News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1901-10-16
The Town Liquor Agency.


surely and, we believe, forever elm
mated. The individual who to-day
attempts to declare that more intOXi-
eating drink is consumed in the state
then ever before, or more than would
be under license law; that our pro-
hibitory law is a failure; that tenn
perance sentiment is diminishing and
the advocates of license rapidly in
creasing. manifests a pitiable igno-
rance of the true condition of things,
and of the certain and irresistible
trend of events. Only the mOstignor-
ant and wilful now resort to such
foolish and untruthful statements.
These points of attack abandoned,
others must be found. A Franklin
county paper has found one, and,
after no little time and trouble in Sc
curing its supposed atom of ammuni'
ton, has opened with broadside OF
grape, cenister and bomb, in grandly
displayed headlines it announces A
Gigantic Fraud. Smaller fry of like
elk in other parts of the state auto
matically pipe up Gigantic Fraud
The wall of one of these was surely
pitifuI when it said: at is when we
see uphold what they know to be gi-
gantic fraud that our faith in their
temperance principles is reduced to a
very low ebb." 1t is however won
derful coincidence that this editor has
been for many years druggist, still
owns drug store and, if we remem-
Der correctly, has felt the grasp of
the present law and is now justly
under fear of it's power.
The gigantic fraud referred to by
the advocates of license, is the town
liquor agency, established under the
provision of our prohibitory law.
They give the amount of liquors sold
in the seventy agencies in the state
and the population OF each town
where the agency exists. Thepopula-
tion of the seventy towns is 1T 200,
while the total amount of sales is
1921, 995 3S, this is a large amount
and no doubt much large than is re
quired for strictly legitimate pur-
poses. 1t should be born in mind,
however, that these seventy agences
are all the places in the state
where liquors can be legally
obtained for the legitimate pur-
poses covered by the law. There
are 246 towns and cities in the state,
so that each agency supplies an
average of three and half towns.
The population of the state is given
at 343, GAL so that the whole amount
sold at the agencies would give a
little less than 65 cents worth of
liquors per year for each resident in
the state, or one and one-fourth
cents per week. If this is so startling
to the ardent friends of license, let
them busy themselves for time in
solving this problem. If 65 cents
worth per capita is sold by seventy
licensed agencies, how much more
per capita would be sold by 1000
open, free and unrestrained saloons
run solely for individual profit?
The agency is surely not fraud in
it's origin. 1t is an absolute necessity
under aprohibitory law. Strange as
it may seem to some there are very
many people in Vermont who still
dislike to become law breakers and
also dislike to compel neighbor to
break a known law. The fact should
be more carefully and conscientiously
considered by all our people that the
agency is the only place where per-
son can securr liquors without both
violating statue law himself and
causing some one else to do the same.
While agents are often deceived
and their sales are often much larger
than they should be. we believe, as a
rule, they are we'll managed. There
has been marked improvement
within year or two and the improv-
ment will continue, just in proper
ton as the temperance men and wo-
men watch the agency, look over it's
sales book and counsel with and ad-
wise the agent. Here is a duty too
generally neglected by the friends OF
the law. This is now the prominent
point of attack by rum men. Much
of the opposition to the agency can
be traced to the druggists. They
claim that they, because of superior
knowledge of the purity of liquors,
should alone be permitted to handle
them and that pure liquors can only
be found at drug stores. Not few
ofolr good tie nperan ,e people have
been deceived by this talk and some
have come to believe il. On par
with their other attempted argu-
ments this is pure nonsence. Few
druggists are in favor of our law.
Only in one way can they be induced
to favor it, and that is by appoint.
ing them to the Office of town agent
But experience has generally shown
that this is not safe. They are in the
business for the money in it and the
licence as an agent too frequently
covered a multitude of sins in the
shape of illegal sales. Our space for.
bids further comments but we com.
mend the subject to the more careful
thought and study of our people
Note that the agency is a necessity
that it should be closely watched by
temperance people; the agent should
be assisted in every wise way anC
supported in every effort to diminish
sales and make the agency what the
loU doSirna1 IL shouId no EapocioIl,