Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-12-29

the prohibition states nave the feWesG
places per capita selling liquor of any
of our states.
But it is even more insistently |
claimed that more liquor is used per
capita to-day in Vermont than would |
be under license system. We can
only Judge of the truth Of this charge
by comparison of the amount used
under different systems, and il is i'm
possible to say just how much liquor
is used in any state in one year. Who
knows how much liquor is used this
year in Irasburg? We can only form
estimates which are approximately
near the truth. And the most reliable
estimates show that in the prohibition
states there is about one-ifteenth as
much liquor used per capita as in the
states under license system. In an
address by DR.. G. D. Beard of Barling-
ton, published in the MONITOR Sept.
goth, 1902, there is a com arisOn of the
two cities of Norwalk, Conn.,, and
Burlington, VT, cities of about the
same size and with very similar gen.
eral conditions except that NorWalk
is license city. NorWalk has about
go saloons selling on an average $50
worth Of liquor per day, according to
moderate estimate Of the saloon
men themselves, or total of $500
per day. The Burlington liquor
agency sells about $50 worth per day.
$35 against $500 for each day; or
$40, 300 against $4,000 per year.
Making due allowance for the illegal
sales in Burlington does anyone sup
pose that they cover one-half or one
quarter of the difference between the
amounts for the two cities. And the
license town has it's illegal sales too.
We should always remember that.
But the claim that is urged most
persistently of all against our present
law is that it is violated to such an
extent that it is practically a dead
letter. We are ready to admit that it
is violated. But the question is, does
it produce as much violation of law as
the license system. Mr.. Clement has
claimed that it results in vast
amount of bribery which would be
done away with under license sys-
tenn. He has repeatedly made this
charge from the public platform, but
in speaking before the temperance
committee of the present legislature
when asked why he had omitted from
the law he had drafted, a clause in the
Massachusetts law giving a property
owner the right to object to saloor
within % feet of his property said tina
he had done so since the Massachu
sets authorities told him that that
clause resulted in so much bribery
in one city he stated there hat
been paid in one year $3.50, 900 by the
liquor dealers in bribing propert.
owners not to object to the near pres
F., ence of the saloon. Evidently bribery
would not be done away with under
: license system according to one of it
, chief advocates. 1t is undoubtedl
: true that there is much deceit ans
/ hypocricy in connection with the ad
| ministration of the present law. Blu
, would there be less under the pro
t posed system, is the vital question
: The New York Times, one of the bes
newspapers in the country, recent
J, spoke as follows of the license law {
8 New York state: els the law whic
f promotes deceit and hypocricy
Q just and equitable aud right statut
+; for civilized community" A lit
Q later shall give testimony shown
: how generally license laws violate
b But one of the worst of the result
8 of license system with the open 81
It loon is that the element Of privat
II profit is introduced. Undoubtedly i
n many parts of our state the tow
1t agency does sell more liquor than
n ought. But even at its worst tt
e agent does not consider his oW
ID profit. The agent has a defini
Ie salary which does not depend on Il
n amount of liquor sold. If with th
le condition there is 50 much diff cult
is in making our town agencies OBJ
j. the law, how much more will there
" when the saloon keeper must look
st his sales for his living? Let salo'
re- be started in this town. The salo'
~ keeper, if he IS like the ordinary m
* in that business, will not be conte
A. unless he has what most men wot
to call good income. In Irasburg
oe saloon keeper would not be satsfi
do Continued on third page.
Ii ..