News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-06-11
Local Option In Massachusetts.
Editor News Dc Citizen:-

EuIUOF news 0 IlUlZeH:-
Remembering the high standard oil
morals attributed to the citizens O.
Vermont in the past, so that, not
more glorious was it, in the days O
the C9sers, to proclaim, Il am g
Roman citizen, "than for the children
OF Vermont to declare, 81 am q
Vermonter," and having lived in
Boston during the past ten years, ]
submit the following, relative to
legalizing the open saloon:-
My observations have been along
Christian and political lines, the
latter in connection with my duties
as an officer in an association work
ing for the preservation of the public
schools, from the venomous coil OF
the serpent, alcohol. The section of
the city apportioned to me, was one
of congested population, with pro-
portionate frequency OF saloons.
Nearly every home 10 my precinct
was visited and the desOlatiOn and
misery of many in the saloon districts
cannot we'll beimagined by the clear
headed, we'll balanced voters OF Yer
mont. Children handicapped in the
race for subsistence at the outset,
deformed and diseased wander about
the saloon doors, familiarzing them
selves with it's evils, until, when no
longer children. they stagger in and
out of the saloon as did their parents
before them. This is the actual condi-
tion OF affairs in Boston to. day, and
there are portions of Washington
and fremont streets, so hedged
about with liquor saloons, as to
render those thoroughfares unfit for
women or children to walk, even in
daylight. Then there is the hotel
side OF the question. Take the "Tou.
raine" case for example. A few years
ago, when the Hotel Touraine,
one of the most popular hotels in
town, was being constructed on the
corner of fremont and Boylston SITS,
the attention of the public was called
to the fact that it's open bar would
come within the prescribed limit
established by law to regulate the
number of feet that must intervene
between saloon and school house.
The hotel proprietor, who is also
connected with some of the leading
hotels in Boston, very we'll knew the
tremendousbacking he would receive,
hence the astonishing proposition
was advanced to close the school
house but license his hotel, and it
was licensed and open for business
on schedule time.
Do you imagine all will be closed
and quiet on the Sabbath day? Not
so, the intrigue and trickery of the
average saloon keeper is beyond
human power to cope. The saloon
keeper when possible takes out a
hotel license thus enabling him, with
the aid of sandwich, to keep open
the Sabbath day. Moreover the day
preceding holiday, every available
foot of window space is utilized for
displaying signs similar to this
"Closed tomorrow. Buy your
bottled goods to-day"
Satan may we'll gloat over that
omnibus warning. A dense throng
pack the saloons, almost every one
of whom 60 out, with bottles pro-
truding from every pocket. The
noisesome odors and poisonous
surrounding a saloon
tend to destroy every spark of man
hood, to scar and scorch the souls OF
men, until they are utterly incapable
of distinguishing between right and
wrong, and are driven to the polls
by some political boss, who thus
manages to continue in operation,
the saloon system from wear to year.
The seed once sown in Vermont our
farmers will never be able to root
out; the plant will assume gigantic
dimensions, with branches extending
all points of the compass, it's bitter
fruit eventually death.
The novelty of a glittering saloon,
decked out with all the trappings of
an up-to-date establishment will at.
tract our boys and girls, who will fail
to discover the "Skeleton at the
feast. ALMA KENFIELD.