Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-01-05
EIQTOR .I.V'D CRI.uB.

The authorities of the Protestant House
of Refuge of Montreal have some rev
stores to rent, but have persistently rerus-
ed TO rent them to any one who sells liquor.
A correspondent of the Witness reioices at
this as follows:
"How costly traffic is this liquor bust
ness that we are allowing Every one Is
taxed to keep'it up, and all TO enrich the
dealer. We license men, for a small con-
sideration, TO make paupers; and after
wards support them. How much longer
are we going to suffer this state of things!
In Bennington, VT, the Jail, once filled
with inmates, is now, under the Prohibit
ory Law empty and the door tied with
rope. Let us, Mr.. Editor, have Prohib-
itory Law here and won't there be joy in
stead of sorrow? Let us try it,
ON this the st. Adams Messenger re-
marks:
This is very good, but candor compels
~ 10 state that while the Prohibitory Law
may account for the occasional emptiness
Of Vermont Jail, a decent enforcement of
the law would speedily fill them all. Not
with drunkards, to be sure, but with
drunkard- makers, and there is where the
pinch comes. We occasionally punish the
poor victims the same rs they do in Mon
treal, but we have little more courage 10
enforce our law ON the rich and powerful
than the Canadians have to enact one. The
late Gov. Washburn, speaking ofthe usury
laws said in substance that law generally
dsregarded is worse than no law at all.
We submit that so far as enforcing the
Prohibitory Law on the real offenders is
concerned, it is practically nullity in
nearly or quite all the large towns in Yer
mont. The Sheriff of this county land ST.
Adams is quite as temperate as Benning-
tom informs us that fully one-third of his
official duties grow out of the effects OF
rum. To this add the services of the po
lice, and remember that it is only the very
worst cases that fall into the hands Of
either, and what do you now think about
our paradise?
We are not speaking against the prohib-
TORY law, for We know that in many places
it has done much good, but in return for
the foregoing compliment to Vermont we
wish TO say that the owners of those Mon
treal stores have adopted one of the most
effective measures for the suppression of
the traffic that was ever tried. We have
found in Vermont that rent is the greatest
bug-bear in the path of the law. Hotel
keepers say land many times truly that
they can't keep open without bar. Land
lords Of blocks enjoy fat incomes and so
close their eyes when they get home from
church lest they may see something about
their possessions that goes counter to their
professions. When some tenant gets into
the limbos for selling liquor, they go dill
gently at work to break down public sem
timent-the support of law-or else shield
the wretch by attachments or some other
expedients which will cause delay and re-
suit in triumph. This is all done indirect
~, of course, decently and under a cloak,
but it is done, and done so much that II is
about all prosecuting officers official life
Is worth to undertake his duty. We grow
worse instead of better, and the liquors we
have are poison compared with those in
Montreal. Verify in this respect more
than any other we lave ever seen, the love
of money is the root of all evil, and until
some way can be devised for taking away
the profit of rum selling, we despair under
any law whatever, of Public Sentiments
ever coming TO the rescue.