News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1896-05-14

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.
sit Is pity that our state should have
paper, elsewhere considered respectable,
which does not hesitate to 'foul its own
nest in its bulheaded opposition to the law.
Its conduct, in this respect, is disapproved
by many even of the opponents of prohibit
ton in Vermont; and while its SANDERS 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 its
hold on the statute book, and in the con-
tidence 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 it Mas a discussion
with any other paper it promptly begins to
misrepresent what itS opponent SAYS and
abuse 1t. If demonstrated with It talks about
having better use for its space than printing
what the other paper says. 1t has half a
column for misrepresentation, but not an
inch for reprintng. And then the Free Press
never fails to declare that any exposure of
home Crookedness Is ian attack on Vermont"
1t defends everything that exists and
every man in office no matter how much
rascaity 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
pOrtant now because In the article given
above it Is speaking for the chief executive
of the state of Vermont. Right alongside in
the Erpp prn9g a Driuta1 laftara 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
closely the definition of the word. In one
sense a "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 it is also the person who
profits from the selling, directly or indirectly.
The Vermont law makes the owner of
building in which liquor is sold rum
seller. Now, it Is likely enough that if
the editor of the Free Press, Mr.. Bene-
dict, 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, it should be said that the HERALD
made no attack, and has no attack to make,
on the governor for refusing to pardon Mr..
Howe. If the law Is 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 it
illustrated sharply the weakness of the pro-
hbitory law. 1t was attacking the law and
nothing else. 1t referred to Gov. Woodbury.
only incidentally, and certainly in a courteous
way. Here is, If 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 the
state-hOw would the house of correction
look? Who keep and own the hotels in Rut-
land and Burlington and Bennington and
Middlebury and Vergennes and st. Adams
and Newport and Montpelier and Wood
stock and Brattleboro and so on? Rum is
sold in every one of them every day in the
year and many times day, and every keeper
and owner is rumseller in fact and under
the law.
But If the law were actually enforced for a
single week members of the legislature would
tumble over each other in getting to Mont
! pelier to repeal or modify 1t, in response to
call from the governor, given because of
universal and imperative demand. Why
| should this happenY Because half the prom
| inent citizens OF the state would be in prison.
| Nearly every man In the state of any means
| Is a rumseIer, more or less directly, and
very large proportion of them are guilty under
| our law,
Gov. Woodbury. himself owns the Van
| Ness house at Burlington and has owned IL q
long time. We believe that he also owns the
building across the street, which contains a
| drug store. Nobody thinks the worse of him
| for that-of course nOt-and all over the state
men highly esteemed and universally trusted
have similar interests.
Now, we considered all that a mere incl
dental reference to notorious facts to which
! Gov. Woodbury. could not possibly object.
The intlmation Is simply that liquor was
sold In the Van Ness house and perhaps In Il
| building across the way owned by the
governor. There Is nothing said by the
Free Press about the drug store, but Gov.
Woodbury. takes what we said as If we had
accused him OF stealing sheep and comes at
us with fiat contradiction and string OF
peculiar left-handed compliments. If we
now state aud prove the sundry facts In a
reasonably plain and decisive way the
governor cannot complain.
AS Editor Greeley used TO say, "More OF
this In our next"
From the Rutland Herald for August 7,
1895 Article on which the suit was based
Gov Woodbury. as a RumseIIer-soms
Detailed Facts.
"The assertion that the governor of Yer.
mont Is rumseer and a lawbreaker II also
a false and outrageous libel. Among the va.
rlous building owned by Gov. Woodbury. In
this city IL a hotel; but II has no bar. Liquor
Is not sold in Il, and never has been during
bis ownership Of II. The governor has pollt.
lcal and other opponents, who would be
very glad II they could have the hotel be
owns prosecuted for violating the prohibit.
tory law. No such prosecution has occurred
because there has been no violation OF The
law on which to base It'll burlington Ere,
Press.
Tue HERALD has in.its Office three bottles