The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-02-12
PUBLIC COMMENT

The supporters of license see in the
result of the vote on the referendum
"the dawn of a better day, " "a dec
laration against hypocrisy" and
many similar virtuous things accord
ing to the junction. of the seers Some
thing must be pardoned to ecstacy in
the hour of victory, even a victory
which, like that of Bunker Hill to
the British, is practical defeat.
The Journal has sized up the vote at
large and showed that the claim of
the license people that Vermont is
overwhelmingly for license is with
out foundation, even on their own
much Wanted basis, the aggregate
vote, not the vote by the towns and
that of constituting the Legislature,
the Free Press shows that $50 towns
and cities voted "Yes," $50 voted
mo Thus $50 elective communities
would have sent to the Legislature as
many Representatives opposed to the
acceptance of license as the policy of
the State, or majority of 100 against
putting the proposed law into force.
In the same way, five counties,
electing IA Senators, voted Eyes, :"
and nine counties, electing 16 Sena-
tors, voted mo- So that, had the
towns and cities been electing Repre-
sentatives, and the counties been
choosing Senators, the House would
have had majority of 100 and the
upper branch of the Legislature would
had a majority of two against the &C
ceptance of the license act The
"hypocrites" are in the majority on
the popular vote, when all the voters
are out: they are actually in the ma.
jority, on the vote as it was cast,
when the vote is considered in the
shape it is reckoned to constitute the
law making body, There is no excess
sive amount of present consolation
on either side of the issue-in these
considerations, but they are interest
ing and suggestive just the same. They
are likely to give shape and direction
to movements III the next two years,
and to the election of the next Legis-
lature. There is certainly everything
except an actually adverse vote to lend
sobriety to the reflections of the apos-
ties of high license and it's hyphenated
abs urdity, local option.
Outside the State the result in Ver-
mont is taken to mean the end OF pro-
hibition as a means of regulating the
traffic in liquor and it's use. 1t is
shown that, in the States of New
England, in New York, Michigan and
Iowa, which accepted prohibition in
the early fifties-the era of Neal Dow
and the Maine law-Maine and New
Hampshire now remain the only adj
herents to the prohibitory plan and
principle, and these States will soon
yield up the ghost.
In Vermont, had the referendum
been taken at the time the more far
seeing and judicious advocates of the
restrictive principle in the regulation
of the traffic, as opposed to license,
were urging the reference of the
matter back to the people--and were
denounced therefor as traitors to pro-
hibition-there is hardly a question
that prohibition would have tri-
umphed. But that is spilled milk.
Lamentation is unbecoming and use.
less.
The battle is not ended Not that
the law just brought into executive
existence will-or should-be resisted,
or its legality contested. The license
act should be accepted in good faith.
1t is the contamination of the wisdom