St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1874-01-16
Gov. Washburu's Views on the Liq-
uor Law.

bulhs address To the Legislature Ol
Mass:
Like your predecessors for the last
fifty years, Won will be called upon To
deal with the liquor law. Changes
should not he made in this or any other
law unless You are thoroughly c"nvimc-
ed they Will he for the better. The
legislator is expected to rise above the
clamor of the hour and calmly consider
the issue presented, with il purpose to
reach conclusions that will bear the
closest scrutiny of an enlightened pen-
Pile. I'm this spirit | ask you tn act
with regard 10 the liquor law.
The necessity for some enactment To
regulate the sale OF Intoxicating liquors
is generally conceded i'll this country.
Free and unrestricted traffic has not only
proved SO injurious t" every class of
citizens, hut so detrimental 10 the sue
ccSSful prosecution of every industry.
that nearly all the States of the | lnion
have been forced. sooner or later. It"
legal restriction as means of self-dc-
fence. The people of this Common
wealth have again and again commit
ted themselves to the principle of pro
hihtion. and am not able to see any
don it III the present time. though |
presume it will he urged here. rs it has
heretofore been, that the end had in
view 10y the great majority of Onr citi-
zcm> can more surely he reached hy re
pealiug the prohihitory law and enact
ing what is termed a stringent LICENSE
law. This indeed is the real issue of
the hour So far as our State Is concern
ed. for ! am happy to believe that aS
between free Ium and prohibition the
people of Massachusetts are $llh>tan-
tialll of one mind.
Among the advocates of Il license
law as against our present law are
those who primarily and avowcdly oh
ject To any restriction at all upon the
traffic i'll Intoxicating liquors. OF
course they prefer license to prohihi
ti0n. Not being able to reach the de
sired end of open and unrestricted tlaf-
iic. they would advance as far a> pos
Siblr toward it. am quite confident
You will not let the arguments of this
class OF persons weigh with you.
Others have persuaded themselves
that a license, law would lie better a. 4
Temperance measure than Il prohibit"rl
law. They would regulate and not
suppress the sale of intoNicants a.
beverage.
Their idea is to restrict the trade to
those whom they consider responsible
parties who would not abuse the trusts
rontided to them. They complain that
the present law operates miustly in
that it seizes the corner groggcry and
/ passes 10y the respectable hotel. When
making this complaint they seem To
/ forget that the chief argument for a
/ license law from their point of view i.
/ that it would close up these low and
Infamous dens and continc the sale 10
places of relatively good rcpute.
Some honest reformeIs may urge the
fact that the present law i not thor
oughly enforced i'll our large cities. as Il
reason for its repeal and the >ubStitu-
tion of Il license law III its stead. But
shall we repeal the laws against gam
bling. prostitution. pocket picking and
burglary. simply because they cannot
hc thoroughly enforced in dem>cly pop
/ ulatrd localities This would Ice
/ equivalent to saving that We will not
have ANY laws that are umpalatahlc T."
the worst classes in our cities. II
would hc sacrificing the State to the
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aud again But did the authorities of
these same large cities ever show any
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P'>c'i III" eh"'''" 'F s"rp' away We
cans" II Is Ihnler1'lNr' IL ',il> NC Il
iar' IL IL "iil'uI' I" "i"erS''i'" WHY an
Ih">r VINO ue>il' 10 tnSaS' III iht 'I'I-
nc "i lht"Altah'S sh"''Iu ne nPp">'u I"
the law. lieN are i"' uSn'iliN SOW I"
see IN Wlli'h ulrt''l"h 'hclr inIeie>'
he. he tNlSilng statute mas hecu III
force hut about ciSht months. an" II i
yet to" carr! I" 81! now rih'''I"us l"
can h' hlhd'. 'it>l"e ile E'i@t '"l'H'
Ill 'nicc h','' 'i'S VI ''I' ,''''' #" ''"> I'
/ cohil'iSht" All we III" reason "''',i
the circumstances 10 peiieN' II '""I"
accomplish up /" ''llN "ate'
lhat IL l. hu' pal'lal success III
some OF "nr larger rlties Is Il fact I" he
greatly deli"red. Vehement ana VI
Imperative c'hs'ile ana cohdtmhaii"i'.
not only 10y iaNmth' n''' ais" hA MINIS
/ tcl> "f the G"srrl OF peace liaNr "',h
heaprh upon me cHi'l '"ils.'nlc' 'h'
police commissioners. ana 'h' EN'cu-
/ i've because me law Is h"t thoroughly
enforced Ill tins city. stranger. -
n"rint "f the theory ana WORKING "i
/ Olll institutions. deriving his know ledge