The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1894-10-05
pected to be the chief feature of the message
and for which he has carefully and SYSTEM
aticay gathered material, he saws:

pected to be the chief feature of the message
and for which he has carefully and system
atically gathered material, he says:
Thereport of the officers of the House of Cor
rection show that the commitments to that insti'
tuition have increased from 1923 for the biennial
period ending 1884, to sos for the biennial period
ending 1894 In attempting to account for TINS
Increase of crime the supernt ndent OF inc
ment of the prohbitory law rs an important Gle
ment. In 1884 there was committed under inc
provisions of the liquor law 1872 while IN 1874
that number was swclled to 5l3. For larceny
and burglary he number of commitments mas
increased from 30 to GO. Trampng has Increased
however, from so to l45, while all other offences
have increased from GO to 30. While other crimes
were not substantially increasing considering
the disturbed state of the country and the large
number of men who were idle and tramplng, II
was apparent that something abnormal was at
work producing this increasing criminal p0pula
ton. The suggestion that the vigorous enforce
ment of law was the active element, caused me TO
make inquiries and institute investigation. me
statistics of the House of Correction further
show that two counties in the state furnish fifty
per cent of the prisoners three counties seventy
i've per cent; six counties eighty seven per cent
while the remaining eight counties furnish thir-
teen per cent. One quarter of the prisoners are
sentenced for less than one month, ana iVe-
Fights for less than three months. Fifty-seven
of the prisoners have been committed three
times TO the House of Correction; thirty eight
four times; eighteen five times; running along
to one who has been committed seventeen times:
In pursuing this investigation with view II
possible of ascertaining the condition of public
sentiment in the various towns in the state, and
the actual state of affairs as prominent people
understand ii in the different localities, pre-
pared one thousand circulars, mailing them
equally to prominent people in each town in the
state. have received replies from every town
in the state, and more than eight hundred IN
number in all. The replies received from thirty
two per cent of all the towns in the state are
unanimous that there is no liquor Illegally sold
in those towns.
The replies received from fifty, per cent. of al
the towns in the state are divided but careful
study of the replies would seem to indicate that
there was but very little If any, liquor Sold ana
in most cases they are mere conjectures 50 that
for the purpose of this discussion it Is not unfair
to add these to the first series or replies, making
eightytwo per cent. of the towns in the state
from which the liquor traffic has practically been
driven out. The replies received from eighteen
per cent of ali the towns in the state are unani-
nous that there is illegal liquor selling IN those
towns. A comparison of this eighteen per cent.
with the commitments to the House OF Correc-
ton show a very close family relation.
More than 100 in number of the replies ma
cate a favorable public sentiment to the support
of public officials in the enforcement OF the law,
while very few express an adverse pubic sehti-