St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1886-08-05
SHUTTING UP A DRAM-SHOP.

SHUTTING UP A DRAM-SHOP.
No citizens are so tenacious OF legal
rights as rumsellers are of their OPP
pOrtunities to ruin their fellow men for
their own gain. Probably few of the
good people who join in demanding,
through the press, and in speeches at
respectable assemblies, that liquor
shops should be closed, havelany ade-
quate knowledge of what is required
to enforce their demand in New York.
There is a great deal of complaint that
laws are not enforced, and a great deal
is unjustly said of the completely of
police and officials with the lawbreak-
ers but making due allowance for in
efficiency and neglect, there is much
to be said of the difficulty of carrying
out good laws, even when both inten-
ton and effort are active and devoted
to their enforcement.
In illustration of this statement, let
me give leaf from personal expert
ence, which could doubtless be match
ed in essentials by Rev. DR.. Crosby
and others. Some years ago while
pastor of a church in this city, re-
ceived a letter from the owner of al
house next to mine asking me to buy
his property, and adding that if | did,
not do so, the owner would turn it intOi
"rOad house." | declined to be fore
ed into such bargain, and wrote in|
my answer, "that if 'road-hOuse' was
opened next door to me l would tryI
the Gospel on it, and if that failed !
would try the law"
The Irishman proceeded to put his
threat in operation, and leased theI
house to a fellow cOuntryman who hadl
some experience in the business. ShedsI
were erected, bar was set up, and al
stock of liquor brought in. A license
was duly applied for, and as soon as
the application was filed with the ex
else board, the drunkards of the neigh
borhood and their friends were invited
to come to house warming.
Meanwhile, L had not been idle. The
police captain of the district had been
visited, and to his honor be it record
ed that Captain Speight said upon
hearing the facts, "You may count on
me every time. Every complaint you
make shall be carried us far as you are
willing to CO." A remOnstrance had
also been entered against granting the
license, and the facts set forth for the
information of the excise commission
ers.
made IA friendly visit to the unweI-
come neighbOr, and endeavOred to dis
suade him from his effort. He said, 81
must live, and have q family to sup
port" | told him that | would make
no opposition to grocery or butcher
shop, or to any business but that of
making men drunk and when he said
that "men would have liquor, and he
might as well make the money as the
next man." frankly told him that he
should conduct his business within the
law, and that would have him arrest
ed whenever he violated the law.
And kept my word. The next Sun
day he broke the law, and Monday
morning he was arrested and taken to
the court and fined ten dollars. He
laughed at the fine, but was more care
full the next Sunday. got member
of the excise board to visit the place
personally, and showed him that there
was no need of the additional dram
shop. He promised to report the mat
ter in the board, but it took II good
while to do it. The newspapers treat
ed the matter, when they noticed it at
all, as good joke that a clergyman
should try to shut up rum shop, and
some of them intimated that it was
none of his business to NEEDLE with
laws and politics and such matters.
Meanwhile, | watched, and after one
midnight orgy | called upon a police
man to arrest u pack of drunken brawl-
ers, who were coming out of the bar
room. He was a coward and allowed
them to get away, but he was sorry
for it when the commissioners heard
the testimony, and fined him ten days
pay for neglect of duty. He never for
got the lesson, and was very careful
for years afterwards to see that | kept
my sidewalk cleared from ice and
snow. But the liquor dealer held on.
A complaint against the house as "dis-
orderly" only resulted in the visit of Il
drunken inspector to the parsonage ~
which he afterwards reported to the
board as every we'll kept and in no
way disorderly." The excise board
was of very little help to me, except
that the license was not granted it
was, however, held in allegiance, not
refused, and so the man went on SELL
ing his poison, and making persistent
| efforts to extend his trade.
| | was sorry for his poor wife and
| two little children. He evidently loved
them, and sometimes would play with
| the little ones. But Oftener he was
cross and hard-spOken, for it was pref
ty evident that he drank with his GUS
toners. Every time that he broke the
law, to my knowledge, | went to the
captain, and true to his word he would
send and make the arrest, and L would
go with my witnesses, sometimes i'll
the wagon with thieves and prosti
tutes, to the Justices court, and wait
the turn, wasting precious hours, often
in a foul atmosphere, and getting the
scanty satisfaction of small fine. But
persistent effort began to tell. After a
year of this sort of thing, the man
grew weary and determined to move
away. But his crafty landlord, who
had tried to blackmail the parsOn, had
effected n lease of his property at a
high rate to the liquor seller, and held
him to- his bargain. He tried in vain
to lease the place to another man oil
the same business, for it was under
stood by this time in the neighbOrhoOd,
that to have Presby terrain minister
living next door was rather him
drance to the liquor traffic. So he
worried along in the second year, and
the business did not thrive, and things
became generally "downat the heel
Then he proposed to me to buy him
off. He would go, if | would take hi'
lease off his hands, and | could choos'
4.