Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-05-23
REV. DIR. MARBLES ADDRESS

| political meeting. | do not stand herr
as the partisan of any candidate or tn,
representative of any party. Our poin
of view is not Montpelier but Brattle
boro. The best interests Of the com
munity have been threatened. On
Tuesday evening Mr.. Clement spok,
here in the interests of a High Licens
Local Option movement. lie indicted
! the officers of the law and courts o
| justice with the grossest venality lit
attacked the state political machine
He abused the Anti Saloon league, bu
he did not discuss the issue nor otfe
any substitute for the law he proposed
to repeal. The address was unfair, uu
just and misleading. For example:
|. He cited the Kibling case witt
its sentence of &C years as an illustra
tion of the severity of the prohibition.
statute but he failed to tell us tina
that feature of the law was repealed
years ago and that the extreme penal
ty of the law today is three and a hal
years.
,. He said that, 'The object of the
law is to prevent the use of intoXicat
ing liquor as beverage, but the
law declares its object to be to pre-
vent the manufacture and sale as {
beverage While the law makes it as
hard as possible to get drink it puts
no legislative restraint upon the indi-
vidual use of liquors. 1t is explicitly
provided that man may manufacture
what he pleases for his own use and
even share it with his friends in his
own house so long as it does not be
come a place of public resort.
B. That Prohibition is for the few
who misuse Intoxicating liquor is
only part of the truth. 1t is designed
to save the young and to discourage
the moderate drinker
4. That the law brands as a crime
a transaction which in itself is entire
ly right and proper" o. is true but it
is just as true of fishing out of season
or riding a bicycle on the sidewalk
The sale of liquor is no exception.
5. Mr. Clement held that the prohib-
itory law was responsible for the slow
increase in population in the last fifty
years; but everyone else knows that it
is due to economic conditions such as
the opening up of the great West and
the industrial development along the
lines of our great railroads. Vermont
ought to be compared with northern
New York and not with Manhattan is
land. License has not increased the
population of northern New York nor
has prohibition driven Vermonters into
other commemorative Opportunity
for getting wealth has been the deter
mining motive. When this is afforded
in Vermont as at Rutland we see that
the neighboring license town of White
hall is easily outclassed.
6. Mr.. Clement spoke of the Anti
Saloon league in close connection with
the recent murder at White River
leaving the impression that
the league was responsible for the
tragedy. As a matter of fact the
league did not hire the "spotter" and
is as innocent of any wrong as is the
license league.
L Mr.. Clement says that 1.-The An
ti-Saloon league cannot live in Yer
mont. 1t is very much alive now In
this and other states where the license
law needs as much enforcing as the
law does here.
s. The majority use Intoxicating
liquors. is another assertion. But
low does Mr.. Clement know: Has he
BOILED the state: No, this is but an
opinion.
8. He wants referendum" every
wo years, | suppose until public SEN
iment can be so debauched as to ac-
'ept his license measures. If that un-
Happy time ever comes will he be |
qually willing to continue the refer |
ndum every two years on the plea that /
many have repented of their folly and !
m th,, ,,v,h ~ r,t,
tie? There is now redress through |
he legislature. Let it come that way. /
Mr.. Clement has done us a real ser
ice. He has forced the prohibition |
strich to pull its head out of the sand .
nd clearly defined his own program
lie would repeal the prohibitory statute;
nact license local option measure;
estroy Anti Saloon League, root and
ranch and establish Five or six sa-
0ons in Brattleboro. " The question
; do we want five or six saloons in
'rattleboro?" This gives rise to a good
iany questions I
/. What is saloon? Actually it is
hotbed of crime and disorder and
cath. Multiply the Island by five
r six and you can begin to appre-
late what the proposition really is.
3 Where would these saloons be To-
ated: Two or three would be in
otels and the others beside somebody's
tore, near somebody's house. between
ne church and the schoolhouse. Do
on want one next door? No. Then
ote against it.
g. How much would they cost? In
honey from $40, 600 to $50, 600 per year.
Hood md ~, r,,irAl lD,,,n-
nd blighted lives, no man can tell.
re they worth the price: Mr.. Clement
ffered to build the mill but Brattle-
orc must furnish the grist,
4. Who will patronize them? Some
ody's father, somebody's husband.
son. Will it be yours?
cd forbid, and when the old FOUNDERS
ave fallen into drunkard's graves who
i'll fill up the ranks? Have you boy
} give?
5. What effect would they have up
n our industrial life? Would they in
rease the opportunities for employ
tent? Would their patrons stand
etter chance of getting work? No, no. |
hey would not help a man pay his |
mt or his grocery bill but they would {
osorb his earnings and cheat his cred 7
orS. I
Remember in conclusion: c
First. That this is not question of t
rinciple only. but question of g five t
six saloons in Brattleboro. -
Second. That this is not an issue
etween poorly enforced prohibitory
atute and a perfectly observed license l
W but between the present condition 7
I'd the condition that would ensue
ON the violation of every restrictive
allure of the license law proposed.