Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-07-23
THE PROHIBITION CONVENTION.
A Correspondents Views OF the Repubii-
can Party and the Temperance

To the Editor of the Free Press:

can Party and the Temperance
Movement.
To the Editor of the Free Press
| have read your article in relation to
the Third Party Convention" called in
this city on Wednesday of this week-and
while am Republican, and have always
voted with and for Republicans and never
with third party prohibitionists-yet |
confess that my faith in the good inten-
tions of our party managers to efIectually
antagonze the saloons of our city and
State, is rapidly weakening under existing
facts. That the Republicans are opposed
to saloons we are led to believe by their
oft repeated resolutions, but having pass
ed the resolutions-and then secured the
offices-the managers, with the rank and
file, sit down and allow here and there
single individual to do what little he
can to antagonize the great and !nhuen.
tial rum power of all our cities and vii
lagos. 1t is said with much force that all
temperance men are not Christians, and
by and by they will get mad and repeal
the good (for they are good prohibitory
laws we have already. This would be bad
but then might not the temperance men
after they had opened the flood gates of
rum, and taken off the veil that conceals
their weakness and placed themselves
fairly on a level with other wrong doors,
correct the matter and give us men rs
well as laws The great lack to-day is of
men in official position that will see that
the entire law is enforced. 1t is no time
for hard words but high time for hard
work.
nave a kind of respect for saloon keep
erS and rum sellers generally, for they
have the courage of their convictions
/ Ia. .1s,r- 4
| and week days--and the loss of few barrels
of beer or whisky does not seem to deter
them from carrying dsmay to the homes
of hundreds of our citizens, and the walls
90 up from fathers and mothers for help.
The daily cry is Help me save
! be done to relieve our neighborhood
| Now what assurance are we giving the
party that we really are opposed to saloons
| when our prosecuting attorney is located
! in the very centre of the traiiic-that part
of the city having often been searched
successfully ? But with search and an oc
casional appeal successfully prosecuted
| there the matter rests Our law makes it
| dangerous to rent buildings for the rum
! traffic, but who feels any danger? 1t is
SAID that some of the saloons make enough
| money while the trial of single case is
progressing in the City Court to pay all
| fines and costs. The landlord escapes, the
cranks are cured by the seizure, and the
people remain passive and the party pass
resolutions. Do | overstate it Are not
our resolutions imperative Had not
the masses of the people better attend the
convention on Wednesday and if possible
learn the basis of this proposed new party
and then go to work with a will and
make effective the law that we 80 much
laud The laws might be improved but
what avail, If the conservators of our city
will not with the appliances at hand use
them for the public veal
/ / know the argument used so success
fully, viz: that there is no public senti-
ment behind the officers and they are not
called upon to do more than execute law
when complaints are lodged with them.
This Is a weak subtertuge, if such argu-
ment was applied to arson or murder or
petit larceny, the prosecuting attorney
could not stand Il single term. The truth
is the law contemplateS that prosecuting
attorneys shall allow their ears and eyes
TO 20 untrammelled and some of them
must have paraly wed noses or they would
have the fumes in their own offices daily.
am tired and Disguised with the con
slant complaints of the laXity of officers.
You see have given you whole chapter
of complaints myself You will say that
don't look like being very tired. Never.
theless, am. | give you the passing Cos
sip of every temperance home in our city.
Many OF our best temperance resolution
people are ready to lynch, in words one
VI lnt best SnerllIS we ever mad and one
OF the best grand jurors the city has had,
but will not allow themselves to be
known as having ever spoken to the
grand juror or States attorney on the
subject of liquor prosecutions. Now if
saloons are to be closed ii will not be done
with resolutions, or finding fault with the
sheriff or grand juror or States attorney,
but by manly coming to the front and
instead of weakening the officers, multiply
complaints on every hand and Keep
them so busy that they will have no time
to consult their fears. The loudest com
planners of the officers are men that do
nothing they are like the man that hired
the minister to do his praying, they have
a man for that service. Now the law
says any citizen may make complaint
not any officer | guess you have
about enough, and more than likely YOU
will see for all my trouble, | have taken
along preventive, perhaps cure
If not you will be able to supply the de-
ticiency. One word farther. There has a
new complaint recently developed in some
parts of the country, and is first noticed
by breaking out about the mouth"
some call it third partyism." Some of
us have come in personal contact with it,
and there is danger of its spreading. DO
you think 1t could be prevented from
spreading by little dose OF law enforce
ment They say that works spendidly
and sure, kills all third partyism. Some
OF our temperance doctors say they have
| tried II. suppose we recommend it, or
shall we let the tail 20 with the hide, !"
and let the Democrats repeal the law and
all go back to first principles