Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1888-11-16

SuCh offences are offences against me COM
munity, and should ne treated from the
very start as suCd. ana not as wrongs
against the Individual
HIGH LICENSE BILL.
The joint special temperance committee
gave full hearing Friday night on the
high license act introduced by M. Pjtkin
OF Montpelier. The gentleman who pre-
scented the bill stated briefly the character
! of the measure and added that it bad been
| prepared by Meaers. Clarence II. pitkln
| and John II. Senter OF the Washington
| county bar, that those gentlemen were
present and would explain the provisions
| of the act MIR Clarence Pitkiu stated
! that the bill embodied he best features OF
| laws of Connecticut and Massachusetts,
| upon the same subject. That 1t was not
| Intended to do away with or take the place
! 1.-THE present prohibitory law of Vermont
! but to be supplemental thereof. The meas
IRE was not a general high license law,
| pat rather local option act to be applied
rs towns might vote to adopt 1t. The pro-
! visions of the bill embraced among other
features a bond ot $1,000 to he gwen by the
! lceIsee, making him responsible under
the civil damage act. Mr. Senter couSld-
cred that the passage OF such measure
/ would diminish the sale OF intoxicating
liquors, and regulate in proper channels
the sales of the same that were made
! Ii would restrain the lndiScrlminate deal
ing in it. The present law was not
enforced, nor could it be to the
| extent desired This measure was not one
IN the interest OF rum" or rumselers, but
was III the line OF temperance. II would
, restrain where the present law was in
effective; where the law was enforced this
lazy would not make it less effective.
| Public sentiment would enforce tho pro
visions Of tins law, and the result would be
that less liquor would be- sold, and that
would be Of better quality. 1t would take
The traffic out of the hands of the ire
sponsible men at present engaged in It,,
and place it in the hands OF a reputable
and respous bic class of men. The short
cOmings of the present system were re-
ferred 10, and the failure of justice, par
tlcularly in the larger towns OF the state.
Mr.. Furman, the member from Swanton.
also spoke in favor of the passage of he
bill.
In opposition appeared John Young, esq,
Newport, w. H. :. Whitcomb, esq. of
Burlington and Chaplain Pierce of the
Senate.
Mr.. Whitcomb said he appeared by re-
quest of the Good Tempars OF Vermont,
an organization of 1900 members in this
State, who were opposed to any form OF
high license. In states where the license
system prevailed there was more crime, as
statistics showed, than in States where
; prohi bltory laws were in force: he illus
trated this by the statistics of Burlington
Iowa, and Burlington, Vt, two places OF
about the same population. one license
town, the other prohibition town. The
crimiDa! record was much greater in the
former than in the latter. Nh. Whitcomt
presented other forcible arguments in
favor OF the prohibtory system.
Mr.. Young spoke in opposition to the
license system generally. The only etfec
tual way to restrain the traffic
was by prohibition it could never
be done by legalizing it. The
0l i'm
lutely stop the traffic was poor arRu
ment. 1t certainly lessened the sale OF in
toXicatlng liquors, while license would
as surely increase it, and would b. a prac
teal repeal of the present law as wei
, repeal the law against stealing because il
: did not entirely prevent stealing.
Chaplain Pierce made an earnest appeal
He Gaid the present law had tended t.
create healthy public sentiment in re
gard to the open use of irtoXicants PEG
pie were beginning to regard it as disre
putabe. TO allow licensed selling woulc
: be to them open the doors OF the saloons
and popularize public drinking. The in
, tluence upon the young would be especial
( Is bad instead OF feeling as now thai
drinking was wrong they would grow u
with the idea that it was quite proper.
He thought prevention better Than cure
II we can prevent our young men from
! using liquors il was far better than to tr.
to redeem them after they had acquired
lDe DaDit Oh uTluklUS.
Quite a large attendance was present
!. The measure will receive the careful at
tention Of Chairman FISK of LamOlll
4 county and his associates {; Senator Fisl
is consistent temperance man.
: COUNTY CLERK SALARY BILL IN TIE HOUSE
Among the bills introduced in the Hous
was H. 33S, by Mr.. Eldredge, Middlebury
- making the salary OF county clerks a
follows; Addison, $1,000; Bennington
$500; Chittenden, $500; Caledonia. $500
Essex, $500 Franklin $500; Grand Isle
500 Lamoiile, $1,000 Orange, $500; Oh
leans $500 Rutland, 5000; Washington
$1,000; Windham, $500; Windsor, $l5Ot
The bill is to take effect December /, 1855
1T was referred to the committee on Stat
= and court expenses.
p Other bills introduced were: II. 800 b
= MIR. EldredRe Of chang ng the time {
~ holding Addison County Court from tn
: second to the first Tuesday in December
II II, 3i4 by Mr.. Hanchet OF Bristol, in relt
G tlon TO Bookkeeping II. BAG by Mr.. Coco
. willie of Vernon, to shorten school hour
of children from five TO eight years old t
; three hours a day II. 34S by Mr. Stone c
l. Worcester, providing for an inspector c
n rifle practice, one of the governors sta
IS to be the same; II. $40 by Mr.. Worthen O
a Barre, to amend the Act incorporating {
" Barre II. 1853, by Mr.. Dow OF Enosburgt
% to enable that town to issue bonds to fun
u its indebtedness; H. $50 by Mr.. Shattuc
: of Bridgewater to exempt from taXatio
n the "beIterments" on farms for five year,
~ II. $780, by Mr.. Eldredge to increase I'll
D governors salary to $500 a year; II. 36
by Mr. Sho!es OF Orwell TO increase tim
L in which taxes may be collected from thre
y TO six years.
le Bills Killed-H. 9S, relating to fence
and fence viewers II. 60, relating to tt
destruction of noXious weeds II. 236, fC
the protection of persons and property
y II. 1850, to pay certain soldiers seven do
s. lars per month II. 26S, to incorporat
e. Wells River savings bank.
r. Bills Passed-H. go, to incorporate tn
~ Barre Congregational society; Fl. BOG,
le incorporate Barre Aqueduct company I
r. 29I, toiucorporate the South Newfane cen
A etary association II. 3l4, to incorpora
&, West Derby Free Baptist church; II. 81
Ii authorizing the sale of Union churC
i. in Berkshire; II. 213, incorporating We
- mont Conference seminary; 5. As, in az
-, dit on to the charter of Woodstock.
4. Ordered TO iieH. 2j3, relating to liel
~ on logs.
IN SENATE PROCEEDINGS.
IS In the Senate bills We're introduced al
~ referred as follows; BY Senator Taft, pr