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

lager beer which the purchasers
say they bought within a week In the Van
Ness house in the ordinary way and without
the smallest difficulty. 1t has also one bottle
bought at Lyman Il Halls drug store. In the
building owned by Gov. Woodbury., within
q week. The purchasers of the liquor In the
hotel have signed written statements OF the
facts which the HERALD has. With the
names, room numbers, etc., left blank, mere
they are:-
"RUTLAND, VT, Aug. 2, 1895.
ITO the Editor of The Herald:-
~ was In Burlington. VT, yesterday and
registered at the Van Ness house. where l
took supper last night and breakfast this
morning.
"At 10 80 last night went to my room
No. blank-and ordered drink of whisky
to be sent up. The hotel porter, who took
the order. said that it was getting rather late.
but he said that he could get bottle OF Bass
ale for me. preferred whiskey and he went
down stairs and was gone about 10 minutes.
He returned with small bottle of whiskey
and some Ice water. He charged me % cents
for the whiskey, which l paid him on the
spot. drank a portion of the liquor and the
rest is in the bottle which accompanies this
communication. "Yours truly,
"BLANK DASH"
"RUTLAND, VT, Aug. b, 1895.
" To the Editor of the Herdld:-
~ went to Burlington Saturday forenoon,
August 3, and registered at the Van Ness
house. was given room dash.
Before dinner rang the bell, and when
the boy came told him that l wanted some
liquor. He asked what kind, and finally
told him pint of whiskey and al pint OF
beer. He went away and In a little time
came back with the liquor as ordered. l
paid him $1.25 for it. drank q part of the
contents of both bottles, and hand the bottles
with the remainder to you herewith.
BLANK BLANK"
"RUTLAND, VT, Aug. 5, 1895.
II, Dash Dash of Blankville, went to Bur-
lngton. VT, Saturday, Aug. 3. 1895. went
to the Van Ness house and called for room
and was assigned to room No. dash. Sun
day morning | asked the bell boy for some
whiskey, gave him 81, and within few
minutes the bell boy returned with bottle
of whiskey. l paid him IS cents for same.
No questions were asked by the bell boy.
These statements, with the signatures and
he bottles, are ready for inspection by Gov.
Woodbury. himself or by any man he may
send to the HERALD office for the purpose.
The witnesses are unimpeachable. Gov.
Woodbury. doubtless knows some of them
word of any one of them. And the HERALD
has within reach more evidence of the same
sort.
1t is perfectly true, as the HERALD under
stands, that the Van Ness house has no bar,
and for long time has been without one.
1t is also true that there is no law against
keeping a bar The law is against selling
rum. And the Van Ness house has sold rum,
straight along. Apart from a bar 1t has sold
it precisely as hotels all over the world sell
it; sent 1t to guests at their rooms and served
it to them at the public tables. 1t has done
this straight along, day after day, and days
and nights and Sundays-it Willie noted that
one of the purchases described above was
made Sunday-and week after week and
year after year. There has, to be sure been
some hOcus pOcus and beating the devil
around the stump in the business, but
nothing has interfered with the regular
and prompt service of rum 10 guests of the
Van Ness house, as guests of hotels are
served everywhere. Because Of the peculiar
law of the state not every man who knows
the fact cares to make statement in public,
hut mountains of evidence can be procured
ii 1t is wanted. Hundreds Of men are In
position to swear to the fact. 1t is matter
Of common n0toriety. There Is not single
man connected with the Free Press who
does not know all about 1t.
In fact the selling there has been more
notorious and made more talk than In any
other hotel In Vermont because OF the
abroad that Mr.. Woodbury. feared that the
existence of bar might somehow harm him
politically. We believe that the Van Ness
house is alone among the larger hotels of the
state in being entirely without bar, but
nobody with the smallest knowledge of such
matters need be told that 1t could not pos
sibly be run successfully without providing
H.. in
The Van Ness and American houses In
Burlington were rivals years ago. with Mr..
Woodbury. owning and running the former
and l.. s. Drew leasing and running the
other. MIR. Woodbury. bought The American
house lease, Mr.. Drew went into business
with him and for time the two houses were
run together. The American house. was
uses, while the Van Ness house went on.
Mr.. W Odbury. if we are rightly informed,
was never the active man Of details In rum
ming the Van Ness house. as there has always
been partner or salaried manager to take
that work, but he has all along been the sub.
stantial landlord back of everything as well
as the owner of the building. 1t Is hardly
necessary to say that the sale OF liquor BY hl.
agents and employees Is selling by him. That
is true in reason, and the statute specifically
makes it true in law. The law also makes
the owner Of building in which liquor is
sold liable as seller.
Across the street from the Van Ness house
is Lyman 4 Halls drug store, In building
owned by Gov. Woodbury.. The HERALD un'
derstands that 1t Is at times in effect wide
open saloon, while at other times liquor sell
ing is 'stopped" there, by which 1t Is under
stood that the selling to strangers Is stopped
1t Is notorious rum hole. Burlington peo
ple now say that "the Van Ness house bar Ii
in there" meaning that the hotel gets it,
liquor there.
We had no disposition to crticise Gov
Woodbury. simply because of any liquor sell
ing he had been concerned In, but in tryins
to show some of the weaknesses of the pro
hibitory law we incidentally referred to hi
case. We were led to make the reference
especially by the curious parallel that ap
peared between his case and that Of Mr.. How
of st. JOhnsbury. Let us suggest few
points,
Mr.. Howe was man of large means ant
varied business interests, and active In affairs
So was Mr.. Woodbury.. Mr.. Howe was
man of high social standing and in genera
way one Of the most highly respected ant
useful citizens of his town. SO was Mr.
Woodbury.. Mr.. Howe was active In belev
| olent and other affairs OF public nature
| The same thing was true Of Mr.. Woodbury.
MIR. Howe was landlord Of one OF the large
hotels of the state. Mr.. Woodbury. wa
vital part of his business Landlord How
sold rum. Landlord Woodbury. did TIL
same thing. Landlord Howe owned hi
hotel building and also another building II
his town in which liquor was sold; that is
to put it Ia prohibitionist form, he owne'
two rum holes and ran one of them himself
| The same thing was true Of Mr.. Woodbury.
All the facts above stated in regard to MI
Howe's connection with the liquor tratfi
were notorious In his own town and else
where, and in no way injured his standing
The same was true with regard to MI
Woodbury..
Right here the parallel ends. Rumselle
Howe has gone out Of business as LANDLORD
and is In prison. Rumseller Woodbury. cor
tinues in business rs landlord and is go,
ernor of the state of Vermont.
No reasonable man will think one partcl
the worse of Gov. Woodbury. because
has furnished his guests with liquo
All landlords in the world do that. But
is open to criticism for what we will call b
want Of frankness in doing It, for all pr
tense Of being prohibiti0nist, and so far {
he has contradicted truthful statements mad
in regard to 1t. And 1t will of course be u,