Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-16

cants than any license law his been else
where. For this reason none or the many
attempts to repeal and weaken the law have
ever even approached success.
at Is Il pity that our state should have
paper, elsewhere considered respectable,
which does not hesitate to foul its own
nest in its bullheaded opposition to the law.
Its conduct, in this respect. Is dlsapproved
by manv even of the opponents of prohbi.
ton in Vermont; and while Its ISLANDERS of
the people Of Vermont and of the leading
citizens thereof cannot but hurt the State
when taken up and reproduced by the
journals of other states. here at home they
serve simply to strengthen the law in It's
hold on the statute book, and In the con.
fidence and support of our people."-[Bur-
lingtOn Free Press.
We reprint this editorial entire both be-
cause it touches live and important subject
in remarkable way and to further the In
terests of polite literature. The judgment
and temper shown are at least well matched,
and the methods are those common to the
contemporary. Whenever 1t has discussion
with any other paper it promptly begins to
msrepresent what its opponent saws and
abuse it. IL demonstrated with 1t talks about
having better use for its space than printing
what the other paper says. 1t has half
column for misrepresentation, but not an
luCu IcpIluIluSs huu luCu thO II lCC lCso
never fails to declare that any exposure Of
home crookedness 10 IAN attack on Vermont"
1t defends everything that exists and
every man in Office, no matter how much
rascalty may be involved, and seeks by
tactics unknown In the rest Of the news
paper world to work Its way out of the
strange positions it gets into. All this Is i'm
above 1t is speaking for the chief executive
of the state of Vermont. Right alongside in
the Free Press are printed some letters from
st. Johnsbury men to Gov. Woodbury.
without signatures) protesting against par
doning Howe. The whole thing is.of course
straight from Gov. Woodbury. himself.
The HERALD's statements are cOntradicted
here and there. In some of the instances the
nature Of the case is such that detailed proof
cannot be given on either side, and the public
must be left to judge. In other cases proof
can be had But when the Free Press talks
about the scarcity of rumsellers In the state
it perhaps falls into error by limiting too
sense q 'rumseller" Is simply the person who
actually sells rum with his own hands. In
| another 1t Is the person who owns the rum,
| also. In another 1t is also the person Who
profits from the selling, directly or Indirectly.
The Vermont law makes the owner OF a
BUILDING In which liquor is sold a rum.
seller. Now, 1t is likely enough that II
tuc CultOl VI tuC ELCC iCoo, hOuC-
diet, will look his possessions over he will
find that he is himself rumseller In the wide
sense plainly meant by the HERALD. Owner
ship of stock in almost any railroad makes
him one, as does ownership of land or any
thing else yielding revenue from the liquor
traffic. The HERALD meant just what 1t
said-not what the Free Press says 1t said
on this point, and the truth of its statements
will be readily admitted by any candid man.
But all this Is by the way. Let us take up
the real subject of the Free Press remarks
| Gov. Woodbury. as a rumseller. In the first
| place, 1t should be said that the HERALD
made no attack, and has no attack to make
on the governor for refusing to pardon Mr.
Howe. II the law Ia right his action was
right. The governor need not have defended
himself by printing the letters he does. The
HERALD took the Howe case up because II
| illustrated sharply the weakness of the pro.
htbitOry law. 1t was attacking the law and
| nothing else. 1t referred to Gov. Woodbury.
only incidentally, and certainly in a courteous
way. Here is, II we remember rightly, all
! that the HERALD has said touching the
governor in connection with the case except
| In the bare statement of facts:-
Suppose that the St. Johnsbury experience
| were repeated In other places all over tht
state-how would the house of correction
look! Who keep and own the hotels In Rut
land and Burlington and Bennington ant
Middlebury and Vergennes and st. Alban,
and Newport and Montpelier and Wood
stock and Brattleboro and so on. Rum il
sold in every one of them every day In thu
year and many times a day, and every keeper
and owner Is a rumseller in fact and unde
the law.
=
But II the law were actually enforced for
single week members Of the legislature woul,
tumble over each other In getting to Mont
pelier to repeal or modify 1t, in response to
call from the governor, given because Q
should this happen! Because half the prom
inent citizens Of the state would be In prison
Nearly every man In the state Of any mean
Is q rumseller, more or less directly, and
very large proportion Of them are guilty unde
our. law.
Gov. Woodbury. himself owns the Va
Ness house at Burlington and has owned 1t
building across the street, which contains
drug store. Nobody thinks the worse of hiI
for that-Of course nOt-and all over the stat
men highly esteemed and universally truste
have similar interests.
Now, we considered all that mere inc
dental reference to notorious facts to whic
Gov. Woodbury. could not possibly objec
The intimation is simply that liquor WI
sold in the Van Mes, house and perhaps In
I building across the way owned by Il
governor. There is nothing said by Ii
, Free Press about the drug store, but Go'
y Woodbury. takes what we said as II we ha
D accused him Of stealing sheep and comes
us with fiat contradiction and string
! peculiar left-handed compliments. II "
!, now state and prove the sundry facts In
$ reasonably plain and decisive way II
e governor cannot complain.
As Editor Greeley used to say, "More
I this In our next"
Fro n the Rutland Herald for August
o 1897 Article on which the suit was basc,
l. Gov. Woodbury. as a RumselIer-sou
Detailed Facts. :.
lhl "The assertion that the governor of We
}. mont is q rumseer and lawbreaker IL al
3 false and outrageous libel. Among the v
Il rious building owned by Gov. W oodbury
IS this city is hotel; but 1t has no bar. Lieu
Is is not sold in 1t, and never has been duri
le his ownership Of It. The governor has pol
le zeal and other opponents, who would
le very glad II they could have the hotel
10 owns prosecuted for violating the prohi
D. tory law. No such prosecution has Occurre
al because there has been no violation OF I
40 law "n which to base it, Burlington Fl
re Press.
IL Tue HERALD has In Its Office .three. bolt