Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-09-11
The Traffic Still With Us.

We have had experience enough in en-
forcing our vicious" law. Time and
again have the saloons been closed only
to reopen with greater boldness. The
clergy have preached, and our citizens
have worked. The character of the men
who have striven to enforce the law
makes it foolish to assume that in the
past all has not been done that men
could do to blot out the liquor traffic.
1t is still with us.
The writer wishes that bars might be
abolished, that men would use intoxi-
cants only at their tables, or as they en-
joy good cigars together, but while one
section of the people admits wine to its
tables, it is not fair for it to deny to an
other section its choice in modes of
drinking.
Aside from the ethics of the case we
are confronted by condition. The law
cannot be enforced except by spasms.
For proof we need but to consider the
course of its enforcement, here and else
where. Men as determined as any now
connected with this prohibition move
ment and equally conscientious have
tried and failed.
Regret it as we may, men by the tens
and hundreds, who are normally honest,
when subpened as witnesses, will per-
jure themselves to defend the rumseller
as they would not do to save a fortune.
The seller himself becomes utterly unre-
liable on the stand. Lawyers, whose
main dependence is upon liquor cases,
foster the traffic, and, in official posi-
tons sworn to enforce the law, they
sometimes profit by its non-enforce-
ment. Bennington county is not alone
in fc CHI ft1l raonrI Tn Moinn
sas, or wherever the blight of the pro-
hibition law has fallen, from the Judge
to the barroOm loafer, Generalization
extends.
A local option law will do this: 1t
will allow lovers of true temperance,
whether sellers or users, to take their
proper places as lovers of law. 1t will
thus differentiate between the legitimate
and illegitimate use of intoxicants; plac-
ing the stigma where it belongs, upon
excess.
With an added public sentiment be-
hind it, the law will approach complete
enforcement as does our law against
murder. In place of these dynamic at
tempts to overturn the world, a moder-
ate pressure can hold in check the evil
features of the traffic. 1t will bring to
us an income, not enough perhaps to
satisfy our expectations, but enough to
police our village, enforce the law, and
have something to spare. The rumsel-
Ter will not be blackmailed The buyer
will not feel constrained to perjure him
self. Fewer officials would be found
guilty of collision with crime, and the
actual license now paid will be received
by the town treasury, practically as paid
by the seller, not lessened by divisions
with informers or prosecutors, or by the
stealings of INSCRIPTIONS officials.
With our present law it is practicable
to lessen the evils now complained of by
insisting that the number of soloons be
materially lessened, that the average re-
spectabIlity of them be raised and that
our legal machinery be relieved of scan
dial which now discredits it,
To use the law to regulate rather than
prohibit is proper at this time, but to
expect that such a condition will last
would be unreasonable.
Let us do the best we can with the
law as it stands, but the duty of the pub
lie is to bear in mind the reverses of the
past, and to work for law which can
be enforced. Without fear of a denial,
it can be stated that our present law
encourages perjury, bribery and black
mail" WELLS VALENTINE.