Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-01-21


alzing. Iiwish those who are doubt
ing could have seen the place of my
early life in Canada and viewed runs
terrible effects. More than so per
cent. of the men went to drunkard's
graves. Saloons give us the vulgar
song and story, to say nothing of the
treating system. It is the duty of
every state to so do as will best pro-
vide for good citizenship. The beer
drinkers Of the German army cannot
stand more than so per cent. as much
as their abstaining fellows. [, as a
Judge, know that the most fruitful
source of divorce is rum and hard
cider. We have right to protect the
home for that is the foundation of So
ciety. The state knows that when the
saloon strikes at men it is no respect
err of persons, and that when a man
begins to Wrestle with the demon he
IS sure to be thrown. It is the duty
of every state to lessen crime. *
Wipe out the expense Of criminal
courts caused by rum in Vermont and
you will reduce the total two thirds.
The most atrOciOus murders which
have been committed were caueed by
rum. Yet the condition in Vermont
to-day is almost a millennium to what
it was half a century ago. The man
who says more rum is used in the state
now than when it was free is either a
fool or a liar.
The customs and habits Of the early
days in this state compelled the peO-
pie of Vermont to rise in their might
and ask if such things must endure
forever. The strength of a nation is
in it's wealth, but it's wealth is in the
The people realized that the environ
merits of the boys of those days would
develop men of like character, and it
was then the prohibitory law had
birth. 1t was framed after serious
consideration, and was not enacted
by fanatics The fathers Of that law
loved Vermont, they loved their
homes, they loved humanity, and they
realized the waste caused by this
traffic.
Note some of the cardinal ideas of
the prohibitory law. The first of
these is that no liquor shall be sold
except by the hand of the state, and
the state shall sell it only for chemical,
mechanical or medicinal purposes.
The town agent is the hand Of the
state, in the meaning Of the law, and
the purpose of the law is to furnish a
decent and proper place where liquor
can be purchased when it is needed.
The compensation of the agent must
men, and the agent is not allowed to
purchase the liquor he sells. Accord
ing to the letter and spirit of the law
the agency can never be a legalized
dram shop.
The part of the law making intox-
ication a crime is good. You may get
drunk alone and shut yourself up but
you must not infiict yourself upon
others. This is one of the wisest
provisions of the law, because a
than q mad dog at large. The law
| does not excuse a man because he
commits crime when alcohol has
nerved his arm.
IF you want to know what the high
license people of Vermont would do,
read the bill presented to our legisla-
ture of 1898. The high license desire
as represented there was TO have the
right, for fee, to place a grog- shop
beside each church and schoolhoEse
in the state. To- day the saloon does
not cut any figure in Vermont politics.
They say the law makes liars and
perjurers. Every criminal law does
| that.
There are many who think pretty
decent people will lie in a liquor case.
Bnt such men would lie at any time
in their own interest.
Every county in Vermont through
| it's states attorney can close it's sa-
| looms in six weeks. The trouble is
| not with the law but with the men
| who enforce it. People seem to think
the law will enforce itself. The reason
why the law is not enforced is because
you and I do not do our duty. Tt is
not the duty of Christians to give all
| their attention to their souls and let
the devil run the world. 1t is just as
much mans duty to be good citi-
zen as to be a good Christian. We
need an organization of citizens for
the enforcement of law. If you will