News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1898-12-14
THE PROHlBITORY LAW.
Absolutely Pure

H. Thompson of Irasburg, who has
presided at the December term of
county court, addressed a union
meeting held in the congregational
church and participated in by the
four churches and their pastors. 1t
was good evidence of the desire the
people have to hear this weIl-posted,
clear cut, apostle of law and order,
a staunch believer in the possibilities
of the future of Vermont under still
better enforcement of the statutory
laws, and especially the prohibitory
law, learned Judge and pleasing
speaker, when so large an audience
will ather on soshort notice and on
a night having roaring, drifting
winter storm in foil swing.
But the people came. There was an
organ voluntary by Miss Irish, Sc
lection by the quartet composed of
Mrs. Powers, Mrs. Rich, Messrs.
Fleetwood and Camp, in which there
were solo and duet parts, the reading
of the 49th Psalm byRev. Dr.. Booth,
prayer by Rev. Mr.. Eddy and solo
by F. G. Fleetwood, when Rev. Mr..
Kellogg introduced Judge Thompson.
The Judge did not wish to have it
expected that he had come to deliver
a temperance lecture, or a set lecture
of any kind, but had come to talk over
some of the things that should be
brought home to the minds and
hearts Of the people of Vermont, to
which geographical and political
division, and her people he paid
high tribute. Referring to the much
we hear these days about imperilism
and expansion, the speaker thought
the vital question is whether we can
govern ourselves at home. in our
school districts, towns, villages,
county and state, wherein each and
every individual has his or her indi-
vidual duty, and where each is to
commence by building over against
his own.
Approaching the prohibitory law
of Vermont, he considered the name
prohibitory a misnomer; it is not
such ia fact, does not appear on the
statutes as such, but rather as law
or an act regulating the traffic in in
toxicants, a name that is nearer
right. He ably defended by lucid ar
gument and citation of fact the
present law as being free from what
its opponents claim for it, in that it
does not, as claimed, attack indi-
vidual liberty. 1t is near to a dis
pensatory system, controlled by the
state, through the medium of the
town agency, where the law provides
that the intoXicants may be con-
trolled by the state and sold for
medicinal, mechanical and chemical
purposes. No one else may so fur
nish, or furnish for other purposes,
without becoming criminals under
the law. Here the Judge cited the
provisions of the law, which does not
attack personal liberty in the home,
where a man may furnish liquor, if
rightiully obtained, to friends and
Others than minors or abitual
drinkers, unless he goes to the eX-
tent of making his home a place of
common resort. He pointed to the
way citizens may easily have inferior
liquors in town agency removed
and replaced by tho right quality,
referred to the punishment rightiully
melted out to those found intoxi-
Gated, and in support OF the intent OF
the law to care for the safety of the
community, cited case after case
in his experience as Supreme Court
Judge, when men supposed to be
simply slightly intoxicated. had
while under that influence, become
the perpetrators of serious crime.
Striking hard at the saloon, it was
shown that 80 per cent. of the crimes
of violence ia Vermont are directly
attributable to the use of liquor.
Taking up the claim of its opponents
the speaker contrasted the present
law with some of the laws which such
opponents do make, believe in and
support. This he followed with an
able argument against the ideas
| framed in the High License Local OPP
tion bill, killed in the Legislative SEES
sion just closed, in which connection
he gave a hard slash at the plan at
tempted and defeated in the million
aires paradise, or tax dodgers arts
tocracy bill. He had no fears oil
Vermont's receding from her present
position but the sooner the people
rise up and forever kill and stamp
out this spirit of opposition to law
and order the better.
In the referendum bill, also killed
he saw deliberate attempt on the
part of the opponents to give q
chance to flood Vermont with the
brewers, saloon keepers and other
such organizations money, a great
corruption fund, which, put in use
would have cost the honest people Of
Vermont great effort to counter.
act, and which would have given to
the world a false verdict from Yer.
mont, though it would not have by
any means declared for high license
He considered, 'can this law oil
ours be enforced?" A pretty ques-
ton for any citizen of Vermont,
having any degree of manhood and
seltrespect to ask. Concerning the
claims of the opponents. he aptly