Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1869-02-26

4 recent report of Mr.. Curtis, constable
and oyerseer of the poor of Nineland, in South
ern New Jersey. present an encouraging pie
ture OF what may be done blythe establishment
and strict fulGlment of wise and liberal reg
ulations. 1t comes nearer to the realization
of a Utopia than anything we have heard of.
Here is the paper
q" As Constable and OvCrsoer of the Poor
there are some Things in my department
which show SO conclusively the favorable
working of the system upon which Nineland
Is founded, that | will give the Information
10 the public, that the facts may be known
and the example Of this system followed.
- The two principles in Nineland which
we recognise as uppermost are, LIST. That
land shall not be sold to speculat5rs; ID, BY
the decision OF the people that there shall be
no grog shops. liquor saloons, licensed tayerns,
or lager beer shops.
d" What is the practical working Of these
principles? | will state few facts which
are probably unexampled, in the United
States. at least Through we have a popu-
lation Of ten thousand people, for the period
of six months no settler or citizen OF Nneland
has required relief at my hands as Oyerseer
of the Poor. Within seventy days there has
only been one case among what We call the
floating population, at the expense of four
dollars.
During the entire year there has only
been one Indictment, and that trifing case
ofassault and battery among our coloredpop-
ulation.
- So few are the fires IN Yineland that we
have no need Of fire department. There
has only been one house burned down in a
year, and two slight fires. which were soon
put out.
"We practically have no debt. and cur
taxes are only one per cent. on the yau-
alton.
- The police expenses Of Vineland amount
to SIS per year, the sum paid to me, and
our poor expenses a mere trife.
Il ascribe this remarkable state Of things,
so nearly approaching the golden age, to the
industry of our people, and the absence Of
King Alcohol.
- Let me give you in contrast to this the
state Of things in the town from which
came in New England. The population Of
the town was nine thousand five hundred,
little less than Vincland. 1t maintained for
ty liquor shops. These kept busy police
Judge. city marshal, assistant marshal, four
night watchmen, and six policemen. Fires
were almost continual That small place
maintained a paid fire department of four
companies, Of forty men each, at an expense
Of three thousand dollars per annum. | be-
longed to this department for six years, and
the fires averaged about one every two weeks,
and mostly incendiary. The support of the
poor cost g 500 per annum. The debt of
the township was one hundred and twenty
thousand dollars The condition OF things in
this New England town is as favorable in
that country as many other places where Ii
quor is sold
The New England village which Mr.. Cur
tis uses by way of contrast is hardly falr
sample but the condition Of FineIand needs
no contrast to make it striking. There are.
however, some other circumstances besides
the expulsion of grog shops when MAKE g,W the ne
Vineland people model community; They
have no fences around their farms they cul-
ture small farms thoroughly, instead OF
scratching over hundreds of acres they have