St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-12-29

A short time after the law TOOK erect, I
a Judge of one of the district courts /
who had once occupied a position on /
the Supreme Bench, in case pending
in his court, rendered decision de-
claring the law to be unconstitutional.
This case was taken to the Supreme 1
Court, where it was reversed, and the
law, by the unanimous opinion of the
Supreme Judges, held to be valid. |
During the tendency of these proceed
ings, owing to the existing doubt as to
the result, the operation of the law
was practically suspended. Meantime,
the opponents of prohibition, which
includes every distiller, brewer and
saloon keeper in the country, claimed,
first, that it retarded the progress and
growth of the state second, that 1t
would stop immigration third, that it
would increase the sale of Intoxicating
| liquors; fourth, that it was so strin-
| gent that liquor ''cOuld not be had to
cure a snake bite :" fifth, that it would
increase pauperism and crime.
While these objections were not
verv consistent, they were nevertheless
made, and still continue to be urged
against the law. The advocates of
prohibition contend that, notwithstand-
| ing the persistent and INSCRIPTIONS eff
forts that have at all times been made
to prevent the enforcement of the law,
its effect has not only been free from
the objections named, but it has ac-
cOmplished great good. And to prove
this we have only to refer to the official
Reports of the Auditor of State, which
shows that the assessed valuation of
all taxable property in the state, on
March ], 1880, was Sl6O, 57O,76l.43
and March /, 1881, it was $40, Sl3,373-
.O3: while on March 1, 1882, it amount
ed to SlS6, lbs, 1880.
While the increase from March |,
1880, to March /, 1881, was only SlO,-
242 81 90, it will be observed that
from March |, 1881, to March |, 1882,
ten months of which was under prOhi
bition, the increase was 1914, 764.97.
The sale of school lands for the cal
endar year 1880 amounted to an aver
age of I5l acres for each business day.
For 1881, eight months of which was
under prohibition, it rose to 1876 acres
per day, and for the yeaI 1882, up to
October |, to over 200 acres per day.
The lands belonging to the AtchisOn,
4 Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad Com
pany have been in the market twelve
. years, and | am informed by the COM
missioner that he is selling more lands
now than at any other period in the
history of his department.
The population of the state, from
March |, 1881, to March |, 1882, in
creased 81, l3S. The immigration that
we are receiving is not only increasing
in numbers, but is made up of the very
best class of citizens. There is not IL
distiller, brewer, or salOOn-keeper in
: the list, but, instead, those whose vO-
cation and example tend to the mate
rial, moral and intellectual advance
mcnt of the state Are there not 9TH
er states that are anxious to have their
progress and growth retarded in the
same way?
The % counties that gave majorities
against the prohibitOry amendment
sent to the penitentiary for the fiscal
year ending June 30, 1889, one prison.
er to every 3,435 of their population /;
while the remaining % counties that
gave maiorities for the amendment,
! during the same period sent but one
prisoner to every 5,S32 of their popu-
tatiOn.
From March, 1867, up to little over
a month after we adopted the COnsti-
tuition Amendment, the average yearly
increase of prisoners sent to the peni-
Tertiary was fOrty-siX. Since then the
; prison population has decreased at the
!, rate of forty per year.
There was issued in this state 10y the
collector of internal revenue for the
government tax year ending April 30,
1881, ,977 retail liquor dealers stamps,
30 wholesale liquor dealers stamps,
and b brewers stamps; for the year
ending April 30, 1882, ,764 retail deal
ers' stamps, II wholesale dealers
. stamps, and "a brewers stamps from
April 30 to November !, 1882, 300 re-
tail dealers stamps, II wholesale deal
ers' stamps. and IL brewers stamps,
showing Az retail and - wholesale
dealers and - brewers stamps less
than there was under the old license
system. Deduct from the 800 stamps
issued up to November |, ut least 300
that have been procured by druggists,
who have qualified under the law to
sell for the excepted purposes then
add to this not less than 200 in the
hands of parties who have been pros
ecuted and places of business broken
up, and it leaves 900 stamps in the
:. possession of parties who make then
living by secretly or openly violating
law. every one of whom is an anti
= prOhibitionist,- there is not a item
perance fanatic among them. This
D gives to Kansas one place where in
tOXicating liquors are sold to every
| 900 of her population, while Penn
u sVlVania under license has one such
place to every 249 of her population
and her people pay to the government
Il as tax on intoxicating liquors, includ-
ing beer, about seventy-tive cents &
: head, while the peOp.e of Kansas pay
+ but eight cents a head.
= But the most gratifying results arC
I found in the improved condition of so
ciety. Prohibition has aided many Il
!, drunkard in his efforts to reform; il
II has gladdened the heart of the wifi,
{ and mother; it has brought peace anC
happiness to many Il home, and dissen
sion and misery to none.
: The great question in this country
Il to day is whether the rum power o
IL the people shall rule this nation. TIL,
i political party that attempts to evad'
y this issue will die of its own cowardice
1t Let the government promptly abOlisl
:, the system of selling its sanction to tn
u liquor traffic, thus placing the business
Il upon its merits, stripped of tile powe
to buy liberation of its menace to ever,
II home in the land. and it will not TAX
: long to get rid of the dram-shOps.-[S
u 5. Times.
' 4fnr hs Children.
: How II Boy was Hired Out, ant