Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-12-09


these great expenses are gener|
therefore as will be quickly seen 4
tendency is TO impoverihh the rul
districts, and center the money
crowded communities. Often 60 p
chase popular indulgence the n
from liquor are decreed 20 schod
and to benevolent purposes, thus
has happened, especially, In
South, that nearly all the we'll "a
ported schools are in the licens
towns and depend chiefly upon
liquor revenues for support. Az
consequence thousands of the fami
of our most substantial rural popu.
ton, are annually drawn into tn
towns TO enjoy the benefits OF th
schools. Children are here brous
face to face with the saloons, a
grow up under their baleful influen
The rural districts on the contra
lose their "bone and sinew,u "a
schools are made still poorer,
their industries languish, thus
system operates to degenerate
people, to crowd the towns, and
de2opulate and pauperize the COZ
try. 1t has been claimed that
only just means for the elimination
the drink traffic Is local option;
great injustice has been done TO c
tain portions of the populace of
State, because prohibition was
brought about in this way, local
ton being the only just and natu
stepping stone to prohibition. ThoS
it has been tried for sixty years 1t
nowhere led to prohibition, and
regards the gradual elimination of
traffic: we find that the total mum
of those connected with the liq
business has enormously increas
1t has been urged that local option
constantly calling attention TO
enormfties of the saloon is ste.
agitator and educator for prohibit
AS local option causes neglect Of Id
interests it produces bitterness
chicanery of all kinds, both in poll
and societies, as it is by the mas
considered class measure, suprd
ing the poor mans social resort
sparing the rich mans club as ID
rarely enforced, and as enforcem
means abrogation, and as IL ne
settles the question, it educates
public to believe that prohibition a
not prohibit, and that il is a nuisar
On the other hand by it's equalizat
of right and wrong it Injuries pu
respect for law and order. IL 50
up into local cliques the prohibit
sentiment that exists in State
Nation, and fosters local selhshnd
It's advocates well understand
when adopted and fastened on
people the great cry will be, pro
bition has proved a failure, and WI
the prohibitionist asks the st
legislature for redress, they will
why don't you vote out your salod
and if told we cannot, they will
how then do you expect the State
do it. The heaviest majorities agai
constitutional amendments have b.
cast in local option counties, for
reason that laboring men conside
the high license system a class me
ure and that more liquor could
secured under local option. AGO
ingly, they gave in the city OF Cd
bridge a majority Of 666 against pro
bitory amendment. Quincy dow
high license with a majority OF
also downed prohibitory amendm
by large majority.
To sum up, local option, ia false
principle, inadequate, burdensome
demoralizing in practice. IL nece
tates constant shifting In the qua
of the law, and in the execution of
law, it is altogether, too optional,
local, too temporary: 1t is an o
Gator to anarchy, making the l
breaking liquor seller, the champ
of public liberty and equality, in
eyes of of the masses. 1t is as sen
less and mischievious a remedy for
drink evil, as it would be TO try
cure a cancer by cutting IL aV
or smallpox by cult
out the pits here and there.
Our prohibitory LAWS a blessed 81
guard to Vermont. While Id
option places prohibition and lice
upon an equal plane, here they
both excluded. Local option Is
tree of good and evil but prohibit
is the tree of life.