St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1902-09-17
THE COr1ING CONTEST.
A Timely Letter from the Prohibition
Candidate for Governor.


session of Vermont lawmakers centers
in the temperance issue, these worthy
men, and all true Vermonters should be
unusually alert and lar-sighted in these
weeks. Certain facts and certain posi-
bic lines of action ought to be most
) clearly before al our people.
The facts: The forces pitted against
prohibitionn Vermont arelargely foreign
and alien. The press outside the state,
either of its own motion or at the beck
Of other parties, in and out of the state,
is an immense factor in the fight. 1t is
phenomenal how prompt and positive
the great journals in Boston, New York
and Chicago have Leen in declaring the
doom Of prohibition in Vermont. Their
marvellous quckness leads to the sus-
picion that somebody has been prompt
ing them from behind the arras and the
voice can even be recognized as one that
has been almost blatant throughout the
campaign. The design of all this is
plainly to bewider and stampede the
temperance forces, and lead them to de-
sert the field. One understandable as
sumption is published over and over,
namely that license measure is sure to
be enacted and at least referred to the
people. Such an assumption is altogether
"A, ,.aoI;+x-
Again, moments reflection will serve
to satisfy anyone that the votes depended
upon to elect license men and to support
license measures are not the votes of the
true yeoman who have made and de-
veloped Vermont, but of an unframed
foreign element who are making gain
out of the thrift and good order of Yer
mont, while they disregard it's laws and
seek to direct its policy.
The major part of those representa-
tives belonging to the dominant faction
of the republican party were elected by
voters who really protested against the
referendum plank in their platform, and
at heart desired nothing but the contiuu
ance and enforcement of prohibition.
Now, apart from the abstract question,
still matter Of debate both in ethics
and civics, whether any convention of
voters can pledge an unelected body to
any given course of action, it is most
clearly true that the referendum element
OF republicans are no longer held by any
pledge made to placate another faction
since their proffer has been repudiated,
and the license local option element has
striven by day and by night, in ways
fair and foul, to defeat the plans of those
who sought to conciliate and hold them
in alliance. II it be argued that such
pledge was made to the whole body of
voters, and hence ought to be regarded
sacred, the answer is ready; those voters
who elected the major part of these their
representatives never asked for or ap.
proved such a pledge, and would con-
oibNl lllS SOllll at lllOlC uOuOIGu Ill LuG
breach than in the observance"
In view of these conditions and facts,
an open way now presents itself which
may, if taken, avoid the shame and loss
of backward step in our evolution of
good state government, and at the same
time save the time and expense of
lengthy legislative debate, and hold our
people to the same enactments that have
proved so efficient and creditab BILE in the
past. Let a resolution, a Joint resolu.
ton OF the Senate and House, be pre-.
sented early in the session, asking for the
immediate appointment of special COM
mittee OF five, or seven, to have in hand
the drafting OF a carefully prepared license
measure, which shall, next New Years
day, or the day previous, be presented to
the people tor their approval or rejec-
ton, Then let the test come on the
appointment of such committee.
If all who favor retaining our present
law intact with such improvements as
shall make it more efficient, will unite to
oppose the appointment of said COM
f mittee, then the sense OF the legislature
is manifested, and the whole matter set.
tied so far as this session is concerned
and prolonged, acrimonious, expensive
and demoralzing debate over the details
OF license law which the state does not
want, may all be avoided
Against this it may be argued that
+ such a course would tend to shut off
e healthy debate and restrict the educa.
tive element in our free democracy, But
it may be doubted whether our state
has the patience or the per diem to send
f her representatives through a long
( course of training in a debating class
particularly when large part OF their
/ exercises will be only in the way of throw.
a ing dust in the eyes of their patrons and
a mud on the frock coats of their oppo
2 nents,
S Such a plan would put the fight in the
e very outworks without yielding one
D trench to the enemy, and would if rightly
n managed prove the swiftest victory tc
= our law abiding people. Then if we must
b recede from this position we will recedt
S fighting.
e 1t any reader of the above see pith OF
S point in any of the suggestions made, he
l. can serve the cause of temperance in Yer
! w pnt lt,1fy Ia ot{ q,