Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1902-05-22
REPLY TO Mr.. CLEMENT
Rev. G. G. Atkins Answers Ar
guments Made by Rutland Man
Says That Good, Old Fashioned House
Cleaning Is Needed, Rather Than
Change in the Law-The Bene-
fits Of Prohibition.

The Rev. C. Glenn Atkins spoke at the
opera house last night in answer to the
Hon. p. w. Clement candidate for the gov
ernorsnip on a license local-option plat
form who gave an address in the same
auditorium last Friday night. The subject
of Mr.. Atkins's talk was Docs Mr..
Clement See Straight?'
Previous to the address Sherman's bard
gave a concert in front of the opera house
for about half an hour, but the music was
not needed to draw the crowd. the interest
in the matter having been so great since
the subject was announced that the build
ing was filled with an audience of men
and women eager to hear the prohibition
side Of the question
On the stage were seated about 80 of G .
representative citizens of the city. TIE
exercises opened with singing by a quar-
tette composed of w. II. Mitchell +. =
Lyon, j. c. Brownell and f. T.. SWEET
They contributed two numbers. after
which the speaker was introduced by
Mayor Hawley. who spoke briefly, saying
that the interests of all good citizens are
in the attempt to settle the merits of high
license and prohibition. He said the ques-
tion before the city was which would be
conducive to an improved public life and
a higher citizenship.
Mr. Atkins was received with liberal APP
ulause and his remarks throughout were
began by speaking of the kind of life that
the people of Burlington wanted saying
that a higher citizenship was wanted and
that all that Is not good ought TO be put
out. In other words he said: I'VE want
to make reason and the will Of God pre-
vail"
The speaker said that Mr.. Clement had a
perfect right to come before the people
and discuss the question, that all laws de-
pend upon public sentiment and that that
is particularly iruc Of the prohibitory law.
He said Clement cane before the people as
an open and aNCWed caruidate and did not
write letters 10 the newspapers and sign
them, THE Oldest Citizen in the Town,
etc" If every man would come out in
ouch a manner all would be better off. 1t
is because there are no living issues
in politics that Clement is in the race this
year" said the speaker.
In answer to Mr.. Clements statement
that Vermont grew up TO the time the pro-
hibitory law was passed and then remain
ed stationary. Mr.. Atkins replied that the
reason for such a condition was that Yer
mont gave nobly of her mer for the Civil
War and that her best young blood had
gone from the State that other common
wealths might be formed from sea TO sea
| He spoke about the contradictory state
ments of Mr.. Clement. saying that in one
breath Mr.. Clement would say that the
minority was overriding the ma jority. that
rum was sold and only the favored few
could get it and in another breath said
that every one could get drink that want
ed it and that any one could sell 1t. In
one place he said the prohibitory law was
tyranny and in another that it was a
fraud. Mr.. Atkins held that it could be
both in nothing except a speech like Mr..
Clements.
The fundamental principle of Mr. Glenn
ents argument, the speaker said, was his
statement that drinking was so much n
matter Of a mans owe right that the
State had no right to interfere. in answer
to that he said: There are a good many
things, within limits. in which the State
has no right to interfere but l contend
that drinking does not belong in that
class. He said that If liquor was a man s
own product, if he used it temporarily and
allowed no one else to have 1t, the State
would not have a right to interfere. lie
claimed that such was not the case but
that the minute liquor was introduced,
man demanded brewercs, distilleries,
wholesale and retail liquor houses and that
when those came the matter passed from
the realm OF individual concern to the
realm Of public concern. When those
things come, crime. pauperism and an
archy increase and the matter Is of the
gravest public concern.
Mr.. Atkins spoke On the question of ex-
cessive fees which were dwelt upon at