The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1874-10-27


showed large majority against con.
iirmaton. the result being considered a
defeat to the ritualistic party
Law or no Law, that's the Question.
We notice that the correspondents of
some of the papers in the State, and
some of the papers themselves, advo-
cate the repeal of the present law for
regulating the sale Of intoxicating Ii
quor, because 1t has not entirely stop
ped the sale and use Of the ardent that
notwithstanding the law, liquor is still
sold and drank, therefore, as men do
break the law, and liquor is still sold
and drank against the statute, there
fore the law is failure, and should be
repealed, this in connection with the
fact, that when buyers are called upon
by our courts to convict those who have
broken the law by selling them liquor
will perjure themselves to screen the
sellers, are in fact the strongest objec-
tons brought forward by the opponents
Of the law against it, and upon them
they base their indictment of it as n
failure, even claiming that it is fruit
full promoter of lawbreaking and crime,
therefore it should be repealed.
This argument If good is n perfect
sumner, and we can see no legitimate
reason why the same objection to other
laws for the suppression Of crime should
not be urged against them.
There is law against murder, yet
people are murdered Why should
not Phair point to the fact that the laws
against murder, arson, and robbery had
not deferred him from breaking all
three, and tn erefore they were failures
and demand that they be repealed ? In
the compound crimes committed in the
horrible case of Miss Ball, the people
Of st. Adams have the best of argu
ments for repeating the laws then brok
en-, according to this theory,
We have various other laws Oh our
Statute Books, one against stealing,yet
thieves do exist, and property is stolen
one against burgalry. yet our houses,
stores and banks are broken open, ana
property of various kinds is carried Off,
and appropriated by others than H.
rightful owners.
So OF various other la~. again-l
crimes more OF less disgusting and de-
In0ralizing. not one of which is not
broken, not one of which entirely pre-
vent the commission of crimes against
which they contain enactm ants and
penalties, according to this newly dis
covered objection. } they are all failures
they should all be repealed.
But probably the law against perjury
causes more Inconvenience, and dis
turbance of cons cience than any other.
as it Is often broken, especially when
abetors in the violation of the liquor
Law are called upon to give testimony.
that may convict those who have sold
them liquor, it would seem to us that
this objection bears particularly against
this law OF perjury, AS it has most sig
uall failed to stop the commission Of
the crime against which it was enacted.
There is another objection urged
against the law for regulating the sale
of Intoxicating liquor that did not occur
to us when we commenced This
article, and that is, the great expense
10 the state incurred in prosecuting
these crimes. This objection we think
VIII apply more strongly against other
laws than against the one in question.
The penalties against breaking this law
except in extreme eases being by fines,
the prosecution of it pays much better
relatively than against murder, arson
and others of the crosses kinds, as the
prosecution If these are very expensive
and incur great deal of cost without
direct pecuniary return. Why should
not this be Il greater objection 10 those
laws. than agains. this particular one "
Having made out SO good q case
against all laws, We think perhaps We
might as well consider some of the ben
ellis to be derived from their repeal.
If we repeal all existing laws 1t would
heimpled that we should not want any
more enacted, therefore we should be
rid OF the expense and trouble of our
Legislative branch of government in
this We should gain in other ways be-
sides saving expense. One that occurs
to lis now Is, that some of those we
have formerly sent to make laws, have
been actually guilty of breaking them,
during their sojourn at the Capitol.
and although no member; Of our pres
ent Legislature would acknowledge
any such shortcomings still the mem
bers Of some future Legislature might.
some Of them are of this class, and If
we had no legislature, and no laws,
there would be that temptation TO break
laws and violate conclence removed
Again, If we have no laws. we should
need no administrators to execute them,
this would be good saving.of expense,
thus this numerous class of middlemen
between law sustainers and law-break-
ers, could be spared to become pro-
duces, as Patrons of Husbandry or Sow
origins of Industry, instead Of livers at
the expense of the State,
A large portion Of this class namely,
our lawers would have to be provided
for otherwise, for obvious reasons. As
they are men particularly distinguish
ed for their want Of selfishness, and for
their devotion to the good of their fel.
iowmen,eve mt great self-sacrifice they
might be sent as missionaries to dis
tant lands one of the indirect benefits
thus accruing might be that by sending
some ofthe toughest specimens 10 those
natives of the Cannibal ISLANDS, the