Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-09-01
w. c. T. u. COLUMN.
WHO WANTS THE REFERENDUM. AND
WHY.


clans and their friends are zealously
trying to hold the license people for
their so-called regular candidate for
governor, because their license plank |
promises the same thing as the license
plank of the Clement platform; and
at the same time the same parties are
endeavoring to keep the temperance
people solid, saying the license plank
commits the party only to the refer
endum and it was not all concession
to the license forces,
Now in the midst of the varied
interpretations, explanations, apollo
gies, etc., let it not be forgotten that
the 'hue and cry" for that plank and
the referendum was born, agitated
and pushed by the enemies of prohi-
bition in the state, undoubtedly
backed by the combined liquor trade
of the entire country.
The foes of prohibition have been
repeatedly and badly beaten in the
legislature with prospects of like
results in the future, if the fight were
continued along the same lines; hence
they decide to shift the fight to the
people, then by corruption and fraud
and by using probably every daily
paper coming into the state as their
tool, they think their chances of sue
cess improved. That they are right
in this cannot be denied.
The liquor trade and it's organiza-
tons everywhere are opposed to pro-
hibition and are for license. Especially
odious in their eyes is the record of
fifty years of prohibition in Vermont,
partly because it has outlawed and
crippled their nefarious traffic here,
but more important is Vermont's in
fuence throughout the country
against their business. To overcome
this has been their study and to do it
they are willing to perform any work
and put In any amount of money to
deceive and corrupt the voters. By
the referendum the people of the
state are to be put at disadvantage
against this great combined world
power. This combine, defeated time
and again in the legislature, asks for
referendum license law, and the
republican party, fearing break if it
refuses, resolves to grant this request.
The Anti-Saloon League, apparently
desiring to keep in harmony with the
the regular republican party, officially
sanctions the grant and thus what has
been heretofore the prohibition
stronghold is surrendered to fight the
battle upon the ground selected Ivy
the enemies of prohibition as more
favorable to themselves.
That there are honest temperance
people who believe in license and
think the referendum law proper, is
not questioned, but nevertheless, it
was not through the work of such
people that present conditions were
developed, but by the effort of the
liquor organizations and their friends.
They are at the bottom of it! They
are the ones most interested, and the
| granting Of the referendum was a
yielding to their demand and it needs
no argument to prove that what the
liquor interests want is not for the
general good.
Although worded somewhat differ
emily, the Mccullough and Clement
platforms, on this issue, call for
exactly the same thing, viz: passage
by the next legislature of local
option license law to be submitted to
the people and become a law il
approved.
The democratic platform demands
a license law as usual.
The prohibition party is the only
one in Vermont now standing
squarely for the maintenance an6
honest enforcement of prohibition
and against the reference of ones.
tions which have been 'salready es-
tablished on sound moral founda.
| Will. n NOt0 IOr ILLS UlCK6l
September End is the only ballot thai
can then be counted as standing
fairly and squarely in favor of oul
present temperance laws and against
yielding the choice of the battle
ground to those who would over
throw such laws. Such ballot viii
protest against politicians yieldins
principle to party policy, and on 81
vital and important an issue as this
| declare there must be no double
dealing.
May every temperance voter b,
loyal to his best convictions at tn,
ballot box September End as we'll a
! when the question may be submitte,
to popular vote.
: c. B. WILSON, Bradford, VT.