The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-02-27

ago. His visit to General Harrison,
his evident desire for secrecy after ar
rival here and the published report
that he had been offered the portfolio
mentioned, are all considered as proof
that he has accepted.-Ne,C York Dis
patch to Boston Herald.
KEEP it before the people-Q) That
high-license laws do not give rest to
the friends of personal liberty nor quiet
the prohibitionists per Sc. (2) That
they are simply the forerunners of pro-
hibition, as can be seen now in Penn
sylvania, Massachusetts, Nebraska and
other states. (3) That it is folly for
the friends of personal liberty to try to
save themselves from prohibition by
advocating high license. (4) That the
recent votes in the legislatures of
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,, New
York, Nebraska and other states show
that the republicans, with few excep-
tons, are for prohibition, and the
democrats, with few exceptions, are
against prohibition. 90 That the pro.
hibitionists per Sc do not pass the pro-
hibitory laws, but the members of the
two political parties. (6) That all this
prohibition trouble is the work of the
political parties, and that, therefore,
the friends of personal liberty must
treat prohibition as, what it really is,
mere political question. ~ That po-
litical questions are decided at the
polls, and that if the friends of per-
sonal liberty earnestly desire to kill
prohibition they must unite and vote
for that political party that is nearest
to them, and defeat that political party
which advocates and makes prohibitory
laws.-WaSbington Sentinel (Bre,ser's
Orgdn).
THE liquor question will burn so
long as there are great wrongs occa-
stoned by the sale or use of liquor. AS
things are, the largest part of all the
crime, poverty, lunacy and anarchy
that trouble the country for their cure
or suppression is found in close connec-
ton with the use or sale of intoxicants.
Some thirteen thousand kegs of beer
were consumed at one memorable gath
ering of the anarchists of Chicago, and
soon afterward there was an explosion
of bombs. There is not a group or
assembly of anarchists or extreme social
lists in America that does not soak its
silly and dangerous resolutions in beer.
Nor is there single revolutionary or
communistic assembly of total abstain
ers. The connection between prostitu-
ton and drukenness is intimate. There
is not a brothel conducted on total
abstinence principles in the world.
1t may not follow from these facts
that prohibition would insure a mil
lennial era to society, or even that
it would reduce the evils following
the use of intoXicants to a minimum
degree. 1t certainly does not follow
that the prohibitionists are empowered
TO Ideal damnation round the land
on each they judge their foe." But
neither does it follow that because the
prohibitionists have rushed into one
extreme it therefore is wise for the
Personal Rights League to hasten into
ano ther.-Chicago Inter- Ocean (Repub-
hcan).
THE value of high license as a means
of restricting the evils of the liquor
traffic has been repeatedly proven by
statistics, but it is not often that the
proof is so complete, concise and con-
vincing as the following statement from
the Philadelphia Ledger concerning the
workings of the Brooks high-lcense
law in that city: Not only has the op-
Grafton OF the law, as administered by
our license court, reduced the number
of drinking places from about 5000 to
BAT, but it has already, in its exist
ence OF seven months, from June | g.
1888, to January |, 1889, decreased (ac-
cording to published statistics) the com
mitments to the county prison by
6,46S, as compared with the same
months in the preceding year; decreased
the commitments for drunkenness by
$3.50, reduced the number of commit
ments for Sunday drunkenness from
S65 to 246 and reduced the commit
ments of women for drunkenness for
the same period from SO to 81. Much
of this is due doubtless to the care ard
good sense displayed by the court in
granting licenses, and if the law has
not worked equally well all over the
state it is because public opinion h as
not been strong enough or alert enough
to secure the proper persons as license
judges. But in localities where that
has happened it certainly can not be
reasonably expected that public opin-
ion will be strong enough to enforce
prohibition, and a prohibitive law in
such places is certain to be little more
than farce. In the nature of things,
in such city as Philadelphia prohi-
bition can not hope to be as effective
as is the Brooks law under the present
administration. 1t looks very much as
if the people who are urging prohibi-
ton in Pennsylvania do not know a
good thing when they have it.-Clere-
land Leader (Repubicon).
THE liquor traffic, broadly Defined is
the business of making and selling dis
titled and fermented liquors. Prohibit
ton does not usually cover all phases
of the liquor traffic. There are proper
uses for alcohol and wines and perhaps
few other liquors. Alcohol is used
extensively for medical, art, scientific
and industrial purposes. Wines are
used in sickness and in the sacrament
of the Lords Supper. With these ex-
ceptions, some of which are necessary
and all are allowable, state prohibition
forbids all manufacture and sale of all
distilled and fermented liquors. The
liuuOr traffic &c pondan,na6 10 tho