Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-01-08

drives out the illegal dives, for be is con-
stantly violating the law himself and does
not dare to complain of the illegal seller,
w no would in turn complain OF him, and
be has much more at stake. Ninety-nine
out of 100 licensed dealers violate three
provisions of the law, which forbid selling
to minors, convicted drunkards and those
known to have been intoxicated within
six months. IL he does not sell to these
classes, what becomes OF his business III
a complaint is entered against low dive,
the man with jug and two glasses can
transfer his plant with great facility to
another street, but the high license seller
has finely appointed saloon with perhaps
5000 worth of fixtures, which he cannot
move so easily. Then, too, the dive keep
ers buy their liquors OF the high license
dealer, and Of course he won't complain
of them as long as they are source OF
profit to him. Not infrequently he starts
dives himself for the sake OF the extra rev.
enue or agrees to the dive-keeper's .propo-
sition to pay half of the license fee in con-
sideration of chance to sell unmolested.
I'd. High license is constantly and fla
GRAVITY violated, more generally and uni
versally violated than prohibition is in
Vermont. 1t is no uncommon thing to
find boys under Is so drunk that they
have to be carried to the police station.
Seldom or never is the question of minor
raised and no full-grown boy who asks
for drink is asked in turn for his age.
Sunday selling, too, is regular custom.
Sd. High license Is harder to enforce
than Vermont has found prohibition to
be. In the case of Sunday-selling, an ae-
tual sale Of liquor must be proved. 1t is
not enough to see men lined up at bar
drinking something or even to hear them
order beer. They may be drinking tea, or
they may have called for root beer. Spot
tiers are an absolute necessity in order to
fffaia avid n 4.
Consequently high license increases the
number of spoilers, who have to buy IL
quor and at least taste of it in order 70
swear to a sale. Many a man has been
hung on circumstantial evidence, but you
can't convict a rumseller on it.
4th. High license increases drunken
ness. Men who fit up elegant saloons
must sell a good deal of liquor in order to
make anything. One thousand dollars
day is considered a low average in Massa-
chusetts for a city with 40 rumshops. Dis
played goods sell better than those tucked
away in back room, and yet Nermonts
new law says that no display shall be
made in the windows. Now what does
that mean Can the goods come within
six inches or six feet OF the window, or
must the supreme court place the limit
Again the law declares that no curtains,
screens or similar contrivances shall OBJ
struct a comprehensive view Of the place
I from the street, in which event it Will be
rather difficult not to display the stock
little. The anti-treating clause IS OF
course absurd. If it is all right for you to
4 buy glass OF liquor for yourself, there
can be no harm in buying one for your
I friend.
5th. There are more arrests for drunk
enness under high license than under
prohibition, and only one in ten are ar
rested at that. No arrest is made unless
man is fighting drunk. or lying in the
street.
9Th High license increases financial
| burdens Five-sixths of the pauperism OF
Boston is due to drink Men vote for the
saloon to lower their taxes and then are
unwilling that their boys should patron
| ize them. They save dollar and lose
| their BOYS, for you can't run saloon
without bows any more than you can run
sawmill without logs.
/ There is corruption, too, among the IL
cense commissioners; there is something
/ in il for them. When there is one license
/ granted in a town that man will get II,
without regard to other qualifications,who
can give the commissioners the biggest
sum TO divide among themselves aside
from the fee demanded by the state. 1t is
said that before the license bill passed the
Vermont legislature, a man in st. Adams
approached a prominent politician with
an offer of $1,000 for place on the COM
mission.
Public sentiment, they tell us, will not
enforce prohibition. 1t takes more than
public sentiment to enforce any law. The
air may be full of steam but il II is not
controlled and directed it won't move a
train of cars or turn single wheel.