The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-04-25
CORRESPONDENCE.
ENFORCE the Law.

For the Bennington Banner II am
surprised to note the disposition in our
public prints to go on record as sympa-
tbIzing with the violators Of our laws,
and practically to say, that, because a
law is distasteful Especially to is viola
tors therefore it should not be enforced,
1t may be, and is, debatable question
whether prohibition or high license is
most in the interest of temperance, but
it should not be a debatable question
whether the law as it IS should be en-
forced. II our prohibitory law is wrong,
enforce il, and make it 40 odious as to
cause its repeal, but. while it is a law, il
should be Obeyed. / am among those
who are perfectly willing to go on record
as believing that we would be better
without hotels, than with those whose
principal business If, to sell rum to our
townsmen.
The cry that liquors must be kept for
guests, is fraud, and our hotel keepers
know it. 1t is the patronage of the bar
by our citizens that they want, rather
than to be able to satisfy the modest de
mands of the travelling public. Good
food, good rooms, and good bed, are
enough for the average traveller, and,
where these are found, have yet to
learn of complaints because there IS not a
public bar. On the contrary, complaints
have been constantly made against our
hotels, by travellers, on account Of too
free flow of whiskey.
Business men travel, but business
men very rarely patronize the saloon, by
whatever name known.
In our village, but one, or at most, two
GOOD hpfnto ra h.. annnnrfaH hxr lar,ffs
mate hotel business, but, instead of that,
the cry ia, for four or more places where
rum can be had, under the name of
patronage of the hotels. The state of
affairs which has existed in our town, in
this particular, is simply disgrace to
US, and disreputable to our hotel keep
ers, and all good citizens should rejoice
and be glad that there seems to be be.
ginning of the end of it.
For a quarter Of century, or more,
Lewis Cady, of the olden time, kept the
Stark House, on strickIy temperance
principles, and prospered, az none of his
successors have prOspered, under the
bar necessity rule. A similar house can
be kept today, and prosper. The moral
influence of the late Landlord Lewis
Cady, the irreproachakle character Of
his hotel, and its business success from
legitimate hotel patronage, is in strong
contrast with the moral influence which
has since gone forth from the hotels
whose doors are now barred against the
public, because, forsooth, they cannot
sell rum and violate statute law with
IMMUNITY.
repeat, this is not question of the
best law, but of The enforcement of the
law, considered by our Legislators as
the best.
1t our hotel proprietors do not fancy
the business, or the law, let them retire
to more congenisl pursui s, or go where
laws are more to their liking. No one
asks them to pursue business at a loss
and no one ought to ask them TO stay in
town to Get an example of law breaking
But. as they have chosen to stay here,
and have deliberately taken the risk of
violating the laws of Vermont, even at
ter the experience of fine and threats ned
imp isonment, let them take the conse-
quences like men and not go about seek
ing sympathy, and, as they express it,
endeavurIng to manufacture public
opinion. They cannot even plead in ex-
tenuation of the offence, that they have
not been notified, and warned, and ex-
postulated with.
No, citizans of Bennington, who take
pride in its good name, let us not coun-
tenance compromise for the sake of liq
uor selling hotels, let us not assent to
law breaking as reward for opening
their doors, but rather let us go without
hotel for a season, as we may be sure
that, when 1t is st tiled that an open bar
is not to be allowed, that our laws must
be respect d. that temptation shall not
be set before our your g men in supposed
respectable place., that our officers of
the law will be sustained in the dis
charge of their duty, then, and not till
then, shall we have hotels which will be
run on the basis OF doing a legitimate
hotel business, and be credit, instead
of di-grace to our town.
A. B. VALENTINE.