Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-05-01
NEXT TUESDAYS ISSUE.
Why the Old Board of Bailiffs
Ought to be Reelected.

The Real Question at stake---IIIstory
of the Liquor Prosecutions---thes sewer
COntrOversy---Capt. Estey's Position
---Rev. Father Cunningham---Rev.C G. !
o. Dsy---Marlting the Ballots.
The real issue which is involved in the
election Of village baiiffs to be held next
Tuesday is upon the attitude of the peo-
pie of the village on the temperance ques-
ton. Other questions are raised-with re-
gard to the financial management of the
old board, the engine house repairs, the
Main street sewer, ETC., but no one who.
is familiar with our village history for the
past nine months will try TO deny that the
actual question is upon the course of the
old board of bailiffs in dealing with viola
tions of the liquor law Every one who
was at the caucus on Thursday evening of
last week knows that the active work
against the old board was done in very
large part by those who are in sympathy
with the beer and rum traffic.
This general statement of what the
election means has no personal element or
alluson whatever 1t involves no intma-
tion that the men nominated for bailiffs by
the caucus are "rum men," or that any
individual of them is a "rum man. or be-
fact is simply that the question presented
is whether a board of bailiffs which en-
forced the prohibtory law fearlessly and
impartially shall be rebuked and discredit-
ed when their term Of Office expires.
A glance at the history of the work done
by the present board of bailiffs in enforc-
ing the prohibitory law will recall some
important facts to the public mind. 1t
became notorious during last year that beer
was being freely sold at various places in
the village, and on the 9th day of Novem-
Der seven pool rooms and saloons were
raided, and the case against every one of
them was pressed to conviction. The bail
ifs held that the enforcement of the law
should be impartial and were determined
that the hotels should be included in the
places visited, but circumstances in which
the bailitfs were placed prevented this be-
ing done. Soon after, however, the three
hotels were prosecuted upon a states at
torney's complaint and all were fined as
the law provides. Seizure was also made
at c. II. Eddy IL Co.'S upon private com
plant and this case the states attorney
was obliged to prosecute under the law.
Eddy & Co. prepared to defend themselves
by expert testimony, and this testimony it
was necessary for the state to meet Much
feeling had been aroused because the four
saloons where nothing but Eddy's beer
was seized had been prosecuted while Eddy
n Co. had not. The states attorney in
formed the bailiffs that there was no pro-
vision OF the law under which he could pay
for testimony from outside the state for a
justice trial, and such testimony was abso-
lutely necessary in order to prosecute the
case successfully. To wait for an ndict-
ment by the grand jury in September would
be to allow the Eddy business to go ON I'M
molested. If prompt action was TO be
taken the bailiffs must incur the expense of
furnishing the necessary expert evidence
They took the responsibility and the result
was an item of some 500 added to the vii
lage expenses for the year. Do the people
of the village disapprove of the course of
the bailiffs in this respect?
To this 1t should be added that of the
pool rooms or saloons raided last fall four
have been closed permanently. Under the
police methods introduced by Chief of Pc
lice Hall, by instructions from the bailiffs,
persons found on the streets drunk and
disorderly have been arrested and fined
From Dec. to date II arrests for intoxica-
ton have been made and all have been
convicted. During the same period last
year only two arrests were made. 1t will
not be claimed that the difference was in
the amount of drunkenness. On the con-
trary nobody doubts that it was in the en-
forcement of the law. The improvement
in the good order of the village is recog-
nized by all, and there is no doubt that the
fear of arrests has caused the brewerles to
take greater care as to whom their sales
are made. One of the breweres has been
closed during this time. Not in years has
the condition of affairs in the village with
regard to the liquor traffic been so good as
during the past winter.
There is still another consideration. No
Republican who wishes to see the good
name of the village INDICATED need hest
tate to vote for the old board for fear of be-
ing called bolter. The regular ticket
is not Republican ticket, although it is to
be so headed. 1t is misnomer to call it
so. If the caucus had been held as a Re-
publican caucus, as originally called, the
old board of bailiffs could not have been
defeated for denomination. Those who
vote for the old board will do so because
they approve the action of officials who
have had the courage to enforce the laws
without fear or favor, and who believe in
the moral effect which their reelection
would have.