Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-08-11

, treat all drinkers as habitual drunk
ards. The great majority OF men drink
and only a small per cent tall in the
drunkard class.
Our prohibitory law exhibits many
curious phases, illustrating how close
| ly it encroaches on personal liberty. 1t
forbids the manufacture of liquor, at
same time providing places where it
NAV legally be sold, thus admitting the
necessity of the existence of alcoholics
and their use by the people. II rum
selling is a curse, crime, calamity,
why do we have town agencies to dis
pense il? Oh, but that is for certain
people in certain cases. Exactly, and
that is the intent of license also. Again,
the law does not prevent a man from
sending his jug out of the state and
getting it filed; it cannot. We all
know the i'll effects and the extent to
which this is carried. Again, the law
cannot invade a mans house and pre-
vent his serving his guests with liquor.
He can 90 to any hotel and through
the bell boy service order up what he
wants without making the proprietor
responsible point settled by three
Judges of the supreme court in the
Woodbury. case. Still further, it is al
ways easy for anyone not habitually
Incorporate to get what he wants at
the town agencies. All these methods
still exist in Vermont for legally pro-
curing liquor, to say nothing Of the
hundreds Of illicit places. What Won
der that prohibition does not prevent?
The truth is that liquor drinking cam
not be stopped any more than court
ing. Both are natural instincts of the
human race. All efforts to stop it are
futile. that proceed from the mistaken
idea that it can be prevented by legis-
lation.
The law is often referred to as a
farce. More often it is tragic in its
operation. striking at weak old men
and women who have been guilty OF
very mild infringement with all the
venom OF the Spanish inquisition while
men of wealth and influence are per-
mitted to sell on. Witness the recent
case ola poor old broken down and
mentally irresponsible man in RAN
dolph, whose offence was so slight that
it was a general surprise when he was
raided by no less than six officers of the
law and found in possession of six bot
ties of lager beer, which he could east
ly have spilled before the officers
gained admission or drunk without Sc
rious effect. Five different prosecu-
tons were directed against him and
the total fines and costs amounted to
over 800. which. with costs of COM
mitment would have meant more than
a years imprisonment, had not people
OF Randolph, disguised with such pro-
ceedings, subscribed large portion of
the necessary amount and saved the
man from dying in the workhouse.
Meanwhile, jugs and jags are as nu-
merous rs ever and nobody who really
yearns for liquor goes long without it.
do not look for a speedy repeal OF
the present law. There is too much
cowardice and hypocrisy in the matter
Legislators dare not express their hon
est convictions. fearful of the alleged
sentiment at home in favor of the law.
This sentiment. / am convinced, is
largely pretence. Men nominally favor
the law, because it has been unpopular
politically and socially not to. In pri-
vate conversation they do not hesitate
to express contempt for it. believe
that if the people could once get an OPP
potunity to express themselves by the
secret Australian ballot system they
would smash it. and if the legislature
itself could have the privilege of Sc
cret ballot there would be tremen-
dous surprise in store for some who be-
lieve the law is as firm as the hills.
OBSERVER,
Randolph.