Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1902-11-21
PASSES 26 TO a
FIlIBUSTERING VAIN.
LICENSE BILL WITH RIGHT AND NECES-
sARY AMENDMENTS GOES THROUGH
SENATE

Best License Law in Existence Anywhere
Republicans Fight First for State Store
System, Then for Bogus Referendum, Then
for Change of Dates, Losing Votes at Ev-
cry Test Several Democratic Amendments
Prevail-Two Sincere Prohibitionists Help
On Most Important One-Both Houses Ad-
journed Till Week from Monday.
The license local-option bill passed
to third reading in the Senate yes
terday with majority that astonished
even its most ardent friends. The
final vote against it was cast only by
Arms of Orleans, Emery of Orange,
jackson of Essex and Stiles of Gale
donia.
The fight began in the House yester
day at 3 p. IN. to continue nobody
knows bow long, though it is hoped to
bring it to a vote tonight. Nobody
doubts that it has a safe majority; the
only question is whether a few feat
ures put in with the evident purpose
of making it wrong, some by under
hand methods which the temperance
committee is utterly unable to account
for and some with an evident purpose
somewhere to put the supporters of the
bill in the dilemma of perpetrating
gross wrong or put themselves in the
attitude of opposing the small towns
who are out for grab as never before
can be corrected.
Still the bill emerges in pretty good
shape. wonderfully so considering the
gauntlet it has had to run through.
a dozen points it has been made less
stringent, effective and certainin oper-
alton than the Democratic bill, whose
general form and semblance it takes,
but it will be with the amendments the
Senate makes be a more effective and
just -principled license law than exists
anywhere else.
The chief defects noted in these col
umns last week with some more of de-
tail, have been amended out in the
Senate. The worst one, which would
have made farce of the law by allow
ing sale in original packages without
license, Senator Russell explained had
been put in the bill without authority
Of the committee. which had never
adopted it. The provision for division
of license fees "a to state and Il to
town was replaced by one making it
half and half on the showing by Sena
tor Mayo, Dem, that the latter divis-
ion was more generous to the small or
no license towns than any other state
makes. the share to the state being
usually /, and the highest anywhere
else in New York 13. The most imfa
nous provision, perhaps, of all, and
the one designed to achieve defeat be-
fore the people, gave all penalties for
violation to the state and thence to
towns, through the highway fund,
while loading all the costs of prosecu
tion on the towns, with only tritiing
modification it figures out in Brattle-
boro, for instance, that not only is all
tax-paying interest lost in having the
law enforced but it actually means
money punishment of S400 on the av-
erage, every time the town does it, all
for the benefit of no license towns.
Senator Sutton moved to amend by
this right: but the Senate did
not understand it, was tired after a
long debate. and viva voce vote was
doubtful. But Senators Walbridge
and Spencer, as prohibitionists who
believe only in manly tactics and if we
are to have license want it the best
possible, have arranged to take hold
and help straighten this out to-day.
The amendment may possibly be de-
feated in the House but it is not likely.
Another headlong oversight by which
the committee bill repealed all laws and
penalties against intoXication, was
remedied by a substitute for the orig
inal package section.
The skirmishipg preliminary to the
fight began Tuesday afternoon with
caucus of Democrats. c. H. Daven-
port. who was present, was asked to
explain the amendments he thought
and did so, and the Demo-
cratic members of the committee con-
sisting of DIR. Conland, FIR OSullivan
and Pape of Barre, We're empowered to
for the party such amendments
as they thought judicious. Then the
license men of all parties caucussed in
the evening with the general conclu-
sion to be very chary of offering amend
nents and to entrust their proposal to
the committee. They were scared,
1eedlessly as the situation now APP
pears, by the prohibition manoeuyre
guided by Rev, Morrow, who issued
such instructions. to load the bill with
in the hope of so entang
ing things in the last days as to pre-
7ent passage. During the caucus
Fletcher of Cavendish warmly thanked
Dr.. Conland for the hard and non par
isan work he had done on the meas
Ire. saying, Though a Democrat,
Dr.. Conland has saved the Republican
party
The regular Republicans had their
'aucus Wednesday evening, and after
suitably denouncing "boltersi and
me another decided to support the
3attell bill and the straight referen-
lum promised in the party platform.
This 'decision' was reached by the
imple process of calling for standing
.ote of ''ayes.'' when about GO mem
pers rose. and not calling for the
noes.
When the bill came up in the Senate
t p IN. yesterday in pursuance of
he caucus proposal Emery of Orange
moved to substitute the Battell bill,
rguing as Styles, Walbridge and 9TH
rs did. that that was license and To-
al option and fulfilled the Republican
romise. Spencer of Windham made
he decisive break. saying that under
he instructions by which he was elect
d. he could not vote for the substi-
ute. Then Emery withdrew it and
moved 10 amend the referendum clause
" substituting that of the Republican
latfurm. and the debate was hot The
republican leaders denounced the kind
f referendum of the majority. quoted
heir platform and Gov. Mccullough S
peeches and message for such refer
ndum, and appealed to the party to
keep faith. - Stiles twitted the
Democrats, who had declared against