Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-07-08

does drive the liquor traffic into hi
ding, and it makes it indescribably
worse in it's effects by doing so.-&.
AJbu9s Messenger.
The MONITOR has never stated that
it was the purpose of any law to drive
crime into hiding, but it does maintain
that when the Messenger makes the
point that prohibition is driving the
rum drinker into hiding it is in favor
of the law rather than against it, and
that in doing this it is proving its
effectiveness. The Messenger states
that we do not get rid Of anything by
legislating it into dark corners. Will
our contemporary kindly mention
some of the laws which are entirely
prohibiting crime as it apparently ex-
poets the liquor law to do away with
the drinking of liquor. The most
stringent law in our land, the break
ing of which may incur the death
penalty, does not prohibit the crime
for which it was enacted, it merely
''drives it into hiding" If it is ode
lusion'' to believe in the prohibition
greater than the results of any other
law then we are willing to be classed
among the deluded.
The Messenger infers that all who
support the prohibition law are per-
fectly satisfied with its workings but
we can assure our contemporary that
this is not the case, but those who are
attempting to do away with the law
offer no alternative but high license,
which, in the opinion of the writer.
would not begin to be as satisfactory
as the present one. It is undoubtedly
true that there is far more liquor being
sold at the agencies throughout the
state than is required for medicinal or
mechanical purposes but the very men
who are the violators at present
would also break a license law if it
was necessary for them to do SO in
order to obtain liquor, and as no act
can entirely prohibit, we believe it is
far better to suppress the sale of
liquor as far as possible instead OF
legalizing it and thus admitting sa
looms being opened in various places
where the young men may be easily
induced to enter and an appetite for
drink cultivated. AS long as liquor is
manufactured the confirmed drunkard
will obtain it to satiate his appetite
and alllaws governing the liquor traffic
should be made with especial refer
ence to the rising generation, and
everything possible done to keep them
from cultivating an appetite which
can never bring them anything but
harm and may ultimately cause their
downfall Can the Messenger be-
lieve that with open saloons on the
streets of our villages and private in
dividuals given an opportunity to de-
rive source Of revenue from the sale
of intoxicants that an influence would
not be thrown about the young men
of our towns which would result in far
more harm than is possible under the
existing conditions?
The license advocates maintain that
under license law no one would be
allowed to dispense intoxicants ex-
cept those who would handle it in
judicious manner, but We do not think
it possible that the Messenger believes
that such would be the case for little
reflection will easily convince any
one that many saloons would be open
ed by men who would be utterly
to the harm they were
doing SO long as they were deriving
good income and were not molested
in their business. The average dram
seller the world over is not exactly a
model philanthropist and seldom re-
fuses money although he may know
that by taking it he is actually de-
priving his patrons children of the
food and clothing necessary for their
comfort, as we'll as subjecting them
to an influence which must greatly |
affect their lives.
The Messenger inquiries "Don't you
know that the very fact that the |
traffic has been driven into secret |
places affords an army of weak -kneed |
men a chance to drink in secret,
men who might not have the
moral courage to enter a saloon
at noon tide?" The man who is
not possessed of sufficient moral % |
to enter saloon by daylight
will resort to the same means to pro-
cure his liquor under the license law
as he takes at the present time. If
the town agency system is farce, as
the Messenger states, what reason have
we for believing that the sentiment
which has permitted this will not also
admit of the license law becoming a
farce, with far greater opportunities