The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1888-05-03

FtoAihitetF law vhffs i v roi sttafnea.
Tbs tesllmoty oanisg ifem iaosliises
uksix hosase Laws are 10 opsfslioa Is Goa
sieiing bat sach laws osfiAiniy greatly
LOSSES fAs numbct q dfintiag piscss.
they atop ne ssIc 10 ninafs sad habit
nal dFanksras They ttap ,hs sals On
suaday. ADD close ihe han a csnsla
hosr 81 The nlsht This Ia ear vis~ Is a
great deal bciier iksH 20 restraint what
ever. II h. qaiie possible thai high i
cense laws are uoi alwsys figidly entarced.
bal that oer1ainly 10 true q ptohibliory
lava
10 regard 10 the theory o. radical pro
hibiilonisls. that high license legsliz : tho
sale q drisk. IL is mere iaoiishaess, The
common lsw, wbicb governs 10 the ab
seGce Of statute laws, aoes that. UaJer
The common las say person bss night 10
sell 70 Any other persau ~ any iime And
10 any quantity. Without any restraint
shatsrer. That its the starting poiai
uhere al restraining legislation must be
gin. Before any Law Of restraint can be
passed o. enforced The public must BE-
sdncstei. This il the work Of time. Now
The practical question Is. shall We wait
aalil the whole nation IL educated up TO
the poiBi Of absolute prohibition before
se have any restraint ss all : The thtd
party prohlbiiionisis take this ground
0iber good temperaboe men say no, We
will pass aud enforce prohibitory laws
where w can and where We cannot we
will pass high license laws which We think
are a great deal better than absolute free
don oi sale. Ia the mean time We will
go on educating the people 10 tho rish,
direction until prohibition is an seeem
plished fac, all over the country. TEN
perance legislation is matter that can be
much more easily managed by states and
perhaps counties and towns, than By the
nation. Even II Congress shonld pass a
probibitory law to apply to all the states
IL has no machinery to execute such a
law. Il can never be eifectuslly done In
that way. The evil Ia local and must be
dealt With locally.
In Vermont we have an iron clad pro
hibitory law. la many towns II stops the
sale, 10 many more towns il Restraints the
sale without absolutely stopping it and in
otter towns il Is disregarded and rum is
as free as ii would be with no
law at all, Attempts have been made to
enforce it in almost every town in the
state. Where public opinion, generally.
is strongly on the side OF its sale the at
tempts TO stop il have failed. A national
Law aud constitutional prohibition could
do no more than the Vermont law has
done Our experience shows that the on
ly practical way OF dealing with the evil
is by local enforcement, and local laws
are more effective for this purpose than
general laws, II a town should vote by a
large majority to have no liquor sold with
10 it's limits the local officers would be
quite likely to enforce the law against its
sale. The nearer the subject is brought
home to the people the more effective the
steps taken to suppress the sale. A local
option law is good one in this respect and
that is all our Vermont law amounts to in
practice, and it is all that any law can 10
in the present state of public sentiment.
We would not advise the repeal OF our
present law and We do advise its enforce
ment, but we think the policy of those
temperance people who will not take what
they can get because they cannot get all
they desire ia mistaken one.