Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1901-03-14
The Local Option League.

In another column is given an account
of the organizing of Vermont state
local option league. The league, we arc
informed, has been organized for agita-
tion and education. Branches will be
established in every county and in most
of the towns of the state. Of course
campaign like this will pile up expenses
and necessitate the raising of consider
able money, The first charge that the
friends of the league will have to meet
is that it is run by beer and whiskey
funds. That there may be no doubt on
this point, we are told that contributions
from brewers, liquor dealers and hotel
men will not be accepted if offered. An
other point which will be used against the
league is that it is composed of members,
! men who want more rum, as the Burling-
ton Free Press puts it. This is not true.
There is a strong minority of respectable
thinking citizens in Vermont, who are
themselves total abstainers who never
| theless honestly believe that local option
as a method of regulating the liquor
| traffic is much better than the present
prohibitory law. We are told that both
Bishop Hall of the Episcopal church and
and Bishop Michaud of the Roman Cath-s
| Ollie church in their letters of regret to
the league took strong grounds in favor
of a local option law with licence. The
time has passed when every man who
entertains and expresses an honest doubt
as to the infallibility of the existing law
can be classed as a reprobate and a rum
my.
The best way of regulating the liquor
| traffic is momentouS question involv-
ing the best interests of the state. The
existing prohibition law has for fifty
years been bone of contention, and
a good majority of the people of Yer
mont believe today, OF seem to, that it is
the best law that can be enacted on the
subject. If the majority are in error,
agitation and education will do valiant
service; if the majority are correct, then
agitation must surely be good thing.
No good cause ever lost anything by agi-
tation, and with the Anti-Saloon league
and the Local Option league both in the
field the dark corners ought to be light
ened, the common intelligence instructed
and the public conscience quickened
The TIMES welcomes this agitation and
has enough confidence in the sturdy
common sense of the people to believe
that it will result in the greatest good to
the greatest number, whether it results
in the retention of the existing prohib-
itory law, which we expect, or in the
referendum of the question, which we
, favor, or in the substituting of well
balanced licence law which we do not
anticipate.
In communication to the Burlington
Free Press Bishop Hall gives this synop-
sis of what was said in his letter OF
regret:
g ~ said that l was not republi-
cam (2) that while ] considered the pres
ent law mischievous, and did not hest.
tate to say SO on all proper occasions,
did not think that person i'll my posi-
ton should take an active part in al
organization of the kind proposed, par
ticularly if it were connected witt
political party; 81 that if the league
wished for the sympathy and interest O.
earnest Roman Catholics and Episco
palians, it's originators made mistake
to say the least, in adding to the pro
gram banquet on Friday in Lent; "A
that in the Judgment of many the occa
sion for attempting to enforce total absti
). hence arose i'll part from the neglect O
}. reasonable and salutary rules of self
q