Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1902-08-28
a Few Facts and Figures in Regard
to License and No-License.

Martin ) Hall. formerly OF Chelsea.
and for the last ten years probation Of
ficer for the police court Of Fitchburg
Mass, in warning the voters OF Yer
mont against the enactment Of 4 local
option or high license law, makes the
following statement
Having filed this position for ten
years. and investigated all cases Of
drunkenness which have come before
that court, / viii give figures which
ought TO convince every fair-minded
person that they do not want, and
will not vote for any candidate who
advocates, or is liable 10 help pass.
such law in the good old state OF
Vermont.
Massachusetts has local option law
in relation 10 the sale OF intoxicating
liquors. The towns and cities vote on
that question each year In 1892, the
city OF Fitchburg voted TO grant IL
cense, and from May ], 1898, 70 May
1, 1894. twenty-four liquor saloons
were opened. and during that year OF
license between 1 800 and /. 400 cases
OF drunkenness were before one court.
From May !, ls9i.to May 1890. we
had no licensed saloons. The year
following the last date given, we had
twenty-five licensed places, and dur
ing that year there were nearly 1000
cases OF drunkenness before our court,
Then we had a rest OF one year from
the saloons, but on the first day of last
May twenty-eight saloons opened for
business. and our cases OF drunkepness
for the three months up to August LIST
has averaged some over 100 per month.
Between the dates given. we have
had seven years OF no-license, and our
drunk list has never reached 500 in
any one OF these years.
1.-The figures | give here will average
about the same, according to the pop
ulation. in all the cities and towns
where it has been tested.
Tine argument that the license fee
received by the city or town will be
great help, is a delusion; instead, il
is a curse TO the community receiving
il. The license fee paid by the liquor
seller has got TO be raised. Where
does he get ii? More than SO per
cent comes from the earnings of the |
laboring classes. Wives and children |
go hungry, cold, and poorly clad. The |
money that should have been spent for |
them has gone into the pockets of the
rumseller. His family are well dress
ed and fed, they have good beds, but
the drunken man goes from the saloon |
TO the police station and sleeps on a
hard wood plank, and, in many cases,
his family are without food. fuel or
bed, except straw and rags. | know
this to be true, as 20 to the homes Of
these unfortunate people.
Hundreds OF men, young and old. |
have said to me- Mr.. Han. should /
not be here, had it not been for the
open saloon, never look after liquors,
but unfortunately entered saloon.
and you know the rest, as my case is
only one OF the same kind You have to
investigate every day.
Look the figures over and Judge for
yourselves, between license and no.
license. The liquor law of your state
may not be enforced to your satisiac-
ton, but don't 20 from bad to worse
don't blacken the good name of Yer
mont by putting this curse upon her
people. The wives, mothers and
rise up in protest against it,
as It Will bring neglect. want. suffer-
ing and unhappiness to them