Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1895-02-22
Daninabiei

that public burdens rest aiiKe OH
all, as they ought to, and that
none are privileged to violate
them. This is true in the main,
but there are some vicious excep-
tions. There are some laws !
which are operated in the inter-
ests of individuals. Instances
there are in which whatever the
theory of the law may be it
works immunity to some, de-
prives Others of natural benefits,
and compels some to work for
unjust results to Others. Where
prohibition excludes a portion OF
our citizens from benefits and
gives to the lawless monopoly
it is damnable. Take for in
stance the law prohibiting the
killing of deer. Our representa-
tive at the last session introduced
a bill providing a short open
season for a reasonable and re-
stricted privilege SO that each
citizen could in reasonable time
kill for consumption certain
number, so that the poor, indus
trious, law-abiding man could
lawfully put by little provision
for his family. The bill was
looked upon Immediately with
holy horror by the guardians of
our game. The killing of a deer
under any circumstances seemed
to be regarded as little less
than murder. Now we have the
following from our Lexington
correspondent, as published last
week:
We have been informed that parties
from New Hampshire have, at different
times come into this state, under cover o
darkness, and have gone back into oul
forests, following the logging roads W
the Willard stream and elsewhere, anC
hunted and killed our deer, when they
were to be found, and the next night re
turned home with their booty. We have
no doubt that many deer are killed il
this wav and believe if our laws could b.
amended so as to allow deer to be kille:
in this state during the months of DC
tober and November, there would be NJ
more deer killed, than under the presen
law, and law-abiding citizens could secur
some of the deer as we'll as outsiders, VIII
have no regard for our laws and ca
evade them with impunity.
From this item it seems tina
our Industrious hard workin!
citizens are compelled to keep ;
deer park for the breeding ant
raising of deer not only to suppl
lawless narauders from out tn
state, but also to crafty a ban
barous and reckless propensit
for mean, lawless, cruel, an
wasteful sport. We have prev,
ously alluded to this matter, an
now call attention to it becaus
of this striking illustration of tn
viciousness of this feature of Pre-
hibition. Suppose a law shcul
be passed providing that eac
citizen should be compelled t
keep a certain number of sheer
according to his means, orlando
possessions, founded on the n,
cessity of the general want {
such animals and to prevent the
becoming extinct! Suppose flu
Their that the owners of the lane
over which they roamed an
whose heritage they fed and ia
tened on was at no time permi
ted to slaughter one for his H.
cessitous family, what would
said concerning such a law! I
say that all men everywhe,
were prohibited by the law fro
slaughtering those sheep, tho
who did not contribute to the
support, and foreigners as we
does not answer the objection
1t is not the theory of the law s
much as what it results in tn;
makes it beneficial or unjust.
1t really results in our peor
keeping a sheepfold, and othe
who do not contribute to the
support are put in position
that they may ruthlessly slaugl
er them to the exclusion of the
keepers, the result of the la
is vicious beyond calculatio
Laws which invite monopol
induce defrauding the hone
poor for the benefit of undeser
ing classes, that offer a premiu
on perjury and impose penalti
tor veracity and virtue, la,
which restrain a reasonable u
OF those privileges and benef
winch God and nature has Gre
ted TOR the comfort and bene
OF mankind are not, and can n
from their nature, be wise, bel
hcent or just, but on the contra
they are blot and stain up
our boosted civilization,