Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-11-27
COMM UNISM RUN MAD
And Levying a Piratical Toll on
the License Law.
Not Co ltent with Grab OF Nearly 800,
900 through state Highway and
School Taxes, Taken from More
Heavily Taxed Towns and
Cities for the Bsnelt Of
Those Lighter Taxed.

Mr.. c. II. Davenport. formerly editor
of the Brattleboro Reformer who has
been a close observer of Legislative mat
ters at Montpelier, sends out the follow
ing letter:
The license local option bill now close
to enactment in the Legislature, though
it falls considerably short of the best at
tainable will nevertheless be the best
law of its kind in existence anywhere,
provided two fatal defects can be amend
ed out of It, as the Senate has proposed
and the House, in the spirit of commun-
ism that has taken hold of 1t, refused
These defects are the provisions giving
three quarters of all the license fees and
penalties to the State and thence through
the highway fund mainly to he small or
no license towns Any other defects or
shortcomings car be remedied by future
legislation if experience proves them to
be necessary; but these, If they are al
lowed enactment now, are fastened upon
us forever, and piling robbery upon rob
berry as they do. and as will not fail to
be made clear in the discussion or the
next two months, are as certain as any
tn ing In the future can be, to lead to the
rejection Of the law at the hands Of the
people.
The provision sending three-quarters of
the penalties to the State while loading
the costs of all prosecutions, as we'll as
policing, on the towns, with a drawback
that is chiefly illusory. has no parallel for
meanness in all the legislative annals of
the human race and has not a shadow
Of reason to stand on-and nobody has
suggested one--but that of hare ed rob
berg. and It must Inevitably operate to
non enforcement of the law. verifying the
prophecy of prohibitionists that the re-
stric tons of license will be no better
oheyed than prohibition. A glance is suf-
fcicnt to show this
In an ordinary town the licensing
board go through the forms pro-
vided by tho bill at an annual cost
| OF .... Observation-Disclosures. SID w
Or il can faithfully do what the law
contemplates, constantly watch
ing the traffic, investigating and
| following up every complaint and
| prosecuting every violation This
with what the bill requires of
other officers would easily cost
annually ... ...,................. 800 90
Difference in cost to the town be-
! tween honest enforcement and
lawless rum trafic............... 400 90
The more of watchfulness there is,
! the less. of course. will be realized
in nenalties, which run from $50 to
! 500 each. But SUPPOSE enough
violations are caught and proved
to amount annually to ......$200 90
OF which State gets........ $50 %
And the town.. 30 o0
Net cost to the town of honest OBJ
serVance by officials. $50 %
But this is not all. The town
must pay all costs of prosec,l-
ton (of course above what is real
/ lied from respondents). Call
these Uhev might be several
times as much). 500 %
The bill provides that if they eX
coed towns share of penalties
or $50. the State shall refund
three quarters of the excess
or. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81 ~
Leaving the town to bear the net
cost of prosecutions. .............. 60 8