News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-07-30

SuCu Il CSI llllCdlS. n man WOLlb
sign it quickly enough, for there is no
penalty attached to it if he tells what
is not true. That is Clements idea
of high license.
But the strangest thing in this
Clement law is his restriction as to
the number of licenses. 1t provides
that the total number of licenses
shall not exceed one for each 1000
inhabitants or fraction thereof, PRO
vided, however, that these restric-
tons shall not apply to druggists
licenses, and further that the board
of excise may in their discretion
grant additional licenses to hotel
keepers for temporary period not
to exceed six months" Now, let us
see what we could have in Brattle-
boro under Clements law. We could
have just as many registered phar-
macists selling liquor, as chose to get
a license at SIS apiece; no limit as to
their number. We would have seven
saloons straight; they might be OF
the 500 kind or of the $500 kind.
Then we would have as many hotel
licenses as the board of excise might
see fit to grant. John Jones would
get a temporary" license for six
months, then his clerk, Geo. Brown,
could get temporary" license for
six months, and so get through the
year. The New York Raines law
shows how mushroom hotels spring
up to get around the liquor law.
lust imagine the number of hotels
we would have in Brattleboro, Rut-
land, Burlington and St, Adams
under Clements law?
So Clement considers either 800
or $500 high license He regards
this unlimited power to grant licenses
as a restriction" of theliquor traffic.
He calls such a law as this regula-
ton of the liquor traffic.
Then, in his bill he cuts the life
right out of the civil damage law.
His bill provides that person in
iured in person, property or means OF
support by an intoxicated person,
shall have the right of action against
the person selling the liquor, but he
limits it to such a form of action as
such an intoxicated person would be
liable to. If man got drunk and
smashed a plate glass window, the
owner of the plate glass could re-
cover damages of the liquor seller.
But if the husband of wife and the
father of family of children got in
toxicated and was killed by some
accident in consequence of his lntoxi-
cation, the widow and orphans are
left without any remedy. Every safe
guard and every projections thrown
around the rum seller and none at
all is vouchsafed to the family of the
man who drinks. This is how Glenn
ent would restrict the liquor traffic,
and promote the cause of temper
ance.
Candidate Clement has harangued
long and loud against the fee system
which obtains under the present pro-
hibitorv statute. In his bill he pro-
vides for the punishment of illegal
liquor selling and prohibits the sale
by licensed saloons between certain
hours and on Sundays and on cleo
ton day. (He does not restrict it on
legal holidays as is done in Massa-
chusetts.) But he let's the fee system
stand. He does not cut down a
single item. He does not change
single line and all the evil and chance
of lextortion that exist, if they do
exist in the present law, are left in
force by the Clement bill.
There are very many sincere, hon
est, well-meaning citizens in Vermont
who believe in high license and local
option, and a good many of them
have been misled by Clement. A few
of them still persist in following him,
Do they want this sort of law?
Do they believe a measure of this
kind will promote temperance and
sobriety? Do they think this is re-
striction of the liquor traffic?
Is it HIGH LICENSE or is it