Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1901-03-28
Briefly my grounds arc

, mischief Briefly my grounds arc
, these:
/. Experience has shown me t'.", ".
law does not prohibit | mySel nav
: had to deal with repeated cases oil or"'N
emnesS, some of them habituaL "''''''
: dered, and to a certain extent poi'.''
provoked or aggravated by the existing
law. Election day in Burlington lwie''
if ever, the uninitiated might expect 'l'o
law to be enforced) presents ocular u''''
onstration of the futility of the law
2. Prohibition drives underground tl'o
mischief which it seeks to cure hiNin5
it more difficult to deal with the eNi"" e
impossible to regulate the trade aS ~ ~
instance in the quality of the llquor SUN,
3. The present law leads, l believe III
many cases, to heavier drinking, III c,uns
and at home, liquor being purchased IL
larger quantities than would be the case
if it were possible to purchase at res
taurant glass of wine or beer
Z 4. Especially perhaps among lle
young, prohibition provokes resistance
Stolen drinks, not only waters, seem 70
possess an added sweetness
OF course if all use of what may De IN
toxicants, save for medicinal purposes
were in itself wrong, these two consider7
ations g and ~ would be Of no weight 3
5. Few persons, / suppose, Win any
knowledge of its actual working VIII dehy
that the law as it exists is connected
with vast amount of hypocrisy, on the
part of buyers, sellers and officials.
May not this hypocrisy, being deeper
and more widespreading eVll, De
greater mischief than the intemperance
which it is sought to check?
6. Prohibition by many of its earnest
advocates is connected with the notion
that all use (save for medicinal pupoSeS)
of drink, that in the excess may be III
toxicating, is wrong. The use OF Such
drink is in itself no more wrong than the
use of tobacco. In either case it is the
misuse which we have to guard against.
Doubtless with many persons total abStl-
hence from wine or tobaccol may be
safest and best. To attempt to enforce
this on all persons is to manufacture an
artificial sin, with the risk of leading
many persons to think lightly of what is
absolutely wrong for instance drunken
ness, because they have come to recog-
nize that there is no real Sinain what they
had been taught to regard as equally
wicked.
7. This suggests what seems to me
one of the most serious objections to the
prohibition law 1t tends to break down
the sense of obligation in the case of all
law, human or divine. Here" some
one says, lis a law which is not enforced,
to which no moral obligation belongs
beyond the fact that it is a law, which
is commonly disregarded; why should
not other laws be disregarded likewise
(the 9th or 18th or Sth commandment, for
instance)?"
s. Once more; our existing prohibit
tory law | consider foolish and miSchie-
vous, because it Is largely an attempt on
the part of one set of people four country
folk to legislate for another set of peo-
pie lin our larger villages and cities.
They enact law which, whether wise OF
unwise in country districts, cannot be
enforced in larger places.
You will understand, Sir, l feel sure,
whether you agree with me or not, that
it is in the interests of Temperance, as of
righteousness in general, that / urge
these considerations, in reply to your
challenge. | recognize to the full the
evils of incompetence, and the right and
duty of the community to guard, so far
as may be it's citizens from what is a
menace to the community as well as to
individual. would gladly welcome any
well considered scheme for avoiding the
evils attending the practically unrestricted
sale of liquor which may be seen in some
neighboring states. Butt cannot think
that the practical experience of Vermont,
New Hampshire and Maine is in favor of
a state prohibition law.
Faithfully yours,
ARTHUR G. A. HALL,
Bishop of Vermont.
Burlington, March IS, 1901.
burlington Free Press.