Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-01-02
OPENING SATURDAY,
III. w. ALLEN CO. H.d Church sn.t> B( BURLINGTON, VI.

Once more, there is hope in certain
quarters that advantage may be taken
of the ineXperience of some people in
Vermont for the purpose of enlistng
them on the side of the saloon. 1t is
claimed that the "icensed saloon" will
from the very fact that it is licensed tend
TO put a stop to all illegal selling; and
that there will be no more trouble with
pocket peddlers and kitchen bar rooms,
if only the licensed dramshop be per-
mitted to hang out its sign and open its
doors. Vermont has not had very much
experience of the licensed dram shop
with sign and open door during the last
fifty years; and it is barely possible that
/ some people may be blind to its advan-
tages. But experience does not show
/ that the kitchen bar room goes out when
the saloon comes in. 1t is IN interesting
fact that this very matter has come up
in a Massachusetts city within the last
two months. Fitchburg changed from a
/ license system to no-icen,e system.
And one prominent citizen confessed to
a friend of mine that while the license
law-and the Mas sachusetts license law
is probably as good as any-might seem
well fitted to put stop to Illegal selling
automatically. yet in point of fact the
the competition of the Illegal dealers for
! the very significant reason that they
! themselves did not keep the law well
enough to enable them to prosecute the
competitor around the corner who did
not keep it at all. They were guilty of
so many breaches of the law themselves
| that the pocket peddlers and the dive
keeper found themselves safer than ever.
There is one further matter upon
which must touch in dealing with the
methods which have gone TO the making
of license sentiment in Vermont.
speak of it with hesitation. But il is Il
thing which needs to be said. Some of
the advocates of this measure, both
within and without the state, have tried
10 use ridicule in advancing it. They
have implied that Vermont and Yer
monters were so remate, so unsophisti-
Gated, so out of touch with the great
good world outside as to be proper sub
jects for mild ridicule in cinging so long
TO old fashioned methods of good order,
temperance, and general social peace.
Most industrious use has been made of
the public press, especially those organs
of it which, published outside of Yer
mont, still have a wide circulation within
the state, to further this view. But now
and then frank and friendly utterance
has appeared upon the other side, and |
am glad to quote from an editorial in one
of the oldest and most respectable of
New England papers, The Worcester
Spy-a paper, moreover, which has no
prejudice in favor of prohibiting or too
strenuously curtailng the sale of intoxi-
cants. The writer of this editorial be-
gins by quoting some of the supercilious
references to the regulation of the liquor
traffic as at present constituted in Yer
mont. He then goes on to say
but a great deal of this talk has been
totally at random and it has been based
rather upon theory than upon any actual
facts relative to the working of the law"
1.-The Spy has remarked upon several
occasions that the people of Vermont
had better not throw aside the present
law lightly. lest instead of taking a step
forward they may take step backward.
The truth is that in some parts of the
state. at least, the present law has put
such a cheek upon liquor selling as to
make the evils of the saloon entirely un-
known"
He then proceeds to bear his personal
testimony to the general sobriety of Yer
mont communities, citing for his exam
pie, oddly enough, one of the very towns
in which we commonly suppose the
nquOf sentiment 10 ne most dominant.
He closes thus:
"rhe people of Vermont should not
permit themselves to be laughed into the
idea of adopting high license, and it is
not probable that they will. Fortunately
the people hold the control of the whole
matter into their own hands, as the ques-
ton must ultimately be submitted to
them"
| commend to your special attention
that sentence which says: "The people
of Vermont should not permit them
selves to be laughed into the Idea of
adopting high license, And | venture
to endorse the expectation of the writer
when he adds "And it is not probable
that they will"
1 have spoken about the foundation
on which the bill rests. have said
some things that believe to be signif-
cant about the plan of those who have
attempted to build it. There is the
less need to say much about the struc-
ture itself, because that which has been
reared upon bad foundation accord
ing to vicious plan is condemned al
ready. Yet | shall just mention two or
three minor faults in the measure itself
as well as two grave fundamental rea
sons why it should be unhesltatingly
rejected.
One Of the minor faults is, that the bill