Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1898-08-29
PROHIBITION.

The Burlington Daily Neaos, after
giving part of an article which APP
peared in the MONITOR under the
head of "About High License" re-
Gently, says:
eve submit that the opening sem
fences we have quoted are fair sam
pie of the bigotry and intolerance of
some of our friends in the prOhibi-
ton camp.
eve would have the Barton Mon
ITOR understand that this is free
country, and that the opponents of
prohibition have just as much right
to their opinions and to the free ex-
preston of them as the MONITOR has
to it's opinions and expressions; that
they are just as good men, just as
much interested in VermOnt's 'repu-
tation for law and ORDER just as true
to the best interests of the state, as
the prohibitionists; and finally that
their interest for temperance and the
true progress OF Vermont is just as
great as theirs.
''As for the MONITORS point about
keeping temptation out of the coun-
ties it need only be said that the ar
gument for the license and local OPP
ton system is based upon the basic
principle of the American theory of
government and American life, name
", the ability of American manhood
to take care of itself. And aside from
this, the talk about temptation is
largely humbug. There is really
greater temptation for our young
men under the present 'bunco- license
system that there would be with the
open bars which so greatly trouble
f1n Fl, hn Ilnf
large proportion of our active young
men, Astounding in animal spirits,
feel irresistibly impelledto do what
ever is banned and forbidden. The
same feeling which leads President
Buckham's bright young men to per-
spire under the weight of the Sacred
Boulder and to toll at the desecrating
work Of painting the Lafayette statue,
leads the Vermont youth Of the same
characteristics to Investigate forbid
den places of resort and to run down
the liquor demon to its lair.
"The official figures show that there
are seven hundred odd places in Yer
mont where liquor is illegally sold.
Now if the sales at each place aver
age only ten a day-a low average,
surely-the prohibitory law is vio-
lated 1000 times every day, or more
than 1000, 900 times in the course Of
year Can the MONITOR point out
any other law that is violated on this
scale?"
We nave no desire to keep the
NeaOs' scribe from expressing his
opinion, but we must differ with him
in his statement that the men who
are working for high license are as
Il i,,tn i,,f ha n
perance as those working against it.
We have no doubt but there are some
who are honest in their belief that
license will be better for the state
than prohibition, but we believe that
the great number of people who, ac-
cording to the figures furnished by
the NeaUs, are violating the law con-
tinually, will all be found on the side
of nigh license, and we do not think
that it is the honest opinion of our
that these men stand
for change in the prohibition law
because they think some other law
would better help the temperance
cause. The NeaUs argues that the pro-
hibitory law should be repealed be-
cause
GA large proportion of our active
young men, Astounding in animal spir-
it's, feel irresistibly impelled to do
whatever is banned and forbidden"
We hope that our contemporary
will not ask that the laws forbidding
theft and murder be repealed for fear
that it may cause these ''young men,
abounding in animal spirits" to feel
'irresistibly impelled'' to steal and
murder.
The NeaOs gives figures to show that
5he prohibitory law is broken more
han any other law. Does not our
know that there are
hundreds of men tempted to drink
where there is only one tempted to
steal or commit murder? 1t is true
hat the present law does not stop
he entire sale of liquor, but in all
places where it is enforced there is
put little liquor drinking, but in some
sections of the state the people have
not interest enough to see that the
aw is enforced and in those places
he law does not prohibit. In the
places where the present law is en-
orced a large majority of the people
ire satisfied with it, and if in sections
where the dissatisfaction exists they
will try rigidly enforcing it for time,
We believe that those interested in
emperance will have no cause for /
skiing that it be repealed.
CASTORIA