St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1900-10-03

who have this subject at heart. The
work should be expanded and recon
mend that the state highway tax be
increased to 10 cents on the grand list
and that the policy already so success
fully inaugurated be continued The
money expended on good roads under
the direction of a state commissioner
will return many fold.
Constitutional Amendments.
1t is perhaps my duty to call YOU
attention officially to the fact that this
session occurs at the period at which
amendments to the constitution shall
be proposed. l have none to recon
mend There appear to be no funda
mental evils in our organization
against which the people are protest
ing and none that are working any
serious injustice to any one. None
is likely to arise in the immediate
future that cannot await the beneficial
experience of another decade. I'm
doubtedly the time will come when the
increasing population of our state, anG
its tendency to centralize in the larger
cities will demand a change in the sys
tenn of representation in the leglsla
ture; when the manifest injustice OF &
town with a small population and only
a nominal grand list in the enactment
of laws exercising an equal voice will
a city having a hundred fold create
population and an even greater proper
ton of wealth, will be recognized, anC
the basis of representation equalized
and when the time and the injustice
are ripe the remedy will be found. IL
theory, the wrong have recited exists
today but in practice it doesn't. The
injustice and inequality are at present
possible dangers rather than actual
realities, and it does not seem that the
large towns and cities are as yet sui
fering to the extent of Warranting a
radical departure from our present
system of representation. Nor are
they likely to suffer before another tell
years runs along it's course. In case,
however, it should be made to appear
that the rights of any municipality OF
any county or anybody are jeopardlzed
or are likely to be jeopradized by the
existing method Of representation in
the legislature, the question Of change
to the district representation shout
be at once taken up an considered.
Prohbitory Liquor Law.
The subject of a revision of the pro
hibitory law will doubtless come be-
lore this legislature for consideration,
as the law has received similar atten,
ton at every session for some years
past. 1t is to be observed that dur
ing the past two years the people have
debated the merits of the law with d
greater spirit of fairness and appal-
entity more tolerance of the arguments
for and against the law than ever before.
The state is to be congratulated on
this evident disposition OF all to reach
a solution of the great problem in
volved that will be for the best in
terest of the state. A full and frank
discussion of every question is the
only way to reach the truth, and the
principle involved in the prohibitory
law is no exception to the rule.
There are honest differences of opin-
ion as to the method Of dealing with
the evil of intemperance. In fact.
among the best thinkers on both sides
OF the question, as in fact among all
who have the best interest of the
state and society at heart, there is a
substantial unaniminity of thought on
the underlying principle of temper
ance, and morality. The moral prin-
ciple does not admit of question, but
the division arises on the method OF
sustaining and enforcing the principle.
After all, whatever law we have on the
subject is no more than an instrument
or method of carrying out the funda-
mental idea. Neither the prohibitory
law nor high license, nor local option
is the principle Of temperance itself
They or either of them are merely the
machinery to carry out method of
dealing with an idea. The question re-
solves itself, therefore, down to this:
Which is the better method of dealing
with en- evil which already exists
Shall it be through the instrumentality
of method that requires the evil to
remain in existence in order to sus
tain the law? Which in order to be
operative presupposes the perpetuatior
OF the evil? Or, shall it be through {
method of education to higher life
which by training and example leads
up to the establishment of sount
mind in a sound body and thus to tn
ultimate elimination of the evil
Shall it be on the assumption that tn
class who deal in intoxicants are al
bad. or that thew are all good, Onl