The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1876-06-12
TEMPERANCE MEETING.
Addr ess Of Joel G. Baker, Reviewing the La
ger Beer Trial.

Addr ess Of Joel c. Baker, Reviewing the La
ger Beer Trial.
A temperance meeting was held at TIL
town hall last evening under the auspice
of the Rutland reformed club. The meet
ing was addressed by members of the club
and was quite interesting. The speakers
were thoroughly in earnest, and gave brief
sensible speeches which we're quite effect
i've with the audience, ten signatures be-
ing obtained to the pledge. The speakers
we're as follows: Horace Sheldon, Patrick
Toohey, Joseph II. Williams, William G.
Walker, Samuel Hubbard, Il. r. Farrar,
William Boynton, ]. @. Baker and Ben X.
Chase. The speeches were vigorously ap-
plauded, Mr.. Toohey being called out for a
second speech, and were interpreted with
singing by the audience. accompanied by
Miss May Southland on the piano.
MR.. BAKERS REMARKS.
MIR. Bakers remarks were interesting
presenting novel view of the lager beer
decision of two weeks ago, and we give an
abstract of them:
Everywhere we find numerous churches,
and the cost of sustaining them 10 immense;
school houses are found on every corner
and millions are annually paid in salaries,
but the sum expended for both these is lit
tie compared with what the statistics show
is expended for liquor. In the country
there are 400, 00g men engaged in making
and selling liquor; the use of Intoxicating
liquors sends annually to prison 100, 900
men; 100, 900 yearly fill drunkards' graves;
100000 children are every year brought to
want.
We are startled when we think of the
$12 900, 000,spent annually for teachers and
the 500, 900, 900 spent to support the courts
Of justice, but every year IN this country
are spent Sl,573, 900, 900 for rum.
After reviewing the liquor statistics of
New York and Pennsylvania, the speaker
said that intemperauce was the great evil
of the day. 1t cannot be overcome by
right one. If men take this pledge and
keep it, the rum-selers business IL ended,
and the money that now goes to them is
saved for the community, and, what is of
vastly more consequence, the men are
saved.
/ wish to discuss another thing, which
has recently occurred among us and created
a good deal of interest. will say, before
begin, that feel like pouring out en-
comiums on that buvark of our liberties,
trial by Jury. But the question whether
lager beer is intoxicating which was recent
ly declded-not by a jury as l hope to show
before | finch speaking-has done more to
stagger my faith in that institution than
nything else. i say this without reflect
ing in the least on the gentlemen who COM
posed that jury believe they acted con.
scientously and decided as they believed
they were bound to do under their oath.
But there was an incident connected with
the trial OF that case that l knew OF
aud which ! think shonld be generally
known. 1t was supposed that | had
TO do with the case,
and the morning of the trial an officer
handed me list of eighteen names, saying |
that the attorneys on both sides Of the case |
had agreed to those names as jurors, and |
asking me il had any objection to any of |
them. was startled at this attempt to |
pack jury to try 8 question OF right, and |
told the officer, without reading the names,
that if either attorney had handed him the |
list the men were probably good men for
his side.
The officer said he would have nothing |
to do with it, and subsequently another |
officer took charge of the matter. When |
the names came up for selection they were, |
however, these identical eighteen names;
how they came there l don't know.
About a year ago man WAS found |
dead in Westhaven, and a coroners jury |
was summoned. The officer who sum
moned it was made the object of the most
singing sarcasm by the newspapers for not
knowing that there was no provision for q
coroner's Jury IN Vermont. l have yet
failed to see any sarcasm on n jury sum-
moned to decide whether lager beer is in
yet the law Of the state express
y provides that the justice shall be satisfied
or not the liquor on trial is not in
not jury. There is no pro-
vision in the statute for jury, and in this
case the jury were, in fact, so many out
siders, with no authority in the case. They |
might have properly furnished advice to the |
justice, possibly as experts. There has |
been but one other case of the kind in the |
state. In Chittenden county jury decid-
ed case of this kind and it was carried to |
a higher court. Judge Wheeler decided |
that the jury had no power in the case.
The jury then had no authority in the |
case. The trial was farce which l hope |
may not be repeated
After MIR. Baker concluded, Mr.. Chase
spoke for few moments, and after sing |
ing the meeting was dismissed.