Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1899-12-21
TeetotaIers and Prohibition.

lean and valuable newspaper, please
hermit me to express myself frankly |
with REGARD to the last two paragraphs /
OF your articles under Editorial NOTES
issue of Nov. 30-Pr0hlbltlon IN Dur
lingtOn, viz, ..u.4 q
eve believe il to be a fact that
considerable majority Of the voting |
nopuIation of Vermont do at certain
times want a certain amount oil lhloAl-
eating liquor to drink for other pui-
poses than as a medicine
In other words only a minority are
teetotalers. Many who drink oTea-
sionally favor prohibition as IL has
heretofore been administered, because
while it has constantly tended TO close |
the open rum shop, they have always
been able to get what little they cafeu
70 drink without much trouble. smut
off that privilege to them and you make
a large and influential addition to me
advocates oil license. Vermont wlli
not yet sustain prohibition enforced 10
the letter
believe it has never been seriously
doubted that teetotalers have ever been
in the minority in the Green Noun
tain state. And the smallest minority
since 1851 was unquestiOnably IN ls92
and 80. when the first prohlbltory law
was passed by the legislature and rati-
fled by the people ut the annual March
meeting by an unusually popular ma
jority. ,,.a
| re member the years preceding 1852
when hotels and stores with few eX-
eeptions included alcoholic beverages |
in their lists OF provisions and goods to |
be served to their guests ana custom. |
ers. / call your attention to the social !
customs of those years when the Young /
lawyer admitted TO practice at the |
county court was expected 20 patron |
lie the hotel bar for the benefit (?) OF |
court and officers. Neither WAS the /
custom confined TO lawyers. The ply |
sicians and ministers were in the came |
social slough / call your attention /
TO the history of the early years of the /
enforcement of prohibition when towns /
kept the dramscller ia Jail sometimes
for a year or more in preference TO ale /
lowing him at large while uurepent- /
ant. When the WOTkhOusC was pro- /
yided by the legislature, n was iu dl- |
rect response to the demand OF the peo- |
pie. through their representatives, for
a special penal institution for the |
criminal dramseller. (See Journal of /
Legislature and laws enacted of that |
period.) Yes, teetotalers are In the |
minority i'm Vermont rs everywhere (; |
but the people who believe in the i'm
partial enforcement of wholesale laws
are in the majority. You say Vermont |
will not vet sustain prohibition en-
forced to the letter. PITY lis, It's true"
But it does not apply to larger ma
jority of the people than approved the
prohibitory law in 1858. II YOU think |
otherwise make "A call in your most
worthy paper at once for expression
by vote on the question next March /
town meeting in all the towns and
cities of the state on the same day. ] !
beg of YOU don't make the majority Of
the people OF our beloved and blessed
Green Mountain state the laughing
stock of the world until you hear from
the people \ large majority OF the
people blush with shame that your in
dictment is true because OF the "Po-
!itical Machine Practical Politics is
controlled by hypoCritical political
tricksters whose purpose and aim
seems TO be to prevent the enforce
ment OF the law while they deceive the
people by their pretence to favor pro-
hibition. Read your first paragraph.
See Rutland Herald, Herald and News
and other state papers during the last
four years. | call your attention TO the
history of Prohibition the first two
years, viz: 1852 and IS. That the
most open and violent oppOsers and 1
enemies OF prohibition were the tipplers
who you so well and fully describe in
yonr article. (See legislative Jour
mails and debates in Montpelier Free
man, The Argus. Woodstock Stapdard,
windsor journal and other STATE news {
papers OF those two years. Now Mr.. I
Editor, your own words i'm hlat article !
show that the tipplers Of uor) whom .
you write are hypocriteS They pass q
as friends of the law, speak tavOrably I
Of prohibition. 1t is a good law they :
say. But they oppose its enforcement Q
in every possible way that they and I
The devil can devise. | brand them l
before state and patton rs the ''Politi- -
cal Copperheadf today; everywhere
he foes OF the lome and state. pity
he Anti-Saloon League who have
tie burning of their .
fingers like the one who was used \
% take the chestnuts from the fire in u
EsOp's fable. And now the curtain of y
will soon fall and wait to rise p
until pore idiots who never learn CONE n
lpon the stage to perform a similar ri
lrana, which pray God to forbid. St
DENNIS ). BRIGHAM, Bra tleborO. Vt. h
| Il