Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-09-25

as fill all of Gods revealed Will from
Genesis to Revelation, how is 1t that
Christian men Il never heard Womanl
will favor high license laws for one form
of sin any more than another.
There seems to be feeling OF help,
lessness on the part Of many OF our good
people. The whiskey trusts and organ
lied rum interests everywhere seem too
strong to be overcome by anything hui
man. This may be so and 1T may not.
Human ingenuity has concocted the
whole scheme and we have no right to
say the same power may not destroy IT..
God will not see us fail if we attack it in
His name as relentlessly as He has
cursed it.
want to call the attention of the pub
lie who are considering now What are
you going to do about it?' to one ele-
ment in Gods system of law and penal
ty. There is but one ofenSe and one
penalto, not first, second, third, ETC.,
with graduated scale of penalties.
How is it; have we improved,on the Di-
vine plan?
There is possible remoteness in the
execution of the Divine penalty, as it
comes in its complete force after death,
that tempt men to break the law, and
repent possibly, before death, and thus
get out of the penalty, which l suppose
has led legislators to undertake to make
the sway of the transgressor hard" by
restraining them in this world. If God
has Judged it wise and best to inflict the
extreme penalty for first offense, why do
zoe not do it?
If we have any right to restrain men
by force from doing evil, then response
bility for the spread of crime rests on us
who make the penalties and execute
them.
The only places on earth that 1 ever
heard of where the saloon has never Sc
cured place, are Greeley, Col, Harri-
man, Tenn, and such towns, have made
it part of their law that any real es-
tate on which intoxicants should be
dealt in should be forfeited to the town.
Make that the law in our State and
would we have any more saloons than
we how have breweries and distilleries?
Did you ever think why it is the latter
establishments are entirely lacking in
our blessed little State? Just consider
the two; saloon, brewery. Why does
Vermont have the one and not the other?
Business men do not need to be told.
Capital will never be put into real es-
tate that is liable to confiscation.
Men rarely go into anything criminal
where the States prison awaits them.
Fellow citizens, Vermont does not want
more law, but more the quality of Di-
vine justice, ertreme penalty.
You, Reverend Brethren of Benning-
ton, preach crusade of adequate pen
atty; and invoke the mighty influence of
God to arouse lively sense of RESPONSE
billy on the part of our legislature
elect that they may add to the penalty
for rumselling, so there will need be but
one conviction, to put the convict and
his premises to public use.
This matter is of pressing Importance.
Now is the accepted time to work as
well as to repent. What we do must be
done quickly. If our Legislature is to
be reached in the coming session, the
determined mel of our State must move
now.
If we do not succeed in getting an ex-
treme penalty now, we will continue the
agitation until the next election.
We know God never relaXes his claims
on us. We have no right to relax our
efforts in His service.
Yours for extreme penalty,
L. w. COLE.