Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1881-12-23
Tho remperanse Oru.ads "a, St. Alnan..

The Temperance Crusade at 80. AIbans.
As announced in a brief item last week. the
movement of the temperance people at St.
Adams has resulted in the closing of all the
hotels in the place, the livery keepers joining
with the hotel men andrefusing ogive stsbling
to horses from out of town. The temperance
movement began at st. Adams early last spring,
and has been pushed with more or less vigor
ever since. As usual there is a difference of
opinion among the people, many leading cit
zens holding aloof and not believing in the
methods Of the temperance workers. The
citizens who support the anti-liquor move
ment are pledged by their signatures to a COM
pact for the vigorous prosecution of violators
of the liquor law, and number lis persons.
From their own number working committee
of six is appointed every two months, whose
business ii is to carry ON the crusade against
liquor sellers. At the flood-tide Of the local
whiskey flow, there were some 40 saloons in
town. Four hotels also kept liquors, the prin-
cipal one being the Weldon, which occupies
the same relative position in st. Adams that
the Brooks House does in Brattleboro. No
tice was given the Weldon House landlord
NLht Nc NOuiu 10 DIOb6Cultu uIlthb ne blODDtu
the sale of liquor, and some three weeks ago
he closed his bar voluntarily. The business
of the house fell of, it is claimed, and week
ago the house was suddenly closed without
previous notice, the other hotels and the liv-
cry men following suit, as already stated.
There is much excitement in the town, and
business naturally suffers. Private houses are
opened for the entertainment of transient
guests, and there is talk of buying up the ho-
tells, starting temperance hotels, etc. A pub
lie meeting was held Monday evening, when
it was decided TO continue the temperance
crusade with renewed vigor.
With the public sentiment of the place d.
vided, as it inevitably must be, it will be in
teresting to note on which side the surrender
comes, or where the final compromise comes
in. As the hotel-keepers must have antici-
pated, if they are men of ordinary discretion,
their arbitrary action has turned much public
| sympathy against them, even on the part of
men who do not look with favor on the meth
DDS of the extreme temperance people. Such
action smAcks too strongly of bulldozing to be
tolerated by a selfrespecting community.
bookkeeping is q matter of pure business,
just as store-keeping or newspaper printing
is business matter, to live or starve on the
legitimate patronage received. The properly
managed hotel must supply the Legitimate
wants of its bona fide guests, at table or at
the call of the guest in his room. If the
guest abuses such accomm odation he may or
ought to be refused all further or future en-
tertainment and he may be dealt with by
law, if necessary,-but an open bar for the
accommodation of the street traffic is no more
a necessary or legitimate adjunct of hotel,
especially under our present Vermont laws,
than of a grocery store, dry goods house,
or newspaper office. After a careful con-
sideration of the whole subject we are una
BILE to reach any conclusion other than this,
and we believeit tallies with the intelligent pub
lie sentiment of the state.