St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-12-05

panies would unquestionably be on
the side OF the bill as against the law.
2. That clement existent in most
communities, and especially strongin the
cities, which wants the saloon without
reference to its influence for good or Ill
upon private and civic morals.
8. That considerable number of good
citizens who have lived many years
under the present law, have seen it's i'm
projections, have had no experience OF
any other system OF dealing with the
traffic, and in a rather blind and irres-
ponsibe way are ready to try some
thing else" Some of these may be in,
f1uenced by the specious argument that
along the border money is going out OF
the state, but the general mental calibre
of Vermonters is little too great to per-
NIT very many Of them to be thus be-
fooled.
The bill now pending in the legislature
is skiIlully adapted 10 deceive the less
cautious OF this third class. l need men
ton but two points in illustration OF
this statement. 1t appears to refer the
whole matter to the people by a So
called referendum" clause. But it pro-
vides for he referendum vote upon the
first Tuesday in March-a date in the
stormest part of the year, when the con-
dlton OF The roads is often such as to
put the entire vote of rural Vermont at
the greatest disadvantage Again, it is
heralded abroad not merely as a "Iocal
option" but high license" measure
Yet the maximum license is but $1,000
while in 219 out of 246 towns and cities
OF the state the maximum license would
under its provisions be but $500 and the
minimum 500.
Before coming to Vermont l had had
considerable exuerieuce of three COM
munities. The community that | know
best in all the world is my Connecticut
hOme-a town of 1900 inha bitants
Under local option system have never
seen ii absolutely free from the abuse of
liquor, even in no license years, while in
license years have seen it condemned to
be the drinking place OF all its neighbors.
My first paStorate was in New Hamp.
shire. There the prohibtory law, lack
ing as it did the special features of the
Vermont law, was either dead letter or
occasionally galvanized into spasmodic
and ineff ctual lite by the effort of some
conscientious official
For seven years | was resident in a
large AMI we'll governed Massachusetts
city. | saw it make trial of license"
and no license" regime l do not
expect to see license system better adj
minstered by the commissioners than it
was in Worcester. But my conviction
grew with my experience, that for the
wage-earner, for the boys and young
men, for the man of diseased appetite,
who vet would be glad to restrain it if
he could, and for all residents in those
quarters OF the city where the saloons
naturally congregated, the chance for
decent and set-respecting life was dis
tinctly greater in a no license than in a
license wear.
The Vermont law is not perfect one.
1t is not perfectly administered. But it
is so good a law and it is so we'll adj
ministered as to keep the open saloon in
allegiance in the vast majority of Yer
mont communities. In some respects,
moreover, it marks out a path which
many scientific students of the temper
ance problem believe that future legisa-
ton must follow in many states. And,
Vermont will take long step down and
back il she consent to exchange it for
the pending license BILL Rev. E. Nj.
Chapman in the Congreg