Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1884-09-01
LETTER FROM ILLINOIS.

the main issue in the democratic plat
form of Vermont is q license law, and
the democratic candidate for Govern
or, Mr.. Redington, has always been
champion of that measure. >
Not only republicans but every
patriotic citizen of the Green Monn-
tam state should take heed of that is
sue. 1t is the supreme and only real
issue before the American people to-
day; and if my pen can emphasize it
in the thought of your readers it will
serve good cause.
Vermonters wherever they live are
proud of their native state, and
watch with jealous care her fair fame.
They know the polluting influence of
the evils they meet in the broad
world. Douglass said, vermont is
good state to be born in.'' And the
influence of her sons all over the
world proves the wisdom of his words.
Children reared in Vermont are saved
from the blighting curse of the rum
traffic during the misunderstanding
years of life. They go out into the
world with strong bodies and healthy
morals. No state sent better soldiers
to the army, or gives wiser statesmen
and more enterprising merchants, me-
chanics and farmers to the nation
than Vermont. The secret. is found
In the rugged morality of her people;
their respect for law and infiexible
opposition to every form of jobbeIy
and vice. Once admit the saloon and
all this would be changed. The sa
loon is curse under any and all cir
cumstances and thele is no curse
Ike it. 1t is cyclone of crime, q
pestilence of ruin, a simeon of i'm
morality, whose presence is menace
to the nation, threatening the peace
and purity, sacredness and safety of
the home. 1t cannot be regulated,
restrained or controlled. Like the
ox-eYe daisy and Canada thistle, the
only remedy is determination.
Illinois is trying the restraining
power of the notorious Harper's High
License law Large promises were
made, and all the little groggerles
were to be shut up and a sort of re-
spectacle monopoly established in
the interest of temperance and moral
| ity. High License was expected to
close half of the saloons in Chicago.
Well, how does it work? The law
went into effect May LIST, and on the
1st day of July your correspondent
called on the city Government of
Chicago and secured official figures
as follows:
| Whole number of licenses granted
last year, with fee at S103, 1850.
Number licensed under high license,
| for two months, from May 1st to
July 1st, 1926 or 465 less than for
the whole of last year. And when it
is remembered that a license may be
taken out at any time and pay pro
rata, it is evident that before twelve
months have passed the light license
saloons of this year will outnumbel
the law-license saloons of last year
There is just this reason why high
license cannot be effective: In an or
binary country village the net profits
of a saloon keeper are about 50, SOC
or 5000. The average saloon keep
er at honest labor would earn about
$500 g year. With a margin of two
thousand or more dollars to his cred
! it in the saloon business, he will pay
, a 1000 or 81, 800 license and keel
on making drunkards. In Chicago
the leading saloons have net income
of from 100000 to 100000 ant
, cannot be taxed out of exisnence.
+ There is another consideration
, The liquor business has no regard 70
, la,o. 1t is forever breeding and fos
tering rebellion 12,4S0 liquor deal
, ers in the state of Illinois control th
f politics of the state. Both partie
I are in its power and do its bidding
| Gen. Oglesbee, republican candidat
. for Governor for this great state, 90
| down on his belly and crawled in tn
dust for this gigantic monster of vic
and crime; opening his campaign i
o this township, he argued for the sa
: loon under the cover of a protectiv
n tariff. Showing how protection ben
Gifted the laboring man, and that th
n republican party favored protection
9 He said: eve do not want our la
: boring population to live on a bit O
4 bread and a glass of beer a day; W
say, give them all the bread they ca
t eat and Il gallon of beer a day. Th
e republican party of this county at tn
o dictation of the saloon keepers pu
J. the following plank in their platform
!. ssAnd further believing that rel
d gion, temperance and morals can b
n best inculcated by the church and th
e, school and the home; we, therefore
> utterly condemn and denounce, as
! measure essentially unrepublican an
70 despotic, the constitutional amend
10 ments prohibiting the manufactur
e and sale of fermented and distille
: beverages and instruct our Representa-
o. tues an the state legislature not on
ar to resist and oppose all propositions
20 destroy individual freedom By prohi
ID itory laacs, bat especially to resist q,
10 oppose every effort to submit to q 20
TO Of the people daay constitutional amen
/. 91leuts like those 11tela ndO31fpd Ia Kn