Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-10-28
THE HIGH LICENSE QUESTION.

EDITOR REGISTER In your last issue
| notice this statement from the Burllng-
ton Free Press In its digest of the license
bill just introduced in the legislature;
"It is practically the local option law
of Massachusetts,, which has given so
much satisfaction in that state" 1t Is
we'll to enquire to whom 1t gives such
great satisfaction. 1t gives it to brewers
and liquor manufacturers who advance
the money to pay for the licences and
are practically the licences, to the
saloon keepers who get their living by it,
and to the great army of saloon frequent
lers to whom it gives the opportunity of
indulging their depraved appetites and
by whose votes 1t is perpetuated To no
other class does it give satisfaction.
General business is stagnated by it. The
wall of hard times is heard on all hands
except the saloons. Business is brisk
there. have repeatedly been in need
of change with which to transact my
business, and have been into store after
store without being able to get it; but
have learned that by going into a
saloon | can always get all [ need. Ask
any other dealer, "How Is business?
and his reply is almost invariably
"There is none; it is terrible"
There is great complaint of the low
wages paid the operatives in the mills,
but boldly make the assertion that if
it were not for the saloons the wages
paid are amply sufficient to give every
mill operative and his dependents all the
uece ssaries and many of the luxuries of
life. Their money, too much of 1t, goes
into them.
Yesterday | called upon a thrifty
Scotchman, a mill operative. "Well,'
says he, ~ have bought this block since
l saw you last"
"You have?' says |; land how much
did it cost, may l ask?'
"Thirty six hundred dollars" he
replied.
His money did not go to the saloons,
and | make the assertion that one-half of
the heads of families among the Operat-
ives of 30 years of age might be the
owners of good tenement, had they
made proper use of their wages. Not
one in one hundred now does.
very lew really uuutl otduu vi Nbiil-
prehend the situation or the remedy.
They look upon it as a necessary evil
from which there is no relief. Yer
mont is pointed at and sneered at as the
prohibition state having a prOhibitory
law which does not prohibit, and they
vote prohibition failure. a few year,
ago the friends of temperance in this
city, by mighty effort carried it for
"no license" 1t was like damming Nj
agara after a brisk west wind. The
rumsellers would not be put down and
continued to sell surreptitiously, using
their cellars in very private way for
saloons, but making the situation worse
than under high license, and that system
was restored
In the city of Brockton the friends of
temperance entered the fight against
license and defeated it. They kept con-
troll for about ten years, making the
city a model of temperance, sobriety and
thrift. After such period of success,
the friends of temperance became re-
miss and over-confident and let the last
election go by default. They lost it by
about a dozen votes, but enough to
fasten the curse upon the city for one
year at least, and | fear very much
longer. | was in the city a few days
before high license took effect, and il
would be hard to find a finer lot OF
people, to all appearances, than were to
be seen on the streets. The rough
element were conspicuous by their
absence. A mighty contrast to the city
of saloons where the sensibilltes of =
refined person are constantly being
outraged. | was also in the city the day
the saloons opened. 1t was a terrible
experience. The police wagon was KEEP
busy bringing in the DRINKS, till it was
said there was room at the station for nc
more. One woman was so drunk as tC
be helpless, and policemen had TO picl
her up and carry her into the station.
If this local option high license law
of Massachusetts gives satisfaction l fai
to see it. No person who has any re
gard for the welfare of his race car
approve of a law which authorizes a city
for consideration to lcence one either
to debauch and ruin his fellow citizen
even with the latter's consent.
n. B. DOUGLAS.
FALL RIVER, Mass.
Bad Exhibit.