The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1902-12-24
AN OPEN LETTER.
To Town Officials and Republican
Voters of Orange County.

OeuJleHeH' Lie recently enacted
high license local option law calls
for a special town meeting to be held
on Tuesday, February B, to register
your approval or disapproval of the
law by voting yes or no. This special
town meeting is to be called and
governed under the rules and regula-
tions governing freeman S meeting.
This means that selectmen must post
check list at least thirty days be-
fore such meeting; that the board of
civil authority must revise and cor
rect same; ballot clerks must be APP
pointed and the Australian ballot
system be used; constables must
warn the meetings, have warning re-
corded and preside at such meetings;
in short, observe all the details of
freeman meeting. Ballots are to
be furnished by the several county
clerks. The warning should state
the hour when the ballot box will be
turned, Safeguard this meeting so
that not single voter in Orange
county shall be barred from approx
ing or Disappearing the new high
license law.
A vigorous attempt was made dur
ing the recent session to amend the
present prohibitory law by eliminat-
ing some of its Objectionable features;
the attempt was followed by failure.
An attempt was made to enact a
State dispensary system with liberal
local option and restricted license
features. This plan met it's defeat. An
attempt was also made to substitute a
staight referendum, another failure.
and Clement high license members
were found voting almost solidly for
this high license measure, and against
the Ross amendments to the prohibi-
tory law and the straight referendum
In our recent election Orange
county cast 1850 votes. Clement had
1131, McGettrick had 53S-1669-
these were presumably nearly all in
favor Of high license.
Mccullough had 1915 votes, Sher-
burne had 276 votes-2191 presum-
ably nearly all opposed to high Ii
cense.
Surprising the above estimate is
approximately correct, then Orange
county, on the basis of the last
September vote, had majority of
about 800 opposed to high license.
In the recent legislative contest
over liquor measures, all the Repub-
lican Senators and members from
Orange county, save oney supported
the State dispensary system Battell
bill as against the high license sys-
TEN, believing that both the measure
and its straight referendum fulfilled
the pledge of the Republican party,
and, answering only for myself, the
more l study the State dispensary sys-
TEN, the better like it, and the more
am 1 convinced that it is best suited
to Vermont conditions.
Nohouiu Gu AhdJOAiUy Vi UiiO NOtOlo NOtC
no, on Tuesday, February 3, then we
have the prohibitory law unchanged,
in which event 1 hope the legis-
ture of 1904 will enact, to take effect
from its passage, clean, straight
State control liquor law, which will
have no provision in it for an open
saloon.
If you favor law which permits
seven classes of licenses, ranging from
$40 for a druggist to $1,000 for wide
open saloon, if you think the inter-
ests of Vermont are better served by
such law, vote Yes; otherwise vote
No.
Voters of Orange county, be either
bird or fish, and go to the polls ON
Tuesday, February 3, and show your
colors. Good citizenship requires
this much of you.
Respectfully,
Horace w. Bailey,
Orange County member
of Republican State Committee
Nov