The Windham County reformer. (Battleboro, Vt.) 1876-1897, 1895-09-20
BELLOWS FALLS.


EDITOR OF REFORMER-
Sir.-The Deertleld Valley Times, in its issu
( of the 9Th makes a very bitter attack upon me il
commenting on my article in the REfoRMER
August Both, entitled 1The Coming Crisis IN ON
ards socailed editorial especially Objectionable
is not its sptcful tone, but its constant pcrver
sions of my statements In rely to him wrote
courteous letter asking nm to mGlnt pl' IN my
, This he refuses to do and very curly BUSINESSES
! the subject with these words: "1lavng no desire
to enter into hair-splitting discussion so long
as our correspondent does not deny our state
ments but confines himself to asking questions
we believe that our space can be used to a better
advantage than in going into further details
Indeed that seems to me just little like SHOW
ing the white feather" He says "Mr. smith
grossly ISLANDERS the many earnest men who
constitute the members of our churches, and al
fairminded people will resent the SANDER;
and when kindly ask him to point out tlat pOr-
ton of my article in which do this, he utterly
refuses to do 1t or to allow me space to make my
own explanations and defense of my statements
IL he had criticised in a fair and kindly way my
article as whole, should have found no taut
whatever; but when he makes me slanderer
of the churches resent the uncalled;for insult.
The attack upon me would not be worth noticing
If 1t did not point to a moral and was not most
fitting Illustration of nearly every point made
and this is my apology for noticing 1t at all. My
article was intended to be from first to last gen
eral in character and Tone and so far as illustra
tions were used they were not Intended by me
to refer to any particular church or local issues.
For example. what say in the first paragraph
about our leading men in business and political
| life, surely refers to no particular town or por
ton of the state, but to the leading men in bust
ness and political life throughout the whole
state. Now please notice carefully just what do
say: at Is also a sad fact that a urge per cent.
of our leading men in political and business life
are more or less addicted to bibulous habits"
refer especially to large per cent. of politi
clans, merchants, commercial travellers, agents
of various companies, &c, sc. Now 20 or 30
per cent. of these Tenh satisfy my statement.
"SOme of them" i. G., some of the 20 Or 30 per
cent "only drink occasionally or moderately;
but very few Of them are total abstaners even
If members of churches." Now this Is by no
means saying that "there are very few II any
leading men, even though church members, who
do not drink | say nothing of the kind, for |
do not for one moment believe it, The most that
can he made out of my language, is, that of the
number of our leading men in business and poHf- |
zeal Ire who belong to our churches, there are
very few total abstainers and think am cor. |
rect in saying So Total abstainers are not very |
plenty in the churches even; and certainly they |
are not very plenty among the htgh-bloods In |
political and business LIE who dre church mem
beers. Evidently the truth of my first point, that |
fully one.half of our voting population imbibe |
intoNicants more or less, +" is taking effect. IL Is
the truth that cuts. don't know how many men
have said TO me that this was very guarded |
statement. Stating the truth is not SANDER even
if it does strike home Many of our church
members drink cider more or less, and they hurt
their influence for temperance in doing So |
could not ask for a better illustration of the sec.
August 30th, than lind in Mr.. Packards utter
ances and conduct. | spoke of the treachery of
so called" temperance people to their own pro
fessed principles. This he also rcscnts; Int
notice; am not speaking OF temperance people
as whole. ] am speaking of class Ct them
the "so.called" temperance people. Notice again
that do not speak of all of this class, but "of
very large per cent" of them. referred to
that class of temperance people who stand ON
the street corners and laugh and chrckle at the
antics of thirsty, bowling, hoodlum, prohibi-
uH a n pnt
throwing snowballs, halt drunk on poor lager ,
md rotgut whiskcy, when there Is AN honest, ,
sod fearing efort made TO enforce the prohibit
Dry law. ! made no allusion not even by Il
single word. (and that did not point 10 this town.
o any particular person or town. Mr.. Packard .
Violently thinks that intended to give the pro I,
,rletor OF our drug store and his society a ]
'ruel stab. deny it, My language applies to !
he churches generally through the state, of all :
Ny statement certainly hits :
Since the editor Of "The Times" has, With his \
,wn hands. dug up 4 past local issue that | \
bought was dead and buried, and meanly tries i.
o make me responsible for his grnnng skec- /
on, will just say this: SO far as the manage
lent of our drug store here is concerned, ii is
II that ] could ask for, and has been since last
larch. The proprietor has my respect, my h
and my good wishes AS consistent, Y
man and prohibitionist. give him !.
ny right hand. and with il the heart of a Chris
an brother. 1t is Packard who has now gone a
stray, and he must, If possible, bL brought back a
, the paths of rirtao and truth. And yet my
cal contention is not "M men, but for priHcipieS -
never for II moment intended to he even I'M
md, much less reyengetul but now we are at
the truth of the matter must be spoken, even
the Heavens fall The Amusement of the
ling is that Editor Packard should lind fault
18th me about my understandable methods. us
e calls them, and then turn square about and
'ncify his own profcssed Christian principles I
IA fierce attack upon me, ending with q dirty
ing. His course in this respect reminds me OF
story \ colOred preacher was accused by
me white nelghbors, to the deacons OF his
llrch, of stealing their chickens The old pas.
r was very autocratic gentleman, and the
sacons feared to tackle him; but finally, after
any complaints had been made, they concluded
at they must do it. deacons' meeting was
He'd, and the honored pastor confronted with
e charges. lie arose with the majesty OF an L
nperor and delivered the following speech |,
Ny dear beloved bredderen, de Lords work
n on our hans. Poor sinners am pcrishin' in
II sins, an we mus he workin' in our blessed
as'rs VINEYARD. You, my dear hredderen,
ghtcr not he gon rOun' 'uuirin' inter de pri.
wild yC 10 more, an we mus not. in my las
Us, git dis ere church inter divided state.
III, my long.tried brcdderCn, must member
t yer poor ole pastor am called mo- specially
do DE preachin', while you ann called mo-
lectalIy to do lie practisin'." The speech had
electrical effect upon the advisory board
logic was irresistible. The head deacon At
ce moved to lay the charges on the table and
joHrn the meeting sine die. The motion was
rricd without dissent, ami the poor old pastor,
til his battered white hat in one hand and his
ne in the other, strobe from the ROOM laugh.
in his sleeves that he could now go on his
" rejoicing; and that when the annual camp
etng came round, or a neighboring pastor
ne to his humble cot for entertainment, he
: at perfect liberty to take few chickens
m his white neighbors as the cNigency of each
W might arise. lie would do the preach.
{. and his dear bretheren might do the pfuc-
ing ] hope Brother Packard will see the
mt, and make the proper application. Next
elk, If space in The REFoRMER allows me- |
still further illustrate our subject, ''The
ming Crisis In Our Prohibtory Law"
a, A. SMITH.