Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-07-22

PARTY'S
PLATFORM

The followin , is tie platform of the
Prohibition Party o! Vermont for 1902
In an editorial June 2lst y1u charged
the party with bigotry for It's declar-
alton regarding referendum OF the H.
quor question.
AS you had not seen the platform in
full at that time you N y be willing
to admit we have some reasons for
our position, OF course, men in our
party as in yours differ regarding
certain planks in their respective plat
forms. Our party lisa unit however in
its advocacy of prohibition.
PLATFORM
The Prohibition Party OF Vermont
in convention assembled, believing
the principles upon which We are
founded to be invincible and their val
ue at no time in our history being
more apparent than at present,
do hereby reatiirm our belief that
Almi hty God still reigns in our all irs
and that His favor and blessing rests
only pom such human enactments as
are agreeable to His will, do hereby de-
clare, that we continue our allegiance
to the National Prohibition Party
as the only one emb)dying our prin'
ciples.
In state affairs with the luminous eX-
amples Of Theodore Roosevelt in New
York and Sheriff Pearson Of Cumber-
land Co. Maine before u.s. we maintain
that the law prohibiting the traffic in
intoxicating beverages can and ought
to be as efficiently enforced as other
criminal laws
For fifty years the citizens OF Yer
mont have considered the sale of intoX
icating beveragesa crime The trend
OF moral reform steadily tends to pro.
hibition as in cases Of human slavery,
lotteries, prize fighting and gambling
and we believe to prevent reSurrec-
ton Of this inlqultous brood, the mo
Their of the whole, the liquor traffic,
should be destroyed.
" TIE United States Supreme Court
has declared that "No Legislature
Can bargain away the public health
or the public morals, than people them
selves, can not do it, much less their
representatives. The statistics OF every
state show greater amount of crimes
and misery attributable to the use otIar-
dent spirits obtained In these retail liq
uor saloons than to any other source. "a"
While therefore on ordinary ques-
tions we heartily endorse their refer.
ence to the people for their sanction,
we are opposed to such reference of
q uestions which have already been es-
tablished on right moral foundations.
We believe the increasing clamT
for License and Local Option now ag-
itating the public mind, is largely
due to the corrupt venal non enforce.
ment OF the law, by the officials SOL
EMMY sworn to its execution, father
Than to any real demand for a change
Since our town agency system is
capable of being, and in some notable
instances is worked in the interests of
the town and state treasures, we de.
1nand it's revision in such manner as
shall eliminate to minimum the pro.
tit feature.
We pledge ourselves, il elected to
office to the faithful enforcement OF
our state liouor law as it exists and
to its strengthening wherever and
whenever it needs such revision.
We therefore, invite all citizens re.
CARELESS of previous party atfil ations,
who desire the maintenance OF the
prohibitory law, to unite with US in
al tn 2 ,ubn
pledged to its enforcement
While, therefore, approving refer
endum on ordinary questions, we de-
cline to being party to securing one
on this question. First: Because
licensing any evil is wrong In prln.
ciple and powerless AS remedy" We
have the authority Of the U, S. Su.
preme courJ that retail liquor saloons
produce more misery and crime than
any other cause, and all other reliab
official testimony is to the same effect.
Second: The prohibi.ory principle in
law is constitutional and right, and
been so declared by the U. S. Supreme
court aud gives better results than
any form of license. Recorded facts
show this universally Third: This
referendum clamor was started and
pushed by the enemies OF the law, as
an entering wedge to it's overthrow,
because they had failed t. get the
legislature to pass a license law, and
we can see n reason why the friends
OF prohibition should help its enemies
in their work. This anxiety for a
referendum die not manifest itself
until our license friends failed In the
Legislature. We will test their vaun-
ted sincerity for the 'wll OF the peo-
pie" by asking for a re.submission
clause at the end of a short term if the
people adopt the law at first.
Fourth: We think We have good u
thority for our belief that liquor lie
ense laws are unconstitutional |
The bow are some OF our reasons for
not helping the enemy. II they indi-
cate bigotry then we are surely guilty. |
We feel confident at least, that Won
and all other fair minded men viii
admit that no man can Cast vote
for governor Of Vermont in Sep.
TENDER next. and have that vote mn