Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1898-02-10

law has little terror. At baDqnets in GU
larger towns liquor is often served on tn,
tables. Instead OF a chance to buy
1 drink openly men are forced to buy by
he bottle, take it home and spree on it
| The speaker outlined stringent license
/ law that he believed would remedy the
evil and IL it did not it could not be g
| greater failure than the present Law. Dc
not ridicule high license. 1t is coming
sooner than you think. Cited as support
ers OF license such eminent men as Presi-
dents Eliot of Harvard and Patton OF
Princeton. Gov. Woodbury. in his fam
Gus libel suit testified that "the enforce
ment of the prohibitory law was an i'm
possibility even on his own premises"-
the Van Ness House. In closing the
speaker said, "Put the question to a vote
by the Australian ballot and prohibition
in Vermont is doomed License would
take its place, drunkards grow less, hy-
pocricy decrease, men will be more truly
men, our people will be happier, business
will be better, the state will improve.
Men IF Vermont, will you come out and
express your honest coDvictions2"
Prot. M. S. Villas, third affirmative-It
has been maintained by the negative side
with considerable show OF argument that
the appetite for strong drink is inherent
in the human family and omnipresent
since that family consisted of but eight
persons; that 1t is impossible to do more
than check this appetite; we can but re gu
late it. Does the young child, does the
babe on the mothers knee ever call for
liquor Does he ever desire it? Present
il to his lips; will he drink Never, till
later years may have awakened and slim
ulated appetite. 1t bites the tongue, ii
stings the palate, it burns the stomach, II
is death to the best and highest within
us and drags us down to a debased and
unnatural existence. 1t is the duty OF
government, says Gladstone, to make il
easy to do right and hard to do wrong
Prohibition means that the channels of
trade should no longer be used for the
qualification of an unnatural and destruc-
tive appetite and that II men insist on
drinking, the public facilities cease to ac-
commodRte them. The second on the neg
alive demands to know the criminality OF
license. Enter one OF the $1,000 saloons OF
Greater New York. We are surprised at
the indictments on every hand. We ask
the proprietor, "How dare you thus OPEN
ly sell and so boldly invite trader" lie
points to his license on the wall and re.
plies, II am an honest man. My business
is not only reputable but the government
protects me in 1t. / act as its agent and
give it part of my profits" Thus in effect
the license Is a sanction and the govern
ment approves so long as il receives its
in nome and in duty, to pure morals and
a clean society the other leads down
ward to base degeneration, to legaliZed
corruption, to weakness and to shame.
No advocate OF prohibition claims that IL
prohibits entirely, but ii is no argument
against it that it does not Our criminal
dockets always having cases of violations
OF the prohibitory law simply means that
we fail to enforce the law. Other crimi-
nal laws are violated, yet this is no argu-
ment against the laws. In ninety-nine
cases out of a hundred, man once en-
rolled In the great army OF drunkards re-
mains true TO his flag and marches to no
other drum beat. The records OF Connect
icut during seven years OF prohibitory law |
and seven years under license law and To-
cal option show doubling of the number |
81 arrests under local option. In the state
Of Maine during two years OF prohibition,
two years of license and then following |
t9o years OF prohibition, there was an i'm
mediate increase Of arrests as soon as the
aw was repealed and an immediate de-
crease as soon as the law was re-enacted.
In Rhode Island in the first year OF prohi-
ion there was a decrease in crime of all
Kinds OF 81 per cent and decrease in ar
tests for drunkenness OF AZ per cent. The
,penness urged in favor OF high license is
me of the strongest arguments against 1t.
Let it be secret, prohibited, criminal, like
,ther crimes. As the youthful Hannibal
vas brought up and, with his hand upon
he altar, made to swear eternal hatred to
Rome, so let US bring up the youth OF the
tate and nation nd,with their hands up
IN the altar OF deceDcy, uprightness and
rue living, cause them to swear eternal
hatred to this abomination of abomina-
liquor traffic, and its legalized
o. worker, high license. So only will
hey walk in the way over which all men
must come in His appointed time.
The judges, J. w. Rowell, Rev. q. o.
Howe and DIR. z. 0. Blanchard, decided
IN the merits OF the debate in favor OF the
The audience was given
nance to go on record on the merits OF
he question and prohibition carried by
arge majority.
The debate, as will be noted, covered
he question well. All the disputants ac-
Iuitted themselves handsomely. A nice
title sum was cleared for the High school
library. More OF such events OF an edi-
ying and mentally stimulating nature
would be appreciated by a large number
4 our citizens.