The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-01-21
PUT THE VERMONTERS AHEAD.

PUT THE VERMONTERS AHEAD.
Sometime in the misty past, in a
mighty crisis, tradition saith that a
great general directed tnat brigade
of Vermont soldiers be put at the head
of a marching column and that the
ranks be kept we'll closed up. This
incident is sometimes recounted in
great emergencies when appeal is
made to the pride of Nermonters.
The Journal has not noticed that this
enforcement to zeal and promptitude
has been made i'll the pending temper
ance campaign, in the crisis toward
which Vermonters are making forced
march, and so it hastens to inscribe
the historic order of the immortal
Sedgewick on the banners of the pro-
hibition-or more correctly speaking
the anti license legiOns.
And there is need. a newspaper
announcement on Saturday is to the
effect that certain doctors and honor
ables of New York and Boston will
speak in several places in Washington
county during the few days now pre-
ceding the third of February. To-
night certain Vermonters, leaders in
their cause are announced to speak in
this city in support of the license act,
and they, or other Vermonters, are
appointed to address the people in
favor of freer-if not free-rum in
other parts of the State. Indeed their
march for their Gettysburg was begun
some time ago.
It's an edifying spectacle, the Green
Mountain Boys of the orthodox tenn
perance faith, marshaled by foreigners
the heretics by citizens of Vermont.
Times have changed somewhat since
the days of Ethan Allen. Seth Warner
and Remember Baker When cold
Ethan" was leading his mountaineers
to the capture of Ticonderoga, and an
outsider in the person of Benedict
Arnold came to take command, what
happened? Are there no Ethan Aliens
in Vermont today? Or, coming down
to the time of the conflict of fifty years
ago, of which the pending movement
is revival, is there no Tom Powers
in Vermont TO lead the opponents of
the open saloon in. the pending en-
gagement? If not put the old leaders,
hat on pole, at the head Of the
prohibition column, and keep the
ranks we'll closed up. Let 1t 'lead
the van and fight in the sacred
cause. l." Suffer the professional ora.
tors of New York and Massachusetts
to abide in their homes. There is
room and need there to fight the open
saloon.
The need in Vermont is not temper
argument and appe must be made
are not given to much reading. The
ratio is probably very small of all the
people who have read the license act
through, and very small indeed of
those who have studied the proposed
law and compared its provisions with
those Of the law it is intended to sup
plant The Vermont Statutes are
found chiefly in lawyers offices and
in the homes of some local officials.
The volume is not in the hands of the
people, and if it were the time is
wanting, and also the hal of study
and comparison, to determine intelli-
gently whether or not they desire to
put the new law into force and wipe
out of existence the old law with all
it's necessary and wholesome provisions
for the maintenance of public order
and the punishment of offenders,
whether the offences be against the
new law or the old.
One of the things greatly needed il
the way of public discussion, is thu
pointing out of the imperfections il
law of such vast moment to the
moral and material welfare of thu
State, and comparison of its crude
provisions, or lack of any provision
whatever, for the enforcement Of tn,
penalties it lavishly provides for tn
punishment of inffaotions of its com
mandments, with the machinery Of tn