Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1902-12-01
KEEP THE PARTY PLEDGE.

On another page we give synopsis
of the high license local option bill
which has just passed the house and
senate; as some changes have been
made in the house this bill must go to
the senate again for acceptance. We
also give a synopsis of the Battell bill
which was defeated because, as was
claimed by its opponents, it did not
fulfil the party pledge. The oppo-
nents of the Battell bill turned that
measure down, because, as they said,
the promises of the party must be
kept. Without discussing this bill,
let us see if these republicans CD have
been equally careful to maintain the
party promises in every respect. The
resolution adopted by the repub-
lican state convention was as follows:
Resolved: That the Republican
Party of Vermont adheres to its long
cherished belief that unrestricted
traffic in intoxicating liquor is a pub
lie evil, and that material modifica-
tion of existing law on that subject
should be made only after thorough
discussion and mature elaboration of
the people, and we request the State
Legislature at its next session to make
provision for ascertainipg the will of
the people by direct vote upon the
acceptance or rejection of license
and local option law regulating the
sale of intoxicating liquors and fur
ther providing that upon popular
vote in favor of such law, duly
ascertained, the same shall become a
statute law of the State in force"
This plainly states that the legisla-
ture shall ascertain the will of the
people by direct vote upon the
acceptance or rejection of a high
license law" Has this been done?
The referendum adopted provides
that on the first Tuesday in January
the people shall vote upon the meas
ure. IT a majority are in favor the
bill shall go into effect the fol-
lowing March. If a majority are op-
posed it shall take effect in December
of 1904. There is no chance to reject
this measure. If every voter in the
state votes "no", it must become a
law unless the next legislature shall
repeal it. This does not conform
with the resolution adopted by the
republican party, but rather with that
adopted by the high license local op-
ton party which reads as follows:
"We demand that the next Legisla-
ture pass high license local-option
law, and that the same be submitted
to the voters of Vermont to become
effective only when majority of the
voters of the State have signified
their approval in the same manner as
the prohibitory law became effective
90 years ago. And in the event of
such law being submitted to the
people we urge all lovers of Vermont
to support it at the polls"
The referendum of the Battell bill
Is the referendum Of the republican
party. That provides that the people
shall vote upon the measure and if
majority are in favor it shall become
a law. If a majority are opposed
then 1t shall not take effect. An at
tempt was made to substitute the
referendum of the Battell bill for that
of the majority" bill but it could not
be carried. Thei principal argument
used against this was the claim that
it was not constitutional. However
we understand Judge Ross did not
take this position when before the
joint committee. At hearing
before the temperance committee
Hon. John Young stated that he could
see no distinction of principle be-
tween submitting to town the ques-
ton of whether it will have license or
not and submitting the same question
to the state. DESPITE these facts the
referendum of the republican party
was turned down for that of the high
license party, and by the very ones
who had on another occasion insisted
that the pledge of the party be
strictly kept.
As it now stands no matter
how the people vote, we shall
have highlicense local option law