Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-06-20
Treacherous Good Fellow"

Treacherous Good Fellow"
Probably the world will not long hall
between two opinions as to the par
played by the man who, having asked
a fellow to violate law that he may
derive pleasure from the act, afterwaro
turns about and gives information tc
| the proper authorities to the end that
the violator may be punished. There
is code of honor as ancient as society
that brands such a man as sneak.
The Messenger will not undertake to
argue the fine point of moral duty in
volved in it. 1t will simply reiterate
what its readers already know to be a
fact, that by common consent among
men the man who turns against an
other whom he has induced to commit
wrong that he himself may have
pleasure in it and then gives that 9TH
er up to punishment for that wrong,
is lacking in a certain we'll defined
quality that inspires human respect
to the fine point of moral duty that
may be in question. there is some
philosophy in the reflection that NOR
atty among men is as much advanced
by the scrupulous observance of some
of the old standards of honor that in
sure mans confidence in his fellows as
by such a tine-spun theory that he may
break faith with them any time he
conceives. it to be his obligation of
conscience to bring them mot himself
into punishment.
Vermont is even now being remind
ed by two conspicuous examples of
this kind of treachery. One case is of
spotter," man who actually made
living inducing other men to commit
crime so that he might report it to
the officers of the law. There is no
creature more despised among all man
kind than the ''spotter," and there is
no place where he has greater oppor
tuniy to flourish than in prohibition
states. The public has no sympathy
for such mercenary whose stock in
trade is an ability to gain the good
will and confidence of men only to
persuade them to commit crime and
get them into trouble for it.
The other example is furnished by
an ey ex-senator of Addison county who
has personal quarrel with a hotel
in Middlebury and for re-
venge goes before a Judge of the SUI
preme court and informs him that not
only this hotel man but other hotel |
men in the village have repeatedly VIC
lated the prohibitory law in his pres
ence, perhaps at his request And the |
informant backs up his disclosure with !
a list Of alleged witnesses, several of |
them prominent citizens of the state |
and one of them the states attorney of |
the county. OF course such witnesses
with one exception have not commit
ted any otfense against the statutes of
Vermont by buying or receiving
0oughten liquor and are not involved
IN this example in any degree. The
one exception may be the states attor-
ley. who is sworn to enforce the law
md who could not even thus witness
is violation without proceeding against
he liquor seller. But, aside from that,
he Addison county ex-senator has
merely succeeded in illustrating anew
he capacity of man to abuse the con-
idence of his fellows. If the witnesses
lie enumerates were present when the
aw was violated and if they with him
procured its violation, it was with the
acit understanding that every member
# the party was put upon his honor as
o the incident and the men who were
involved in it. Every man in the
arty was at the mercy, so to say, of
very other man, some not to be ex
,osed as having broken the law that
he party might have pleasure and 9TH
RS not to be exposed as having con-
ived at its violation for that purpose.
he old-fashioned code of honor was
aised again in this party of good fell
owship, only to be repudiated by one
f the good fellows. -
The subject is worth more than pass
ng reflection. In the fifty years that
be prohibitory law has been on the
tatute books, thousands and thou
ands of good citizens have been gull
' of some technical violation of it,
lay after day, some reputable citizens
Vermont, some men respected by all
no know them, give away liquor con-
AIRY to law or are the recipients of
quor furnished contrary to law. And
lie reason for it is that the prohibi-
Try law makes liquor selling or the
wing away of liquor under certain
circumstances a crime, not because the
It in and of itself is positively NOR
ly wrong. but because it is prohib-
ed The result is that men are com
lg to regard the observance of the
law not as an obligation of
,nscience. Where would these men
= to-day and what would become of
lman society in the state of Yer
ont, what would become of the gov
nment itself, if every man made a
lint of it to run to a Judge with ev-
Y violation of the law anywhere and
lder any circumstances that comes to :
5 notice: The proceedings in the
urts do not cover one-'hillionth
rt of the constant viola. ZION of the
law night and day by men
every walk of life This incident
rves as one more striking illustration