Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1881-08-10
LIQUOR SELLING
RKFORF on BOafONa FOLIOR BOARD.


The Increase Of arrests during tn
past year Tor drunkenness does not prov,
an increase Of tbs eyil 10 exist, Il wa
owing 10 several causes The reduction
Of ihe fins Tor q first Oiiense 10 one dol
lar, which rendered ihem more reckless
than before, knowing that il would h
generally easy to raise that small
amount 10 the prosperous condition
Of the community, which gave 10 al
more money TO eHpend IN Injuries ant
IN reereaiiOns Of all kinds and to thl
fact that, IN order 10 Improve the con
diiiOn OF tle streets near our seyem
railroad depOts, most persons found Il
any extent under the influence Of in
tOSieating drinks were summarily az
rested aud committed 10 the various
station houses until that purpose Wal
accomplished,
The screen law, 10 called, has beer
PASSED, and this hoard proposes, and
has ordered, that it, provisions he On
forced IN thorough, eOmmOn-seRsC
way, Whether II will have the good
effects hoped for by iis advocates 10
mains to DO seen, While II IL claimed
that the forcing people to drink openly
viii prevent many from drinking, nom
q sense OF shame, II may also be claimed
that public sensitiyeness in this matter
will become blunted that any stigma
against public drinking will DO done
away with that liquor will be driven
into Easements and upper stories oi
buildings and other out-of'the'way
places, and that q poor class Of hard
liquors will, from being more easily
concealed, take the place Of lighter
beverages, such ~ lager beer aud light
wines, A fair trial Of tho law alone can
settle tho question,
One great cause Of difficulty IN tho
enforcement Of the liquor law h the
provision making the possession Of o
yictualera on inn'holder's license pre-
requisite TO the obtaining license for
selling liquor to 10 drunk on tho prem.
iaes licensed, The term "yictualer" IL
very broad In it, meaning, including cs,
adjustments whore food can be pro.
cured, ranging all the way from first,
class hotels 10 places whore the poorest
food IL provided for the poorest people,
The men who, In tho smallest premises,
has, In the language Of the statute, "ia.
cililies for cooking" and provides food
when called for, even though only cold
lunch, can bo called q yictualcr, His
license compols him TO DO ready TO fur.
nish food at all times TO strangers and
travellers, This not only enables but
forces him 10 keep his place Of business
open ut all times, Under cover of this,
the sale Of intoxicating drinks after
midnight and on Sundays is 30 blended
with the legitimate business OF victual.
ing, that II is very often difficult to dc.
tcct an oilcnso and punish the offenders,
II they adopt tho usual precautions to
protect themselves, The law could he
DO much simpliiicd, and its observance
rendered far moio honest and general
by licensing the salo OF liquors to DO
drunk on the licensed premises indie
peodcht Of any other business. II il he
wrons to issue such licenses, then no
cover OF q victualcrs license will make
II right, There can DO no greater sin
in granting such q license by itself tlan
in granting II with conditions, plausibly
to any one seeking nm excuse,
but practically and necessarily, as prov.
en- by experience, useless, II such
licenses were granted, then IL should he
made imperative that all the places
licensed should be closed promptly at
~ o'clock each night, so to remain I'M
I'll 9 o'clock next morning, and on Sun
days-except in case Of innholders The
fact Of their being unlawfully open
could DO concealed, and should be made
n sufficient reason for the revocation Of
the Licenses Of the offenders, The board
cordially indorses the opening of coffee
rooms, where that and other simple bev.
cmges can be obtained at very low
price. When one tea store can dispose
of $500 cups of coffee in single day, it
proves that the need for it exists, and it
must to some extent, take the place of
intoxicating liquors. If, with the sale
Of coffee, comfortable and pleasant
rooms could be furnished where men
md women could, if they desired, spend
q social hour and where games and
amusements, harmless in themselves,
might be INDUCED in in fine, where
pleasure should be made innoccntly at
tractive in the same way it is now made
hurtfully so, much good might be effect
ed. To young men and women es-
pecially, coming to the city from coun-
try homes where they have enjoyed
social life to greater or less extent,
the isolation that meets them, the
lreariness of their lodgings, where, too
often, all that is pleasant, all that tends
TO elevate the mind, and sometimes all
that is clearly, is wanting, are great in
for them, after a struggle it
may be, to yield to vice in forms most
pleasing to the senses. The wonder is,
under all the circumstances, not that so
many fall, but that more do not. The
practical turn our charities have taken
in late years, and the success they have
heretofore achieved, are worthy of great
praise, and point the way in which more
good can be done in the future.