News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-05-21
High License VS.. Prohibition.

TAUNTON, Mass, May I9, 1902.
| EDITOR OF News AND CITIZEN =
Dear Sir Learning from your paper
that there is considerable discussion in
Lamoille County over the question of
high license or prohibition, l decided
to write to you and give you some facts
which l have been interested to gather
during my four years stay in this city,
that you may publish if you wish.
From May Ist, 1900, to May Ist, 1901,
was no-liCense year but the law was
so poorly executed that its non execu-
ton was made an excuse by the luke
warm supporters of no-license for their
failure to support the good work in the
campaign of 1900. The following are
extracts from the daily paper clipped
| for purposes of comparison
During the month of May, 1900, the
first month of no license in this city,
there were 81 DRINKS arrested by the
police against Io7 in April, or less than
one-third, which is certainly very good
showing. For further comparison it is
interesting to note that during May,
1899, there were e2 arrests for drunk
enness."
THUS far no-license has been a sue
cess in Taunton. The streets have been
more free from drunkenness than they
have been for seven years, if not longer
and the outlook for the future is excel
lent"
1.-The police report for June, 1900, is
as follows: The total number of arrests
for drunkenness were 81. The number
of drunks arraigned in court was A."
May, 1901, there were 1875 arrests for
drunkenness or four times as many as
in the preceding no-license year. From
May Ist, 1900, to May Ist, 1901, one
year under no license, there were $50
arrests for drunkenness. In the follow
ing license year, from May Ist to Nov.
Ist, 1901, six months, there were 700 ar
rests and only 293 for the same length
of time during the no license year, an
increase of I35 per cent.
This experiment was tried where it
was possible for anyone to purchase all
the liquor they wished by going either
to Providence or Fall River, with cleo
trio cars running to both cities once an
hour and sometimes oftener. Taunton
is nearly three times larger than the
largest city in Vermont and has large
proportion of foreign population, fifty
per cent. or more. The conditions here
are much more unfavorable for prohibit
ton than they are in any of the centers
of population in Vermont where there
is the most sentiment in favor of high
license.
The facts l have given in regard to
the relative amount of drunkenness here
in license and no-license times would
prove true there to greater or less
degree. Among my acquaintance are
some people interested in mill work
and l have their testimony that the
operatives lost less time and conse-
quently earned more money during no.
license than previously. l know also
that there was much less want among
the poorer people. l have not the fig.
ures but it can be proven by the report
of the Associated Charities.
There are many people who will
drink and treat their friends when there
is an open saloon who will not hunt up
place where liquor is illegally sold, or
go out of the city where they live to
buy it. 1t is such common occurrence
to see drunken men on the streets here
that it has become commonplace mat
ter. 1 have often been accosted by in
toxicated persons. A man is not usually
arrested for drunkenness unless he
makes some disturbance or is nearly
helpless.
Is this the condition of affairs that
Vermont people wish? God forbid.
Yours truly, N. E. GEORGE.