Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-11-27
THE MEDDLER.
~ ne coat hfs PIT IT, on "

To thoroughly disinterested OBJ
server, or one who attempts to view
matters through common sense glass
es, the hearing before the Dummerston
license commissioners Monday looks
like little else than the result Of an
attempt on the part Of some people
deliberately to rob Mr.. Rogers of his
licenses II resembles the spirit which
was rampant under the old prohibiory
statute. desire to prove man law
breaker not for the good of the com
munity or the state but to crafty some
personal spite. At the time Mr.. Rog-
ers applied for a license to sell liquor
at his hotel in West Dummerston he
met a strenuous opposition from GER
tain quarters. When he received his
license emmissares from this same fac
ton consulted the states attorney for
information as to how Mr., Rogers
could be prevented from doing bust
ness. The states attorney replied
properly that the only way would be
to watch out for some violation of the
law; and since then 1t has been the
sole ambition of some to discover such
an infraction. To what extent this
vigilance has gone will probably never
be fully brought to light, but evidence
at Mondays hearing demonstrated
pretty conclusively that the tactics
We're not far different from the old
fashioned "spotter" system.
And after nearly seven months of
gazing through augur holes rubbering
from barn roofs and resortng to all
been brought out? Mr.. Rogers on
several occasions sold liquor on Sun
day. according to an understanding he
had with the commissioners that his
license allowed him TO do So AS soon
as he learned otherwise he stopped.
Mr., Rogers sold liquor to a six foot,
200 pound man who had been doing n
mans work at the quarry for four
years. AS soon as he learned the man
lacked a month of being OF age he was
not even allowed about the premises.
Mr.. Rogers unknowingly sold liquor TO
his minor son who perpetrated
fraud upon the bartender by having
said liquor ordered from the dining
room presumably by some of the help
of the hotel. This was also stopped
as soon as 1t came TO light. These
charges are hardly of sufficient weight
TO warrant any board in revoking a
license. Mr.. Rogers had not the slight
est intent to break the law; indeed he
took unusual precaution to prevent
any such occurrence. And when he
found that he had unwittingly in
frnged he made no attempt to conceal
the facts, relying upon the common
sense and good judgment of the com
missioners.
If, in the face of these circumstances.
Mr.. Rogerss license should be revoked
the action would be directly in opposi-
ton to the spirit in which the law was
passed. The change from prohibition
was not made with the idea of suppress
ing n traffic that was flourishing con-
trary to law, but with the purpose of
controlling the traffic to the best inter-
ests of the state. There is little doubt
that more liquor was sold in Dummers-
ton under prohibition than since the
enactment of the local option law, and
because of this the people Of that town
voted for license last March. They
preferred regulated sale of liquor to
a lawless dispensation., The Meddler
for one believes that Mr.. Rogers has
had this fact In mind since he received
his license in May, and he hopes the
Dummerston commissioners will view
the matter in the same light.
The Meddler.