Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-07-03
OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
A State Dispensary Law Commended.
(From the Middlebury Register.)

>
In the great struggle Of the future to
preserve the honor of our state for sobri-
city and temperance, the Register counts
as much If not the most on the support
OF those men (who are not satisfied with
tho present law. to sustain a just and
practical law. which, with a united pub
lie opinion back OF It, can be observed,
and which will reduce the sale OF liquors
and with the sale, the long array Of crime
and suffering that always follows their un-
restricted sale. to a minimum, instead of
raising them, as high license certainly
Will do. to maximum.
And this. to reduce the sale OF liquors
to minimum. is all that We believe it Is
an object to attempt. because all that can
practically be accomplished, and probably
Is all that we have n right to attempt,
for the use of liquors is not necessarily
an evil. IT is the abuse of liquor that
makes the trouble, and therefore it is this
excessive use which should be amenable
TO laws, which all, except possibly a few
who want to make money by its sale. will
agree Is a proper subject for regulation
and should be controlled by legislation.
And this Is the nature OF the operation
OF the law known as the Sweden and Nor
way temperance law, which the Register
has several times suggested as in its opin-
ion the best possible law for restraining
or regulating the sale Of liquor. 1t has
been tried in several Of our southern and
western states and found to work admir-
ably. The writer OF this article had op-
portunity to watch its operation in a win
ter spent in Columbia, South Carolina, sew.
eral years since At the state dispense
ries, a man, if sober. could get what Ii
quors he wanted, and carry away, pre-
csely as he would tea or other articles
of consumption, hut he could not drink
them where bought: and the greatest of
all evils connected with the sale II liquors,
that of treating and by which many, es-
pecially boys or young men, are brought
into habits of intemperance, Is practically
done away with.
The chief justice of the supreme court
of South Carolina gentleman Of the most
exemplary character and abilities, and who
boarded at the hotel where We stopped,
told us that he and the lawyers generally
had opposed the enactment of the law, but
that since experiencing its operation they
had entirely changed their mind and be-
come its hearty supporters, as 1t had
proved in every way most excellent law.
The Register will endeavor at once to
bring before it's readers, and so far as
able the people of the State, more accu-
rately the features and workings of this
law. The outlook magazine had quite a
full exposition Of it several years ago,
commencing It, Ex-Governor Woodbury.
told us that he had examined somewhat
into the matter, and thought 1t to be an
| excellent law Ex-Governor Stewart has
quite recently spoken favorably OF 1t both
to the writer and other citizens OF Middle
bury and vicinity. And we have been in
hopes that he would draft such law
adapted to Vermont conditions. for none
could do 1t better.
The whole question of temperance leg.
islation Is now relegated to the people OF
Vermont in their different towns. with the
final decision to be reached in tho legls-
| lature.