News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-01-07
AN OPEN LETTER.


dressed to the Republican voters of
Orange county, is good for every Re-
publican voter in Vermont. We
commend it's perusal to ALL
Gentlemen:-The recently enacted
high license-local option law calls for
special town meeting to be held
Tuesday, February 3D., to register
your approval or disapproval OF the
law by voting Eyes" or mo"
This special town meeting is to be
called and governed under the rules
and regulations governing a Free.
mans meeting. This means that
selectmen must post a checklist at
least 80 days before such meeting,
that the board of civil authority
must revise and correct same, ballot
clerks must be appointed and the
Australian ballot system used.
COnstables must warn the meetings,
have warming recorded, and preside
at such meetings; in short, observe all
the details of a Freeman's meeting.
Ballots are to be furnished by the sew
eral county clerks. The warning
should state the hour when the ballot
box will be turned. Officials should
sal guard this meeting so that not q
single voter in Orange county shall
be barred from approving or disap-
proving this new high license law.
A vigorous attempt was made dur
ing the recent session to amend the
present prohibitory law by eliminat-
ing some of its Objectionable features;
the attempt was followed by failure.
An attempt was made to enact a
state dispensary system, with liberal
local option and restricted license
features; this system met with defeat.
An attempt was also made to sub
stitute straight referendum an
other failure.
In all these measures the Democrats
and Clement high-license members
were found voting almost solidlv for
this high license measure anu against
the Ross amendments to the pro-
hibitory law and thestraight referen-
dun.
In our recent election, Orange
county cast 3S6Ovotes. Clement had
1131, McGettrick had 53S, both had
1869; these were presumably nearly
all in favor of high license. McCul-
Tough had 1926 votes, Sherburne had
PIG votes, both had 2191 presum-
ably nearly all opposed to high H.
cense.
Surprising the above estimate is
approximately correct, then Orange
county, on the basis of the last Sep
TENDER vote, had majority of about
500 opposed to high license.
In the recent legislative contest
over liquor measures, all the Republic
can senators and members from Or
ange county, save one, supported the
state dispensary system (Battell bill)
as against the high license system,
believing that both the measure
and its straight referendum fulfilled
the pledge of the Republican party.
And answering only for myself, the
more L study the state dispensary
system the better | like it and the
more am | convinced that it is best
suited to Vermont conditions.
Should majority OF the voters
vote mo" on Tuesday, February Sd,
then we have the prohibitory law IN
changed, in which event | hope the
Legislature of 1904 will enact, to take
effect from it's passage a clean,
straight state control liquor law,
which will have no provision in it for
an "Open saloon"
If you favor a law which permits
seven classes of licenses, ranging from
$40 for a druggist to $1,000 for a
wide-open saloon if you think the
interests OF Vermont are better served
by such law; vote yes otherwise
vote mo"
Voters of Orange county, be either
bird or fish and go to the polls on
Tuesday, February Sd, and show
your colors. Good citizenship re-
quires this much of YOU.
Respectfully, HORACE W. BAILEY,
Orange County mem Der of the State
Republican Committee.
Newbury, VT, Dec. %. 'O2.