Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1895-07-18
Case OF Mr.. Howe.

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Case OF Mr.. Howe.
B. g. Howe of st. .Johnsbury, pro-
prietor of the st. Johnsbury and Ave-
nue hotels, at the June term of the Cal
edonia county court, was fined 5000 and
sentenced to go days in the house of
correction for violation of the state
liquor law. a petition asking the gov
ernor to pardon Mr.. Howe has been
circulated and about l20 of the leading
business men of st. Johnsbury have
signed it. In addition a large number
of private letters have been sent to the
governor urging executive clemency in
the strongest terms. Even the man
who did the prosecuting has written
most remarkable letter He SAYS in
this letter as follows:
1st. 1t was l who entered the complaint
and drove the states attorney to prosecute
it, and furnished the evidence.
I'd. 1t came about in the heat OF fight
caused by combination of circumstances
over which afterwards found Mr.. Howe had
no control.
3d. From my standpoint Isalways thought
he kept respectable house. and was CON
servative in regard to the liquor traf1ic as
any man can be and keep a hotel in Vermont.
4th. Mr.. Howe was a progressive man and
took lively interest in St John sbury, was
public spirited and ever ready to risk his
property to forward her interests. retro
spective view after the battle makes us see
things as they are, not as we in agined them
to be. Seeing Mr.. Howe in his present posi-.
tion makes me hope and pray that you will
use your clemency and prerogative to restore
him to his family and friends.
Extracts from other letters are given.
Mr.. Howe is a man of strong mind and far
more than an average in good use of It, He
does not drink rum himself, does not smoke,
possesses good habits generally. is good
citizen. He supports, with generous hand,
all public matters that stand for good the
church, lecture course and public improve
ments. He is generous, open hearted gen.
tleman. He has reared and educated with
the assistance of his most estimable wife,
one of the bes. families in town. He has
been potent factor in the building up of our
town, always alert to it's interests not only in
constantly improving his own large real es-
tate, but always favoring projects that are of
common public benefit. He is second to the
Fairbanks company only in amount of real
e tate owned; second to no single individual.
No man outside the Fairbanks company has
equalled him as a public benefactor.
The same writer continues:
If a vote ofthe citizens of our town could
be had upon the Australian system as to a
pardon, sevenieig g1lths of our people would
v-ote..yes." The lawsare made by the -pee.
pie. They cannot fit exceptional cases, but
the people of community have the same
right to ask that an exception be made TO the
-zs4a4etion q pu1,is cases, and
as have said, in my opinion the people OF
st. Johnsbury, could they do it, would allow
Mr.. Howe to return to his family and the
town where he has been much of a factor
in righteousness.
Another man who as written let
ter says:
Personally l wish you could feel your way
clear to pardon him on the account of his
very nice family and his great business in
terests, which are interviewer 18th many OF
cur other business interests here. He GER
fainly must lose good deal of money, just
HoW, ny an dDseGce Ol W Gays. 4 Know you
vii! do all you can, without compromising
the laws and the dignity OF your Office, TO re-
lease lin.
These letters are written by infuen-
tial citizens of st. Johnsbury and vicin-
ity AID some of the authors at least are
believers in and SUPP orters of the pro-
hibition law.
Let us examine this case bit. Here
il very respectable man, as respect
ability goes. He is wealthy, has given
largely to the Interests of his town; yet
he has been convicted of violating a
statute that exists on the books and is
made more rigid by each succeeding
legislature. The people of st. Johns
bury support the law, in fact that town
has the reputation of being the most
rabid prohibition town in the state and
yet manifest, a lamentable sort Of
hypocrisy by asking the governor to
avert the legitimate and logical result
of their own policy. Why in the name
of justice and reason should an excep-
ton be made in Mr.. Howe's case? He
is a convicted violator of the laws of his
state, yet he is said to be wealthy
and philanthropic. No doubt some of
his money has been made by conduct
ing business in violation of law, and
yet because the citizens of ST. Johns
bury have been benefited by this
wealth, they ask that MIR. Howe be ex-
empt from the operation of the law. In
the attitude of violator of the law is
Mr.. Howe the superior of the poorest
citizen of the state? If an exception
is to be made in favor of the rich or of
hotel keepers had it not better be SO
stated in the statute? If the law is not
to be administered imrartially, ought
not law to be substituted that can be
so administered
Fire Waste in he United States.