Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1901-05-31
rs AGAINST LICENSE.
A RINGING RESPONSE TO BISHOP HALL
OF VERMONT.

q. w. Hunt of st. Johnsbury Makes Reply
to a Famous Denunciation of Prohibition
Thinks Present Law the Best Under the
circumstances.
That determined effort is being made
by those who desire the repeal OF the
present prohibitory law the state Of
Vermont to so change public sentiment
regarding this question that the next
legislature will favor its repeal, is evil
dent from the class of men they are call
ing upon to assist them in ridiculing the
present law.
The article which probably has at
tracted the most attention, because of
the writer's prominence in church cir
Giles, was written by the Rev. A. c. A.
Hall, bishop of the Protestant Episcopal
church of Vermont. But with feeling
that the Individual citizen is willing to
give the consideration to this question
which its Importance demands, we de-
sire to examine the reasons given by the
bishop for the repeal of the present law
and substituting therefor license law.
First, he says, "Experience has shown
that the law does not prohibit If he
had said does not wholly prohibit. we
would agree with him, but to say "that
it does not prohibit" is to give conclusive
evidence that his range of experience
has been very narrow, or that he has
closed his eyes to facts which may be
gathered from all over the state. Be-
cause he has had dealings with "aggra-
waited cases of lntoXicatiOn in Burlng-
ny - no daaloros that no hos had
lar demonstration of the futility of the
law" Has the reverend gentleman ever
visited the penal institutions of the state,
and there been brought in contact with the
incarcerated thief, burglar or murderer
Has he ever sat in a court of Justice, and
witnessed the trial of men for various
criminal 0ftenses: Has he ever had to
deal with Impoverished homes, and
ruined families because of crime: If he
has, he then has had an ocular demon
stration' that no law wholly prohibits,
and to be consistent must declare that he
is convinced of the utter futility of the
law"
He next claims "that the present law
drives underground the mischief it seeks
to cure" Admitting this to be partly
true, does not that statement annul the
force, if ii has any, of his previous state
ment that the law does not prohibit:
For no one can reasonably claim that
underground the evil Will do as much
harm, or make as many sales, or prove
so serious a temptation to the young and
temperate, as it would above ground in
gilded saloons and under the glare of
electric lights. But the difficulty with
this underground business-.in the bish-
ops minds, that there sit cannot be
regulated as it might be above ground.
This idea of regulating the liquor traf-
fic is not new with Bishop Hall. But
what measure of success has crowned
the attempt to regulate it: Compare
social conditions in the states where they
are trying to regulate this evil by law.
with those in states where they seek to
prohibit the evil. The comparison will
not lead any to favor an attempt to regu-
late it in Vermont.
Where the most stringent laws have
been enacted for its regulation, the evil
has continued with increasing power,
breaking up homes, running business,
making trouble for the state, and hinder
ing the progress of righteousness; cut
ting down youth in its vigor, manhood
in its weakness; making wives, widows
children, orphans; fathers, fiends; and
all of them paupers. viii the bishop
kindly show US some place where the
liquor traffic is we'll regulated by IL
cense law. But it is not regulation that
the distillers, and the brewers, and the
rum hotel landlords, and the saloon
keepers, and all who join with the bsh-
op in the cry for regulation, want.
No regulation, but license, they want.
The liberty TO continue its damning
work under the sanction and protection
of the state.
The third accusation against the law is,
ut causes heavier drinking in clubs and
at home 1t can be shown that In local
option states where city changed from
mo license to license, and the open