Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1896-01-24
See Section 1919 Vermont statutes.

The publisher OF Harris Weekly at St.
Johnsbury recently sent out for intorma-
ton regarding the pruhbitory law.
Among Others applied to was our towns
man Lieut. Gov. Mansur, and we append
his response:
Ny dear Harris II believe in the pro-
hibitory law. While Il DOES not entirely
prohibit, it is the best law we can have
to control or restrain it. believe IN en-
forcing it. know that there has been a
great improvement in enforcing it for the
last 20 years and as whole it is better
enforced to-day than ever before and II Il
test should be made you would find that
the people are stronger tor prohibition
than ever before. heard a man say this
week Fifteen years ago | could count
100 men i'll my town myself among
them, who made it practice to openly
frequent the bars and drink together and
if we visited one another's homes we had
it there, to-day YOU could not get one of
these men to 90 into place where rum
is sold, and if you visit their houses you
will not sec any, and it IS very unpopu-
lar to appear in company with even the
smell of liquor i'll ones breath. Every
young man feels it a disgrace to be seen
going into liquor saloon. Thetrathc in
my town has been driven out or into
secret places and all because of the pro-
hibitory law So you STE here is one
place where it is doing good work. There
has been great improvement i'll Island
Pond in the last fifteen years. The duty
ofgood citizens is to call upon the officers
to prosecute after making complaints
and furnishing list of witnesses, and If
the officers do not do their duty or fail
to allege in all complaints prior conviC-
tons have the officers indicted. No
backward step because OF the clamor
that the law is not enforced. Ii is be-
cause it is being better enforced why
the clamor. Is there any sane man,
if he will not just stop and think
who can believe for one moment, that
the class of men no are now violating
the law and the large majority OF those
who want high license would be in favor
of prosecutions for the violations of The
provisions and restrictions of such Z
law? Experience shows that liquor sci
lers only want the shelter of a license
and when secured, pay no attention tc
the restrictions. A license law i'll my
opinion would not be as we'll enforced a:
our present prohibition law. No one de
MES that there are many violations o
the law, so there is of the decalogue, bu
we should not want to abolish the de
dialogue. | know there are some gooC
people who believe in high license, but
large majority of those clamoring agains
the law are those who want to feel fire
to sell all they can, and those who wan
to have drinking made respectable. FIJI
teen years ago it was not thought any
thing of to see men intoxicated at cor
ventions OF all kinds. To-day il ma
Sels nhloAlSdteu at SuCH pace He ]
soon made to feel his company is no
wanted. Who ever heard fifteen or tie
years ago of man being sent to tn
workhouse for selling or intoxication
tell you, friend Harris, this howl agains
the law is because they feel the law "
have changed the law too often but ther
is one thing more we ought to do. Sui
ject every man who rents building wher
he knows liquors are sold to the sam
penalty as the seller. am glad you b.
lieve in the law; urge its enforcement.
Yours truly, Z. NJ. MANsUR.