Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1877-06-22


hands of the board of bailids of the village.
This body is TO the villnge what the alder
men and common council are to a city, the
selectmen of New England town. They
are not, as their name might seem to inn
ply, simply police Differentiated are not
police officers at all, but have a corps of po-
licemen under them for the general police
duties Of the village. In most incorporate
ed villages in Vermont this body Is called
the board Ol trustees. Under the Stale laws,
any board OF trustees, the seecimen of any
town, or the municipal authorities of any
city, can exercise the same authority in re-
gard to the sale of Intoxicating liquors that
Is exercised by the board Of bail1s Of Brat
tleboro. The system, therefore, can he eX-
tended throughout the state wherever pub
lie sentiment demands its introduction. 1t
is capable, too, of "A much wider application.
Its main features are susceptible Of imita-
ton In all states where prohibitory laws or
local option laws prevail, and had they
been in extensive use in Massachusetts for
few years previous TO the repeal OF the
prohbitory law there, II is safe to say 1t
could not bave been removed from the
statute book.
In the state Of Vermont the governing
body Of any city, town or village ordinarily
pays no attention to the execution Of the
liquor laws, aud their enforcement. IL en-
forced at ali, falls into the hands of the tenn
peranCe men so called, who, Whatever the
excellence OF their pri waite character, have
never been distinguished, as class, for adj
ministfatNe ability. These men are by no
means ignored in this work in Brallleboru;
a large share Of them fall in with 1t, though
IL must be added that very many oppose IT,.
These latter maintain that IL does not 20
far enough, and that in going just 50 far as
1t does aud stopping where it does, 1t vir-
iually licenses the sale OF intoxicating
drinks contrary to the intent Of the statute,
and the great deirlment of thel temperance
cause. On the other hand the board OF bal
iitis say, I'VE decline 10 arraign the seller
for keeping liquor with intent to sell, and
have him fined for such otlense, nor shall
We seize his liquors and destroy them.
This we have right TO do, ii is true, aud If
VIC deemed 1t necessary to he quiet of the
village We should undoubtedly do 1t. You,
gentlemen, however, have the same right
TO carry on this prosecution that we have;
you are not debarred from further action
because we decline II you can go on with
this work where we leave of II you choose.
We think we are warranted by public
opinion in stopping where we do; il you
think you can go further with it, you are
welcome to proceed; we Shall not hinder
YOU. and, more than this, you can use all
the evidence we have obtained thus far
we shall make no attempt TO influence wit
nesses, or to obstruct you in any manner
in your further prosecution of this work."
Thus the matter stands at present.
Brattleboro had been through with that
experience Of the New England commuu-
lilies in attempting the suppression of the
| liquor traffic common to most villages aud
| large towns where prohibition is adopted
as the policy of the law. lis temperance
| people had tried the usual methods OF liquor
seizures, OF arrests Tor keeping liquors with
! intent 10 sell, aud OF a general warfare
! against the traffic. and with the usual re-
| suit. The sale was diminished for time
II always il during these sporadic attempts
| to suppress The sale. The hopes OF the
| temperance people are consequently elated;
! the rieor Of the prosecution is relaxed the
| old ways are gradually resumed and by
and 10y matters resume their woDted con
] uitiou. In such a state Of things, the sale
! OF liquor j. partially free there is no re-
! straint upon il whatever; everybody who
| cares to sell il, sells il, keeping an eve out,
| however, for a possible raid, for in the
! deepest calm the liquor-seller knows there
! may he storm brewing. He knows that
! in selling liquor at all he is law breaker.
| and that al any time he may be called TO
| account This makes him cautious in the
! display Of his goods but he Keeps them
on hand, nevertheless, and in sufficient
| quantities for his thirsty customers. 1t is
! this sort OF an experience which has been
chiefly instrumental in leading Braitleb oro
! to adopt the new method OF stopping the
! indiscfiminate sale usual in towns where
! the enforcement of the law is intermittent.
The writer's individual experience in at
! tempting to enforce the Vermont pTOhibi-
| tory law j. in point here, as illustrating
| what takes place always when public
| opinion is not equal TO its execution. II &C.
Cured in a little country town ON the top
| of the Green Mountain range, where he
| lived for many years. Here, though the
| general sentiment was against the law, a
few were in favor of 1t, and the representa-
lives in the legislature generally flor polit-
ical reasons doubliess) voted 10 keep IL on
flnou Nufr sl.lf
ion was strongly against 1t, occasional at
tempis were made to execute il. Yet there
| has never been "A line paid by a liquoT-sell-
| er in that town, though the law has been in
existence more than quarter OF a century,
| and the town has never in that time been
without at least half-a-dozen places where
liquor was sold openly. 1t is commonly
said by the advocates OF prohibition that a
few determined men in any town can in
sure the enforcement OF the law but in
this town the few determined men could
not he lound. Afler repeated failures to put
a stop TO liquor-selling by resort to the
law, all attempts at enforcement were aban-
dOned until an event happened which
awakened the people to the evils Of the free
and unres trained sale OF liquor. y farmer
from neighboring town came mp the
| mountain with his team for a load OF lum-
ber. He loaded himself up so heavily at
the numerous establishments on his way
up and while there, that he was unable suc-
cessfully TO guide his horses with his
double load on the way down. The conse-
quence was that he rolled of his wagon.
and tue wagon rolled down The mountain,
over him and over his horses, scattering
the lumber in all directions, and ending in
a general wreck. The farmer was picked
up for dead, but ii was soon found that be
was not Killed, though he was seriously in
iured. But the disaster and its cause were
the town talk for many days. There was a
storm of indignation against the liquor
! sellers-a fire along the whole line.
The writer had seen many such scenes.
though none so exciting, and he waited
quietly for some one to move in the matt
And the people did move; complaint,
numerously signed, was made out and pre-
scented to grand juror-the proper official
asking him to prosecute. He declined or
negl tcted to do so, and ii was at once de-
cided TO go TO the states attorney, also a
proper official aud OF higher grade. Now
here came in the peculiar phase of things
which is always more or less apparent I'M
der the old method Of executing the law
where public opinion Is against it. The ex-
element began 10 subside; the liquor sell
ers began TO put in plea of exIenuating
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES stoutly DENYING any
sale, and others admitting drink or two
but all were so very inDocent Of all intent
Of wrong-doing, and SO sincerely Iegretiul
at what had occurred, that the prosecutors
began TO waver, 1t was their neighbOrs
and friends whom they were about TO make
criminals before the law, and for doing on
~ IN greater degree that which they had
oilen done in less in their own behalf
for many of the prosecutors were drinking
men themselves. The law makes it the
! privilege Of every citizen to become pros
eculor-a medder, as 1t is considered in
many communities, and so in this. Each
man, therefore, said TO himself finally, at
is not my business, any more than it is
that of any one else, to complain of Mr..
Brown and MI. Jones and Mr.. Smith for
selling this farmer liquor. / shall only
| Ea ananniau nj tbaga man and a, ~