The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1888-11-07
The Pitkin High License Bill.

We publish elsewhere the leading
features of house bill PIG, introduced
by Mr.. Pitkin of Montpelier and emit
tied I" An act authorizing licenses for
the sale of Intoxicating liquors in towns
voting to grant them" The bill is
supplementary to the existing prohib-
tory law. 1t does not repeal that
measure. 1t attaches to it local OPP
ton provision. 1t authorizes licenses,
hedged about by very stringent and
salutary guards and restrictions, in
towns majority of whose citizens have
voted for such authorization. Its terms
are general, but it is designed to rem
edy an acknowledged weakness in ex-
listing law in the larger and more pop
ulous towns and villages. In their mes
sages for the last two biennial terms
the chief executives have called public
attention to the failure of the law, after
more than thirty years of legislation to
prohibit the sale of intoxicating liquors,
to accomplish its purpose. That it has
had the effect to prevent or restrict the
sale of liquor outside of the large COM
munities is undoubtedly true. 1t may
also be found to be true that prevention
or restriction of sale in the smaller or
rural communities,-in many of which
no law at all may have been needed
has been accomplished at the expense
of the centers of business and popula-
ton, where circumstances favor eva
sion or violation of law in general and
the liquor law in particular. Governor
Ormsbee said to the general assembly
two years ago that I" it is an open Sc
cret that the laws of the state on this
subject are in many places openly vio-
lated and flagrantly disregarded," and
plainly intimated that it was his belief
that a stringent license law, amenda-
tory of the existing statute, would more
effectually reach the end desired by all
the friends of temperance. In respect
of the execution of the present law,
Governor Dillingham; says: "The main
difficulties are encountered in the more
populous villages where greater secrecy
can be observed"
The Pitkin bill aims to remedy the
defects pointed out by both Governor
Ormsbee and Governor Dillingham; and
of the existence of which every intelli-
gent observing person is only too well
aware. Its provisions are framed en-
tirely in the interest of society and the
effective suppression of an illegal and
demoralizing traffic. The means this
bill provides to accomplish a purpose
which third of century of strictly
prohibitory legislation has not only
failed to accomplish but has made, by
the confessions of the highest execu-
tive authority in the state, no appre-
ciable progress towards accomplish
ment, are of the most stringent char
acter and those which have been en-
ployed with a marked degree of success
in other states.
1t is not proposed to force the new
measure on any community, but if a
majority of the legal voters, on care
full canvass of the whole matter, con-
cludes that the cause of temperance
can be best served under the rigid pro-
visions of this bill, it gives that COM
munity an opportunity to test the
matter by trial. 1t proposes for the
regulation of the liquor traffic means
similar to those which larger COM
munities are allowed to adopt for the
more successful management of their
municipal affairs. Places like Burling-
ton, Rutland, Montpelier, etc., could
not be we'll governed and persons and
property protected by board of select