Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1903-01-09
THE PENDING REFERENDUM
THE OPENING ONE OF A SERIES OF AR
TICLES

TICLE6
On the Law to Be Passed Upon by the Peopl
Next Month-The Opening Orator on tn
Prohibition Side and His Argument Re
viewed by c. H. Davenport, Who Will in Flu
ture Issues Take Up, One by One. All the Oh
jections That Have Been Made to the Bill
The general issue between prohibi
tion and local-option license must be
pretty familiar to the readers of the
Reformer after all these years. But as
there is now specific measure repre-
senting the latter principle before the
people for Consideration, and as it is
being vigorously attacked in detail, as
is entirely proper and indeed necessary
to bring out the full truth for the de-
cision and action of a self-governing
people, | propose in the remaining is
sues of the Reformer before the refer
endum vote to meet these attacks, one
by one, and submit them to the analy-
sis of the candid judgment of the peo-
pie, whose general purpose is undoubt
edly to do what is best for our good
old state and what will be best promo
tive of its material and moral progress
The pending bill of course has imper-
fections, like all that is human there
are points where it seems to me to fail
to embody the teachings of experience
in other states: but it will still on the
whole make the best law for the regu-
lation of the liquor traffic that exists
anywhere, and its defects are only such
as can be remedied by, future amend
ments. Moreover, after carefully
watching the argument thus far, / can
say unqualifiedly that not a single
valid point of objection has yet been
found that is not the result of prohibi
tory mutilation of the bill as license
men presented it and that would not
have been fully obvated if real license
men could have controlled its making
Whatever shortcomings exist are due to
the unfortunate fact that the making
of the measure was so far in the hands
of men who only wanted to murder it,
1t is simply marvellous that it should
have come out of such a situation in so
good shape as it has, being already the
best liquor law ever enacted and cap
able of being developed into much
better one still. .
Perhaps it may be we'll to open the
discussion with the attack at the
Methodist church Monday evening by
Rev. O. r. Miller who is trav, ling
about the state in the employ of the
prohibition side. His argument is, in
its essentials, the old and oft-repeated
one and important only as it processes
to be based on experience in Massa-
II, - 1,r lou |, h,t
here. He asserts under six
heads:
~ That licensees do not, as ex-
pected when the law was enacted, help
to enforce it against dives" and un-
licensed sellers, because they ''contin-
ually violate the law themselves by
selling to minors, drunkards, on Sun
days, etc and dare not complain of un
licensed competition for fear of retail
iation: because they oftentimes furnish
supplies to these unlicensed sellers and
because the latter often "divvy" with
them in paying the license. So the un
licensed dive fiourshes on every side
and "by getting rid of prohibition you
will not get rid of single evil that |
sou now have but you will simply add /
% the present evils the open saloon. v
This is the sort of stuff that satisfies
many good people who only want a
substitute for argument; but quarter |
If seconds reflection is sufficient for |
he logical reductio ad absurdum. If
t were true that unlicensed selling |
we're so easy and safe nobody would |
,ay $1,000 to 81 500 for a privilege to
De had just as well for nothing and
which competitors were getting for
nothing. Saloons are not entirely be-
levolent institutions that support gov
,rnment purely for the love of it.
The bit of truth in it all is that there
s an occasional fugitive seller, with
jug and two glasses, as Mr.. Miller
described it, who will exist more or
ess anywhere under any law; and from
his comes the gross exaggeration that
Gems inevitable to advocacy of law
hat is itself a gross exaggeration and
distortion of a right principle. 1t has
10 sort of relation to what we see in
1ermont, especially in places like Bur
ington, of open and fragrant lawless
elling, day and night, Sunday and all.
t is true of course that there are rum
oaked cities and towns, perhaps such
S Mr.. Miller was describing, ruled by
aloons, where the law is made farce
II round. But the same thing was
rue-only worse-of the same places
nder prohibition.
(2.) The restrictions of license are
openly and fiagrantly violated by SO
ut of 100 sellers.
Where this is true in exceptional
ases, it is due to these exceptional con- ,,
itions just mentioned, practically be-
ause there are no temperance men in /,
he community that will help to en-
,rce any law. /!
Mr.. Miller tells of himself seeing Ii
uor sold to boys of II and 10 in one of !
he best hotels of Springfield-did he
lstitute prosecution, as is the duty of !,
very good citizen ?-and of watchers
utside and spoilers inside of five ho-
,ls in Holyoke that saw some $4,000 !
nbibers on Christmas and Easter, !
ourth of July and Labor day. If he /,
IN prove this, as he says. he can ruin
lose hotels and their bondsmen, and :
ut summary stop to this sort of bus
less. 1t is to be hoped he will.
The truth about the matter is a sim y \
lie one of human nature. The vio-
tor of prohibition runs no more :
SIX in selling to a minor or drunkard
!. in forbidden hours and days, than
sale for a sunstroke, for which 7
lere was once prosecution and con- a
ction in Windham county. The vio-
tor of license, on the other hand,
SKIS his whole Investment, $1,000 to e
!, 500. every time he does it for the II
Ike of the profit on a 10 cent transac-
on. Common sense shows which is