Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-11-02
STAND FIRM.

ance question. There are always a
few and sometimes several quite able
men in the House or Senste that fa-
vor license, or some change in the
law. They may be sincere, or they
may be acting under bias, which is
a little irregularity on their own part,
or the direct influence of the rum
power.
The present law, doubtless, has
some defects in it, but its principles
are right. Al prohibitory law comes
nearer to- perfection than any tenn
perance law yet devised and it is
adapted to Vermont. While there
are some localities where it is not
thoroughly enforced, from the fault
of officers or lax public sentiment,
the condition Of affairs in those very
places is without doubt much better
than in any place where license ex-
lists. AS bad as it is in Rutland, for
instance, where daily paper which
ought to exert some influence, is
steadily opposing the law, the status,
in a temperance sense, is infinitely
better than in New York town,
where they are working under new
and good license system. If the very
few places, notably some Of the cities
and larger towns in the western part
of the State be excepted, the law is
fairly or well executed everywhere
else. There are no saloons, There are
no hotel bars, there are no corner
selling; there are no liquor signs on
buildings, and comparatively, there is
little liquor drinking. The law is not
invariably enforced, but it is SO feared
and obeyed that drinking is not seen;
drunkards do not reel about the
streets; the miseries of intemperance
are greatly lessened and the condi-
ton of things is such that the stranger
is surprised to find so much of sobri
ETY. in the State. The curse of the
saloon and the open drinking place
does not lead the youth into vice or
into the association of drinking men.
Women are not going about to hunt
down their husbands in low drinking
places. Public sentiment, while it
may be lax sometimes, is on the side
of prohibition, and we have no doubt
if the State should be canvassed on
the question that not one temperance
man in twenty, not one woman in
fifty, would wish to try a license, sys7
tenn.
Drinking men and those who would
like to realize a profit from the sale
of liquors have a great desire to see
LIQUOR drinking and liquor selling ex-
alted, if indeed, such a thing could be,
bya license law. Their opinions in
this matter are not worth consider
ing. That law will be most salutary
which most keep them from obtaining
liqurors and selling them.
Experience shows that, so far as
moral and public sentiment goes,
there are towns and places where the
people will not do their duty, and
hence that law which Furnishes the Of
fender hardest, partially enforced, is
better than the law that does away
with offense and punishment. The
liquor drinker deserves some SYM
pathy; the liquor seller deserves none,
and ought to be branded as a bad
man, an offender and curse.
Some oppose the present law be-
cause theresare violations. They are
not honest; they know that all laws
are violated; they know that thou
sand men are tempted to drink where
one is tempted to murder; that
hundred men are tempted to use
liquor where one is inclined to steal.
A large number of men, devoid of
principle and conscience, often lazy
and shiftless, will resort to liquor sell
ling, who would not care to run up
fense. Hence there are more viola
tions of the liquor law than of most
laws, and it is foolish to prate about
the breaking Of the temperance statu-
tes, claiming that they cannot be en-
forced. IF this is true partial en-
forcement, frequent or occasional
fines and imprisonments are useful in
Furnishing offenders, but are more ad-
vantageous in their influence over
wouldb be offenders. They punish
some, while they scare more. The
temperance battle is a hard one,
long one, but it must be waged.
Whatever a good, stringent law can
do, must be done; whatever agitation
moral and Christian suation can
accomplish must come about through
their influence.
We do not expect that the honorable
man IN the Vermont legislature Will