The Hartford herald., 1885-07-29
Local Option and the Trustees.

Editor Herald
II Is known that Local Option i'm
August last was voted upon at the
Hartford voting place, and that large
majority was ia favor of restriction, and
that Notwithstanding this the Trustees
of Hartford granted license to retail
spirituous liquors. II seems well just
now To explain the action of the town
trustees in thI- matter.
Previous To the meeting of the last
Legislature, the people Of Hartford,
being burdened by a heavy town tax,
and liquor being already sold in the
town, determined to adopt the high
license system. The Legislature was
petitioned To amend the town charter
for this purpose so that the license
should not be less than $500, and the
trustees were granted erciusire control
of the liquor traffic i'm said town. When
in the spring of 1854 the trustees laid
the town tax levy, IL WAS estimated
that 81 900 could br realized from liz
censes, and the town levy was reduced
accordingly.
IL 80 happened that in the midst of
this scheme the Presidential election
came on. st. John became "a factor in
the defeat of Mr.. Blaine. The Dem-
ocratic National Committee advised
agitation of the Prohibition question,
and everywhere one went, were found
Democrats advocating st. John and
Prohibition. intending all the time of
e, urse to vote for Cleveland. Ii was
smart trick well played, and to the
nice little game Republicans who We're
for Prohibition upon principle fell easy
victims. Wherever the Republicans
We're IN ascendancy st. John received IA
large vote; in Democratic States his
vote was scarcely worth counting.
Who il was that was instrumental in
getting up Local Option vote in Hart
ford, ! don't know; but | venture the
assertion that it was some Democrat
who circulated the petition.
However, upon short notice the vote
was submitted; about one-half of the
voters voted on it, and of these large
majority were i'm favor of liquor re-
s.rictiOp.
This vote had the effect To throw the
Local Option question In conflict with
the town high-license system. Person.
ally, the members of the Board OF
Trustees favored then, and they do now,
Prohibition but as body elected to
carry out high license, adopted by a
large majority of the voters of the town,
they felt that no option was left them
but to grant license, which they did. 1t
was either this, or to confront town
treasury empty and in debt to the
teachers in the college and for town
purposes. To pay the town indebted,
ness out of an empty treasury could
not he done, to carry over large def
icit was burdensOne and almost i'm T..
possible. Already the tax i'm the town
was 30 cents on the hundred dollars
worth of property, and five dollars on
the head, over and above the Stale
and county tax. To have met the def ,
icit would have involved eight dollars
poll tax or 80 cents on property In adds
ton to the present levy. The town being
committed to high license, and the treas-
ury empty, the trustees adopted what to
them seemed, under all the cireum-
stances, the wisest course.
Ii should be said that many I'm the
town who favored high license, did so
as desiring the lesser of evils, being in
fact in favor of Prohibition, but for
some years there had been no agitation
of the question, and when Hartford
adopted the license system it was not
in opposition to Local Option or Pro-
hibition i'm fact, which was brought up
as already stated.
As n matter of law, there can he no
question but that the town trustees
have exclusive control of the subject.
The last vote taken was void, and so
will be the one now intended to he
taken, the Local Option law being re,
pealed by the implication of the town
charter giving exclusive control to the
trustees of the liquor traffic.
Ii follows that the vote ought not he
taken, or il insisted upon, that the
people of Hartford should not vote on
the question.
On the last Saturday in August Oc-
ours the town election, and then If a
majority in Hartford favors Local OPP
ton aud not the high-license system,
trustees may be elected committed
upon that issue.
That the present board did what they
should have done under the circum-
stances, must be admitted by every one.
If the present board should be re.
elected, AS likely it will, and the people
of Hartford express desire to issue
no more licenses, this board, being per-
sonally for Prohibition, will no doubt
carry out the voice Of the people, just
as they have done this year. 1t might
as well, however, be understood, once
for all, that Local Option cannot bt
voted in Hartford by those living out
side of it. 1t is more than likely 9
majority in the town are in favor o
restriction, but the question can bs
reached only through the town trustees
In the meantime We shall see wheth.
er the ruling passion shall be strong IN
death, and whether in the Democratic