Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-11-14
Letter from Roswell BueI, Esq. (
Personal Explanation.
MoNrPRLIER. NoY. 4. 1872.

&hSAsA II -NCfF AC'~"
Editor Rutland Herald Il find the
following in your daily of Nov. 2 from
your Castleton correspondent
The Communication question is being
pretty thoroughly ventilated in the form
| of petitions to the Legislature, correspon-
ponce through the press and discussions
| in places of business; and the general
impression here is that this and the State
police bill ought to, and doubtless will,
share the same fate at the hands of the
assembled wisdom as did the bill of Mr..
Buel, of Middletown, for the abolition
of capital punishment. By the way,
what has become of Mr.. Buell's bill pro-
viding for the protection of the traffic in
Intoxicating drinks?
Any such fling at me would ordinar-
lily pass unnoticed, and would in this in
stance were l not here acting as the re-
preventative of the town of Middletown.
The people of that good old town sent
me here to do what the best interests of
the public demand, and let me do as l
have done heretofore, or may do here
after, l shall not, if know it, abuse
the trhst which my friends and neigh
bors on the first Tuesday of September
last committed to my charge.
The fate of the capital punishment
bill which introduced so far has been
simply this The Judiciary committee
(the ablest committee in the House, re-
ported it without expression of opinion,
intimatingin their report that there were
serious doubts whether capital punish
ment should or should not be abolished.
A vote was taken on its third reading,
and declared to be adverse. 1t was taken
Uiua U0ce, and but few voted.
This vote was reconsidered, and the
bill now lies on the table, subject to be
taken up and acted upon whenever it is
the pleasure of the House to do so.
What will be its final disposition l do
not know, but if l was ever conscien-
tions in anything, it is in sustaining that
measure, and the Castleton cOrrespon-
dent will find when th9 ayes and nays
are called on that bill, as they will be,
that the ayes will put the matter above
ridicule. But the correspondent sneer-
ingly says, what has become of Mr..
Buel's bill, providing for the protection
of the traffic in intoxicating drinks?
The gentleman is very respectfully in
formed that Mr.. Buel has introduced
no such bill. did in the early part of
the Sc ssion introduce bill entitled an
act to prevent the traffic in intoxicating
drinks, which is another affair alto
gether. The bill which introduced re-
peals that part of the law which pro-
vides for the election of county commits
sioner, which the Castleton gentleman
ought to know has become mere farce,
and provides for the selectmen to ap-
point agents for their respective towns or
not as they may deem it necessary, and
under restrictions stronger than are pro-
vided by the present law.
The penalties for selling furnishing
and giving away and for intoxication are
the same; also the bill contains the same
provisions for search and seizure. There
is no essential difference in my bill and
the present law in these respects, except
have provided in my bill that when
a rum seller is arraigned the second time
it must be for second offence, and he
must be punished accordingly. | am in
formed by a gentleman from Rutland |
county, and one who knows, that there |
are from three to five hundred justice |
liquor prosecutions every year in that |
county, and seldom one for the second |
offence, and never one for the third.
My object in the bill was to provide if |
possible for enforcing the law. Our |
law as it is would dry up up every rum |
shop in the State in three months if it |
should be enforced. 1t may not be en-
forced if my bill is passed. But in all |
candOr ask what more can be done eX- |
cept if possible to secure provision by |
which the law may be enforced.
My bill also provides for giving sher-
ifs, their deputies and the eonstablessOf |
the towns the same police powers which
the Atwater State Constabulary bill pro-
poses to give to new army of office
holders.
l do not claim that | have always been
orthodox at home on the temperance
question. But l do claim to know some
thing of what is required for the safety
and welfare of the people, and claim
that as a representative of moral and
law-abiding people, that / have and shall
act honestly and conscientiously while
in that capacity. do not believe we
need any county commissioners or State
constabulary; but do believe we should
have stringent prohibitory law, and /
none the less so than the one now on
our statute books; and / believe too if
there is wisdom enough in the State of
Vermont to procure an enactment which
will secure the enforcement of such a
law we should have that too.
The gentlemen from Castleton may
now have the floor. r. BURL.