The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-05-02

| our prosecuting Officers. Where has an DILL
Ger of the law shown any zeal to do his
duty? Where has he voluntarily taken
| cognizancc of crime going on before his
| very cyes-a neglect which in any other
crime, petty larceny even, would brand
him with shame and self-contempt?
| Where has any officer of the law called
upon a Temperance man for any proper
help and been refused2
This is the situation of temperance peo-
pie. They have seen only few witnesses
summoned when long lists have been pro
vidcd-they know that of those sum
moncd, the most important ones have
been permitted to stay away from court
without penalty-they have known cases
bought under much milder indictment
than the otfenses demanded, and by papers
significantly imperfect-they have read
with amazcment of bonds, light in the
first place, cut down to a petty sum, and
then forfeited, thus to evade trial and
convictOn-they find that when often
ders confess their guilt, specifying the
number of their offenses, that the courts
practically declare the confession a mis-
take, and the dram seller continues his
work with rcdoubled confidence and zeal,
adding establishment to establishment
they find cases brought before the
courts for trial, put over from term to
term when the other business of the
session was trihing in the extreme.
Meanwhile the difficulty of holding wit
nesscs amounts almost to impossibility.
What possible spectacle more discourage
ing than this Temperance people of
Addison county are neither false nor
i
making cost for themselves of time and
money and personal convenience, to re
ceive the low, scurrlous assaults of the
dram-seller and his friends, only to have
all this, in the main, wasted by treachcry
OF public servants sworn to befricnd all
law and punish law breakers.
do not say that for the last three
years some Of our law officials have been
pail accompliceS Of crimiHdls, but | do
seriously ask you the question which
have again and again asked myself: Uad
Hoy been, lcddt c1uM they lure dono more?
How else explain the increasing and
shameless boldness of law breakers of
which evidence multiplies on every hand
Recall in particular our late village meet
ing.
II is high time that this coafusioa Of
ideas, this precedence or mistaken theories
ShouM cease.
We must find an answer to the question
so often raised, sometimes despairingly,
by the good and humane-"W can be
done z We must apply the microscope
to this whole matter 1t is question of
life and death to the most precious in
terests. Earnest, unflinching inquiry
will soon get needed light. 1t will
be easily made PLAIN that we are as we
are, because C) bad men are breaking the
laws of the State for gain; CO. our rulers
are not a terror 10 erU ac0rkS; and (3) be
cause, by various mistaken theories and
false ideas, industriously circulated from
some quarter IRE lure been uhabie 10 locatc
the diHjcuity.
When matchmaker has found out
just what portion of the complicated
timepiece is out of order, and fails to do
duty, he has made great progress toward
the full work of repair. Our difficulty
located, its removal will be comparatively
easy. Do you doubt for a moment that
six months of faithful duty by officers of
the law, every one of whom has
taken a solemn oath to do his duty, would
clear the county of every dram shop
We are now prepared to take up our
two remaining questions, and,
Second, II ,rhose door lies the terrible re-
sDoHsiii'ity Of the present state Of HingS}
Partial answer to this question ha, al
ready been made, but the whole rcspon-
sibiiity does not rest upon the chief of
Tenders or their direct abettors. How
great is their responsibility can be fully
known only at the Judgment Day; but,
under our form of government, for evils
widespread and self-imposed, the re-
sponsibility is also widely distributed.
am not here to Judge any man, but
am here to give any help | can to honest
inquiries after duty, and to persuade any
unfaithful steward of the Master, any
true citizen, to return to fidelity while he
has an opportunity, if in any way ncgli-
gent. | therefore put the following
questions, wholly without any personal
reference, but such as the general situa.
ton and the familiar traits of human ma.
ture suggest as possibly applicable. Tho
work of application you must do foi
yourselves. Need urge you to honest
faithfulness?
l. Have you purposely turned away
from candid consideration of the woes
inflicted by the sale of intoXicants be-
cause they were painful to look ut?
=. Have you in any way bargained with
dlam-sellers, giving them direct support
in wrong doing, or doing what you could
to prevent others from interfering with
them, because of any return service they
rendered you in the way of business OF
politics!
8. Are you habitually apologizing foI
the dram seller and impatiently CRITICS
ing earnest temperance workers.
4. Are you silencing conscience and
disregarding religious duty in temperance
work through dread of unpopularity3
>. Do you neglect the duties of citizen
ship, such as attendance upon primary
meetings, and voting at the polls!
6. Do you vote for men known to be
unfriendly to Temperance laws and their
enforcement!
Z. DO you omit faithful condemnation
by every means in your power, of public
olIenses against law, order and virtue;