The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-02-27

EvsnErr, Mass, 1871:52

EvsnErr, Mass, lS7l;52.
The Mass chusctts State Police is a
phenomenon. That any State of the I'm.
ion should do without such an institution
till the nineteenth century is nearly three
fourths gonc, is wonder. That an hon.
est man could object to it, is greater
wonder Rut our politicians regard it
as sort of ferret, against rats,
but awful on their chickens They are
rum men, almost all Of them, or,--morc
strictly -peakiug,-in favor OF the pro-
hibitory law, but opposed to its execu.
ton. The state has stiff majority for
the law, but he rum interest Yields an
immense influence at the polls, and still
moro in caucus,
This police is terror to eyil-doers. 1t
has spent in 1871, no less than 4,344
days,--the working days Of moro than
fourteen years-to testify in court against
rogues who would either have escaped
conviction otherwise, or the facts would
have been proved by men taken from
their daily work at great loss. They have
spent l,947 days watching for rogues and
rowdies at gatherings, including forty
picnics, numerous camp-meetings, mus
ters, fairs, Alexisatious, ETC.. from not
one of which could they well have been
spared. Exclusive of liquor cases they
instituted 1858 prosecutions. They have
put down all tho regular gambling dons
Of Boston, but two. They have iron doors,
sentinels posted, and pckets thrown out.
With all this they made 81 seizures OF
gamblers tools, (25 in Boston,) and ar.
rested l22 gamblers. The fines paid on
thei. complaints have amounted to sl73,-
1897. Add to this S26,lS1. SO of stol-
en- property which they have recovered
md also add SO day for time in court,
sl3,032, and We have total Of 1912,
1883. From this deduct $500, 92l.45
for the cost Of the force, III men when
full, end we have sort Of net gain by
the institution of SOL ,4923S. But the
witness and precept fees actually earned,
land not paid) were S17,Sl2,S3, gaming
and liquor utensils, netted the state $685.
O5, and there were sl4,433 paid for ped
dler's licenses in the place Of a hundred
or so, which was all that would have been
paid without the police TO enforce the law.
But what is the use of the figures? The
uncommitted crime from which they save
us outweighs all the rest.
Now let us look at the objection to the
force. II any decent man thinks his
neighbor lives by counterfeiting or re-
ceiving stolen goods, he can 60 and tell
the constable in strict confidence his rea.
sons for thinking so. Deputies will be
set to look for evidence. If evidence
enough to convict can possibly be found,
the place will be raided the man arrested
and put through, and the informant will
never be known. But the misery is that
a liquor-snop is exposed to this same pro-
cess. One of my neighbors who has
deep pecuniary interest in the character
Of Everett, went and told Of man who
was said to sell liquor on the Sabbath.
Jones sent out man who loafed around
here till he clapped both laws upon seller
to the extent of about sixty dollars,
think there are ten men who would open
liquor dens in this little place within
month if the State Police were abolished
The force instituted 1905 liquor prose.
cutions in the year. Nothing but tho
most lavish outlay of money (the capital
invested is thirty millions can keep the
trade from determination in Boston.
Elsewhere they hide their casks in molas.
ses-hogsheads, soap.tubs, coal.bins, sham.
bureaus, and every conceivable place.
The decentralization of the trade is an.
other consequence of the prosecutions of
the police. Men do not like o business
in which they are treated like thieves.
They say themselves, that there is scarce
a decent man in the business, and that
scarcely anything but the viest stuff at
the mos. outrageous prices can be Afford
ed. They estimate their loss from sez.
ures az s32, 1000 in six months, mot Of
which the State Assayer pronounced use
less without rehabilitation
The legislation costs are another heavy
item. Tho trade could not live without
continual changes in the law. The effect
Of the old law and the State Police is seen
in the number of liquor shops 10 Boston.
In 1862, 1870; 1868, 1851; 1864,
State Police, 5000 added to populatiou)
1857 1865, l7l2; 1866, 1915; 1867,
(modified law began to in8uence,) 1923
1868, 2052; since then, 2036, 1854 1852.
The great growth in the last two years is
due to the beer-law, veil that it is diff.
6cult for officers to lift or see through"
Beer is the point where prohibition ma.
jority must be least, if any. So it was
submitted to a separate vote where it was
demanded. In 1870 beer could not be
prohibited without vote l76 cities and
towns voted, and only II permitted beer,
Ia 1871 only the towns that voted could
permit beer that fluid went by default
10 245 cities aud towns, contested SO and
carried only 20, but these were mostly
large places. In this town the defeat
was nearly three to one. Vermont can
not afford to do without State police
In very few towns are there men compe.
tent to cope with the finished rogues of
this generation. And if the utter destruc.
ton of tho rum trade is an Inevitable
of that institution. it is best
to submit to it. Yours, |. F. II.
Mr. Greeley has been printing series
Of interesting articles in the TribuHe on
national conventions for nominating can
iidates for the presidency, He gives a
history of the manner in which presiden.
tial nominations have been made from
Iha haoinpin1 at fret hy conuon cop