimous IN their
opinion Of the ozpediency Of prohibiting the
sale Of rum. As many and as respectable,
and in many cases the same gentlemen,
could have been placed on the stand any
time before the close Of 'he war, and would
have told US they considered the war fail
uge, and that mo5al suasion'' was the
only right or expelicnt medicine Tor the
The opponents Of the law have bad it all
their own way thus far before the commit
tee. The other side is now to have its hear
ing It viii be time enough to sum up the
weight OF testimony, when that Of both
sides is in.
New Hampshire Election.