Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-01-16
THE OPEN SALOON HUMBUG
A FAKE CRY THAT Is BEING RAISED
AGAINST THE PENDING LICENSE BILL

Why There Will Be No Saloons Under 1t, Ex'
ospt in One, Possibly Two, Cities As to Cor
ruption of License Boards Better Guarded
Against Than in Any Other state-And Inf
nitely Better Than Under Prohibition Which
Is Full of Corruption Proposed Law Strong
Recause It Rests Responsibility on the Peo-
ple, With the Way Open and Clear for Them
to See and Act.
The bill introduces to Vermont the open sa-
loon.-HOn. Joseph Batteii.
The saloon is pernicious in its essential char
acter and in its inevitable infiuence.-Address
Prohibtory Committee
That Vermont will vote for the saloon we do
not for momont belieye.-Groton Times
1t is hardly conceivable that this
sort of stuff can fool anybody that
doesn't want to be fooled The truth
is that under this bill or any like it,
the limit of the number of licenses by
population, means that there Will be
no saloon, as the term is commonly un-
derstood and as these extracts mean IL
to be understood, no place, except IN
large cities, whose only, or practically
only. business is the sale of liquor.
This is the chief purpose of the limit; i;
but for that, probably the evils and
disadvantages of the limit, would out
weigh the benefits.
TO illustrate: In Brattleboro there
can be only seven licenses and to take
them are four hotels, four drug stores
and three bona fide restaurants, or four
more that can get them. In other
words. there will at the utmost not
be thirds enough licenses to sup
ply what may be called a natural or
normal demand, before we get to 'sa
LOOM at all. A careful count, made
while considering this point in prepa-
ration of the Democratic bill before
/ the late legislature, showed that what
is true of Brattleboro is true Of every
| town and city in the state, except Rut-
land and Burlington. In the latter
| city, where now under prohibition
| ii ere are over 100-some accounts say
| 2O0-rum holes running in full blast,
there may, if the people so choose, be
| few places of the saloon character, out
/ of the 10 licenses allowable, and per
/ haps a couple in Rutland out OF the ii
allowable. Even in these cities the
chance is not very great, according 10
the Vermont Register, which for IL IL
censes shows II hotels and half dozen
restaurants, besides Is drug stores in
Burlington and nine hotels, four res
taurants and 10 drug stores, In Rut-
land. But good share OF these are
practically only saloons now and license
| will eliminate most OF them. Instead
of introducing the saloon" there
fore, the new law will operate directly
to lessen them where they already exist.
Few people, except the most extreme
prohibitionists, object to hotels selling
iiouor under rror@s regulations, OF
drug stores for the supply OF family
trade, as contemplated by the second
class license of the pending bill. Few,
either, would object to the sale OF beer
or light wines, also with careful re-
strictions, in restaurants that are do
ing real and regular victualing trade,
Except for the strictly medicinal drug
gist and the summer hotel license, this
is practically all there can be In Yer
mont under this law.
But it is strange how many people
are being misled by this saloon
though the howlers themselve:
know better.