Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-01-27
RATHER INCONSISTENT.

Inc recent dHdlr dU w niue River |
Junction and the criticism it has
received from all sides will doubtless
put a stop to the practice of employ
ing detectives in the endeavor to
obtain proofs of the violation of the
prohlbitory law. This method is one
which may not be sanctioned by a
majority of the people of the
state, and yet, as it is legitimate
one, it is not so strange that it
should be tried by the officials who
are being urged to enforce the law,
and failing to obtain proofs by the
usual methods employed, endeavor to
gain the necessary information in
some other manner. These officials
are obliged to face attacks from
every direction. Those who uphold
the prohibitory law will condemn
them if they fail to enforce it, while
the local optionists will also claim that
the law is farce if it is not being en-
forced. Let them go in in earnest
traffic, and in some cases their prohibi
ton friends are not willing to stand
up to the rack and face the music with
them, while many of the local option
advocates are sure to howl at the
methods which are being employed in
stopping the traffic. In this case the
local optionist is hard customer to
please. If the officials do not enforce
the law they call it farce and advo-
cate local option because, as they
say, they desire to see less liquor
sold. Let him enforce the law and
instead of encouraging him as would
be expected, they Immediately cry
that the rights of the individual are
being abridged.
The employment of detectives in
the work may not be necessary, but in
order that the liquor traffic should be
minimized (no law can stop it,, it is
necessary that officials be made to
understand that the people of their
town desire this and will uphold and
support them in their work. In many
of the towns the people are divided at
present, all of them claiming to be
working with the same object in view.
If the advocates of the local option
theory, who are really in earnest in
their professions of anxiety to lessen
the use of liquor, will join with the
advocates of the present law in put
ting stop to the traffic at this time,
there will be in most towns little need
OF prosecutions. Those who are vio-
lating the law we'll understand that
with the better class of people in their
town divided on the question, they
have less to fear from prosecution.
Once given to understand that their
townspeople would not tolerate their
work, large per cent. of it would be
discontinued without further action.
Let the selectmen of the different
towns be informed that their continu-
ance in Office depended on their stop
ping the large sales at the liquor
agencies, and the abuse of the agency
would be stopped.
Regarding the people who are crit
icising the prohibitory law because it
is not being enforced, we believe g
large per cent. of them have never in
any way used their influence toward
the enforcement of the law. In the
past they have objected to it because
as they claimed it could not serve the
purpose for which it was enacted, and
now that it is being better enforced
and is serving the purpose they still
object. When considering their earli
er complaints because of the non
enforcement, their present position
seems rather inconsistent.