St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1880-02-20
Temperance Run Mad.

and palpable mis-statements that JUS
tice to the individual assailed, as we'll
as the public good, requires that it be
not passed unnOticed. Speaking of the
st. Johnsbury agency the writer says:
"For eight successive months the sales
as reported amount to over 80 gallons
per month at the agency. But this re-
port covers only the sales of that which
comes in casks and is measured out by
the pint, quart, &c, while ale, porter,
beer, wine, cider, champagne, &C., are
sold in bottles in unknOaOn quantities., no
report of such sales being giUen to the
PUBLIC"
The italics and capitals are used by
Mr.. Locke to impress the truth of his
statement we suppose. How does Mr..
Locke know that Has he inquired at
the agency? The truth is that the 80
gallons or thereabouts, covers all sales.
Again the writer says: "There is to-
day a pile of bottles in the st. JohnsbuTy
House achich aoent from our agency filled
auith those liquors, which liquors we're
purchased and used for drinking pur-
poses only. And the proprietor of the
St. Johnsbury House to-day can get Ii
quor for his guests at 'our agency in
any quantities"
How does Mr.. Locke know this
Has he seen the pile of bottlesq Has
| he looked at the entries of sales to see
what quantities have been sold to Mr..
Walker or his guests The candid
truth is, as the records show, that the
present agent has sold during the last
nine months, the time which he has
the records in his possession, 1.-THE pre-
viOus ones being in the hands of the
former cOmmissioner-E. HI. Stone,)
one pint of whiskey to George B..
Walker,-namely, Aug. 2S-and half
pint of wine Sept. 22d, and pint bot
tie of beer to a stranger who proved to
he guest of the st. Johnsbury House.
| What means then this reckless and
wanton mis-statement of facts 1t
means just this, that the livery of hea-
ven has again been borrowed to serve
the devil in. Now we do not suppose
that the Rev. Mr.. Locke made these
statements knowing them to be false.
He has simply fallen into the hands OF
designing persons who have played up
on his credulity-men who are trying
to satisfy a private grudge under the
name Of public zeal, and to remove the
regulation 10y law of the sale of liquors.
1t is but another illustration of the ia
BILE of the monkey and the chestnuts,
and if the gentleman has got his own
fingers scOrched, he can console himself
with the reflection that no man ever so
we'll learned the wisdom of discretion
as by experiencing the IMPLYING con-
sequences resulting from lack of it.
Mr.. Locke might have known wheth-
Ell he was stating facts or falsehoods.
He ought to have known it. The record
of sales are open to everybody's inspec-
ton. He ought to have known it, be-
cause, no man, be he lay or clergy, has
any right to state as fact what he only
supposes to be a fact when the truth is
so readily accessible; and especially
when such grave matters are at stake.
He should have informed himself, be-
cause he bases his argument upon false
premises, and of course so far as his ar
gument goes, reaches false conclusion, IS
thereby endangering the cause which
he claims to serve. He ought to have
informed himself, because he was as
sailing the character of a man who has
for more years than will measure the
span of Mr.. Locke's whole life, lived
in our midst without reproach.
If there is a pile of bottles at the ST.
Johnsbury House which came from "oul
agency" to supply the guests of that
house, they have not gone there fol
that illicit purpose without the knowl-
edge of our agent, and he is culpable
If this is not true why has Mr.. Locke
so stated it Is it becoming for cler
, gyman to pick up street gossip ant
scandal and fling it to the four winds
Is personal character to be thus wan
tonly assailed without blame? Arr
f such assaults consistent with that char
' ity which the Christian doctrine incul
2 Gates? Gods weapons are love, trutl
and reason. The DEVILS weapons ar,
bad logic, spite and calumny; ans
Gods cause is never served by borrow
ing the weapons of the devil. MI
Locke has not the same excuse for hi
suspicious as have some of his cO-labor
, ers who have ceased to believe in 9th
ers because they have lost the power t,
: believe in themselves.
Has it never occurred to Mr.. Lock
that the entire body of the anti-temper
ance men of st. Johnsbury who ar
working to attain the very end he ad
vocates, are not doing it for the sam
= laudable purpose which actuates him
May it not be true that they who know
. the ins and outs of this baleful traffi
, much better than he does, are in thei
abundant experience wiser than he i
- his iuexperience? We are sure tina
when Mr.. Locke comes to know that h
has been led into making statement
. which are net true, he will regret
more than his many friends who hav
been grieved at his inconsiderate az
ton, and will be as prompt to retrat
q what he has said as he was to give
II utteranee. We are sorry to have bee
l. constrained to saw what we have sail