Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-02-25
FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER,
GEORGE 0. B 0 Y G E i.

Hall was again crowded. Rev. n. n.
Glazier presided. and prayer was offered
bv Rev. Mr.. Stone. The Chairman then
introduced Hon. Bliss n. Davis of Danville
who delivered a most pointed address.
He said that some forty years ago this
mart of the country began to be aware of
the evils from liquor. The first attempt
to remedy the matter was directed direct
" against the use and did not touch the
traffic. 1t was seen that misery, wretched-
ness and heartfelt grief were the result of
RIM drinking and it was sold everywhere.
The use of being evil the more conscien-
tious traffickers, among whom had been
some of our best men, left off selling.
They said, we can't make money out OF
blood. 1t was not law but conscience that
stopped them. This left the sale in the
hands of a worse class, and for twenty
wears the sellers were parleyed with and
LEGISLATION was a bungle and blunder.
TIL 1852 the State tried to curtail the traffic
but had made no perceptlble progress.
Till then moral suasion was the great
means relied on, and this gives the best
conviction possible when you can get a
conviction of that kind. But you Will
ALWAYS come to class of sellers who a0tN
sell, and though the public conscience Is
wide awake they will defy it. The love
ofmonev and of drink combined make
them impregnable to argument or plead
ing.
In 1852. amid cries of" don't 90 too far,
a prohibitory law was provided. That
has not stopped the traffic and that is why
YOU are here tonight. You all prefer and
ought to prefer to act by appeals to the
conscience I prefer it and ask every
Young man to be true to the law OF his
being. l don't ask you to sign the pledge.
do it though if it will do you any good,)
but l ask you to stop because it is right to
stop. The one who does mt goes to deStruc-
ton and he can't help himself. Do you
think history is going to stop repeating
itself9 But as | said, this law has mt yet
dried up the fountains of mischief and that
what YOU are after Every one should be
here
Is this law to be enforced? 1t is crime
to sell that which destroys Gods image.
1t is made a crime as much as hOrse-steal-
ing. Now don't 90 away and tell that
said | would as soon steal horse rs to
sell glass of rum. | would though, but
that is because l look at it from my stand
point | don't sit in judgment on one
who views it from another. But | want
him to see it from the right, one and from
the one the expressed will of the people, as
shown by law, views it. Courts must be
backed up by public sentiment. The Ohio
women are doing n great work in this re-
spect at least. We have encouragement
from the whole country. The public CON
science is beginning to realize the truth
that rum threatens the foundations ofsocie-
tv and destroys the happiness of the family
and individual. Out in Ohio they have
propriate to the thing. That was a saloon
and we have, wherever we have a saloon
these shades darkening the land.
Now what are you going to do when
YOU come to the groggeries that can't be
reached by conscience? First drive the
unlawful traffic to those places alone and
community will rise en- n1asSe, and put the
law IN force. But now Mr.. Responsibility
who helps society, and has other business
and sells little rum to help along. and
starts few on the road to ruin to help
himself on the road to wealth, and owns a
pew perhaps, stands in the way. Make
him obey the law. Drive him from the
business and it goes into the holes where
it can no longer receive the support of any
great part of society, and from where the
whole people will help drive it.
But they say " don't carry this into poll
tics; that won't do, you know: that's
carrying the joke little too far" Well
now, this is the great and overlapping
question of all; here is a law and law abid-
ing citizens should be for its enforcement.
1t strikes at the source of more waste and
misery than anything else. Why can't
YOU come up to the standard here? Make
it an issue for it is the all important issue
Tweed and his crowd were as big rascaIs
us any we have ever had. They happened
were democrats; they came out regardless
Of party and unmasked the villains. They
did what the good of Society demanded
SO should all men in all parties Now il
this matter don't shilly-shally. This il
the great issue. Don't get up a compro
mise ticket Let men who are ashamed
of their principles do that, but do yo,
come right up and take Il through ticke
on this line. | am not talking abou
Montpelier alone. In our own count,
sometimes they have attended to the coun
ty ticket and let the March meetings 90
How does that work? A few get together
and in the active crowd be seen you viii
find some liquor dealers. 1t is - look her
boys, say nothing, and so they 90 to worl
and get up a citizens ticket; they get it u
for their own purposes and elect it for thei
own purposes; it is done not on the rea
issue but by talking about Z" good men
~" 10" liPeIdhce people must wax
up and organize; know what YOU ar
about anu ifyou get whipped, try it again
Try II again, for this temperance move
meet Is onward faster than YOU think for
But unite foryour opponents will be united
once heard man here say. View
got pack of fools here in Montpelier.
Says |, what's the matter now?n go
a pack of fools; these women oct II,
Their meetings and keep everything stirret
up; don't amount to ANYTHING hnt s,,