Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1895-02-08
"some Pointed Questions

some Polnted questions
An article in last weeks issue of the
Reformer under the above head, signed
c. A. Thomas, stranger in Bennington,
seems to call for more than q passing no.
tice.
1t is not often that a town is so favor
ed as t. have a stranger devote four
whole weeks of his valuable time, day
and night, to canvass it's different locali-
ties to determine the number of Ere
sorts within its limits.
Stranger says Having noticed in
the columnf of the local press the past
few weeks several articles intending to
uphold the socalled Law and Order
League, and nOticeably one signed An
other Woman and having listened to
the denunciatiOns of our ministers on
several Sunday evenings, | would like to
make plain statement of facts as they
have come under my observation since
have been in your midst. Now about
! the statement of Another Woman,
| think it is misleading as regards the
! number of places of resort in your thriv-
ing and beautiful town. | have canvass
ed the town day and night the past four
weeks, and if there are such a number as
| she says, they must be underground:
and as for drunkenness, have seen but
one or two under the influence of inCox-
icating liquor"
Now Stranger comes boldly forward
and says, II would dare wager" here
he gives his opinion as to the present
status of Another Woman" and the
reason why it is so. Not knowing who
Another Woman" is, | can give no
guess whether or not the writer is cor
rect in his premises. "In regard to oar
ministers, whose cOnsciences are so ten
der about law breaking rumsellers' and
who in thunder tones denounce from
their pulpits the guardians of the law
for their neglect in regard to enforcing
the special law In their vicinity, l would
ask them: Why do you not denounce
those parties who are day after day, week
after week, and year after year, breaking
the law by compelling their employees to
work eleven, twelve and even thirteen
hours day, Notwithstanding there is a
law on our statute books which says ten
hours shall constitute a days work."
Now, did Stranger ever find anything
on our statute book prohibiting man
from working over time? or prohibiting
an employer from hiring an employee to
work eleven, twelve or even thirteen
hours in a day, provided the parties
agree upon the amount of wages to be
paid? TO be sure ten hours constitute a
legal day, but if the laborer is willing to
work three-tenths of day over time,
and the employer wants his work and is
willing to pay for it, wherein is the law
broken?
Now, we are very glad of the informa.
ton Stranger has given us as the result
of his day and night canvass, and it is
presumable that his report is correct
from his standpoint, but it seems to one
unsOphistiCated in the sciene of canvass.
ing a town for such purpose as being
very much like what we should naturally
expect from any other day and night can
vasser for local dives in our village, and
probably he is not unlike others of his
class, insomuch that by the time he gets
| fairly at work canvassing, morning or
evening, he has become so tired as not
II be a proper judge as to the number of
resorts, or the number of persO"s he saw
under the influence of Intoxicating liz
uOrs, but knowing for fact that one
such unfortunate is near by, and should
he chance to see tn reflection of his own
face in the bottom of a tumbler he would
imagine he had discovered another, and
this would account for the only one or
two he had found in all this four weeks
day and night canvass.
Now, it would be interesting to know
ations of our ministers on several Sun
! day evenings He says: More than
all this, it has been intimated TO me, and
| by persons who know whereof they
| SPEAK, llldI IL CGl Illu dCllNC duu plOlhl-
nent member of the League rents one of
his houses to parties who use it for pur-
rose more immoral than selling rum,
and far more deg aiding. Again 1 ask:
Why is not that man brought before the
public and denounced from the pulpit?
Is it because a disorderly house is of less
consequence than saloon? Or is it be-
cause the owner has "A pull with the
ministers and the League?"
In this last startling announcement of
Strangers have we not found the key to
the house where he spent his several
Sunday evenings, and where he heard
the denunciations of our ministers
spoken of? for in such house ministers
would be very likely to be denounced
We notice this Stranger claims part
ownership in those who are set as watch
men over good people, for he always re-
fers to them as "our ministers" We
are always glad to have all strangers who
come among us listen to the vigorous and
forcible utterances of our preachers, in
the hope of their being profted thereby,
| hut yUhpn rhev come among us as sDieS