Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1901-10-25
THE REFORMER
Where the Trouble Lies.

Where the 1rouDi' h'''
What the Phoenix meant TO say was
tbat tbe iudgcs OF the supreme court re-
card tbe prnhibitory law as equa',
h;ndino on them aud on the people vi
Warmont for respect ard enforcement
Min the other laws on the statute oooH
should the officers of the law netomo
nnnI;ornt or ind ifferent about enforc,ns
+he laws AGAINST theft, perjury or arson,
tho ;ndoes would undoubtedly enter
mo crusade" if one chooses 10 can
- hy tb,t term. to compel the ENFORCE
no, NJ those laws. This we uhuer
SIsnd tn be the attitude of the luuges
,owa,d the prohibitory law-to place ~
nan enual basis with other vermont
Iaws-nothiug more, and nothing less.-
Vermont Phoenix, -.
Such is our contemporary i''es'
.,ataor, IF it's reasons for warm COM
mendation of recent evehts IN county
court: but it still misses the poln'.
There ought to be no DISAGREEMENT
anon, good citizens iu desiring the
thoroueh and impartial enforcement OF
ou,aws on the statute sbook. But why
ia # necessary that there should be OH
torent methods for prohibition than 1or
the enforcement of other laws WY
,,ust the iudges-not from choice cut
NV practical requirement OF the sta.u'e
be expected to overstep the mes upon
which the safety of free lnstitutions
rast and ,come. in effect, both prosecu-
tors and judges:
Granting, for the sake OF afsuu''n''
that the Phoenix 5 assumption Is correct
that the officers upon whom the duty Oh
nrosecution has been laid have "Decone
negligent or Indifferent" where 'ne
fault? Where the remedy;
Where, indeed, but with US, the people,
with whom is all the power and the re-
sponsibility: Does the Phoenix oelle'e
that if we wanted the law enforced as
that against theft, perjury or arson Is
anforced. there would be this uuenains
complaint that officials are Negligent
or indifferent? Or, to be JUST 10 'le
officials, that nne-tenths of the ihlof'iIa-
finn ana evidence on which they nave u
proceed would be of the anohS nous,
creak order. instead of complaints ana
nroofs furnished mar-fashion
The simple truth is, that no law ever
,oda cou)d have general or effective en-
forcement. if the attitude OF the con-
munity toward it were what 1t is towards
nrcbibition. 1t is the chief source OF l''e
;,s,;te decentralization of the law ana
nroof how far it has got from righ'
nrinciples. that our people from "negi-
oeuce. indifference" or worse, VIII per
sist in keeping it on the statute BOOK
and then in making practical mochery
of;t OF 100 men who support ana
think they believe in it, there VIII nor
averaoe 10 he over one that is willing 10
come ont in the open and aid its en-
torcement as they would any other
law OF the other 90 perhaps th'ro
vould really like to see it enforced, OUT
thew invariably want to see some one
else do the enforcing, and they are the
ones complaining of the dereilction Vi
others whose duty it is no more thar
theirs. 1t is only the natural fruitag'
of This state of things that we ma
large portion, perhaps a malority' ol
tbe rumsellers themselves, supporters OF
prohibition. For one-thrd OF the time
in the last 80 years, the chief executive
office of Windham county, for the en-
forcement of this law as well as others
has been held by open vioators OF 1t
and good men they were, too Ana
Newfane last week some OF the RESPOND
ents as they plead guilty and took the'
fines had to look in the faces OF oihclai
WIN had been the purchasers wher'
thew did the selling.
It all comes down to the tunda
mental trouble that men Will make
law that they themselves ara not w'illns
to abide by, to the theory, as raise II
ethics as it is belittling and unman
ming in practice, that they have
nerfect right to buy what 1t Is
crime, meriting the severest punish
ment, to sell to them.
The descent to Avernus is ever eas'
in public affairs. And so 1t follow
that when we retain law that W.
won't do our duty towards enforcing
we turn to wbat-unless the whol
theory of Anglo Saxon iurisprudenc
is fallacy-are the essentials
tyranny to get enforced