St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-04-26

drawn INTO the vortex OF lntemperance
Hoping to create Il healthier and bet
ter public sentiment, Il temperance or
ganization WAS formed last wear and Il
pledge circulated which received the
signatures of large majority of the
people of the village and vicinity. To
make the society more effectuallv IL
working one. and the better to suppress
intemperance, Il committee was ap-
pointed whose special duty it wa% to
look after those who were selling Ii
quor> contrary to law and good order.
and they received the assurance from
the society that they should he sustain
ed i'll so doing. This work. although
/ impcratively necessary. WAS one which
the committee ftlt'a reluctance in I'M
dcrtakiHg. as those who were violating
the law We're their friends and neigh
horS. Thus the matter rested during
fall and winter without amy decisive
action more than "kik," till the friends
of temperance had grown diSIeartrnrd
and diSglIStcd 1T the non-action of the
committee to whom they had confident
~ looked to take the lead in the matter.
At the same time those who were sell
ing liquors. apparently became fearless
of the law and its penalties. This state
of things continued till about Il month
ago. when the committee actin" in con
Sultation with Staunch and iudiciuus
friends of temperance. concluded that
the time had come to either act al ahan-
don the field altogether. and leave the
caIlSc oftemperamcc ITO die in the house
of lis friends" That the work might
he done ctlcrtuIllN. warrant for search
ing all the places where liquors were
Surpassed t" hc kept tnr sale contrary
to law. we're made out. aud complaints
for selling against DIR. John Wheeler.
who had long been in the business j.
G. Spencer. keeper of the West Concord
House. \. W. lloughton of the ESSEX
House. Hiram J">lim grocer. and W.
{. Drew, Il farmer. as we'll aS present
liquor seller. were presented to the
town Grand Juror. These were 81 far
successful that near Il barrel of liquor
Was seized of Wheeler. and Il barrel ur
part of Il barrel of ale ut ,Jn>lin'>. lille
spencer succeeded in hu>tiug his Ii
quorS out of the way of the officer max
ing the search. and Drrw'> liquor WAS
NOT found. being ~ WAS asserted. buried
in IL manure heap. No liquors were
found at lloughton'>. whom we NOW
have reason t" hope l. not selling il.
All the above. whose premises were
searched. and against whom complaints
for selling rested. came III and plead
guilty" to one ott,.n>c each. rather than
risk trial. except Dr. Wheeler. VIII"
answered 1" five oiftn>c> and Wis fined
fifty dollars and costs. and lost his Ii
qu"r besides.
This aS Il natural result excited the
ir,. of some of those who had been COM
planned of. and on the very common
though not always correct principle
that if il man gets caught III II bad
>crapc he wishes Ia make it appear that
about every body else i just H. mean ~
he is. they made complaint against
all hose fortune or misfortune ii had
been To have at some time sold OF fur
miShcd anything in the shape of liquors
to any one.
Accordingly prosecutions were m>tl-
tutcd against Chauucy Frye. town Ii
quor agent. and .. Il. Cutting. apothcca
Thought were careful about selling Ii
quoI> for improper lists. AS" against
:. = Gould. who had occasionally f"r
instinct some EiHd$ of spirits strictly IL he
claims f"l medical purposes and W""d-
bury \ Russell. Nhu Il wear ago sold Il
pitcher of cider upon which tW" fellows
cIdimcd tn have got ''tip>y. l'ut here
the rum party and lis allies dit the
very best thing to strengthen tn" tenn
pcr;lmcc movement which they could
possibly have done. for all those men
whom they had presented. with the sin
Gle exception of Mr.. could. VIII" WaiN-
ed examination and appeals /" the
County Court promptly paid their fines :;
and thus said I" all no AZ. di>rn>cd /"
traffic in Intoxicating liquors under ANY
and every form or name. If You ii" 81
it will hc al Your pert. for Va. pr"p">''
not only To obey the laws ourselves hut
shall require. for the future. that y"H Il"
the same.
Thus. MIR. Editor. We have rndctv"r-
ed to give You III hlict Il truthful ac
count of this matter. and il only re
mains for the flt,nr 10 determine whcth
cr or not We are to he rid of the curse
of rum selling in our midst. II those
who are disposed 20 deal ont liquid
dammatiou'' t" THEN fellows, could but
realize Il fraction of the misery they are
causing. the blightS they are casting
e upon 50 many households and rSpcc-
ially upon the lives of 50 many Young
men il does seem us though they would
cease from 81 dc>picable ii work with
out the strong arm of the law being
= called into requiSition to protect H0s'
= who are to" weak. morally or ply SicallN
to protect themselves or worse still
those who are determined to max,
) beasts otthcmSelNcS at all hazards. But
: till then the tide of intemperance mus
. he stayed if stayed at abby the uni