Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1903-03-19
Bellows Falls News
A STRONG BOARD.
James II. Williams, John F. Alexander and
John p. Riley Appointed License Com
INSTRUMENTATION OF Selectmen Pleases

stronger board of license commissioners
than has Rock bingham. In making their
appointments the selectmen performed
public service which will prove lasting
benefit to the community. No public
office is so fraught with possibilities OF
good or evil to the community as that OF
license commissioner and the selectmen
did well in ignoring all party lines ex-
cept those established by the law itself
and appointing prominent and honored
citizens, men of wide experience who
are concerned in the moral as well as
the financial welfare of the town.
WHO THE COMMISSIONERS ARE.
The selectmen held meeting Satur-
day and appointed James ii. Williams
commissioner for six years, John f.
Alexander commissioner for four years
and John P. Riley commissioner for two
years. Mr.. Williams is president of the
National Bank of Bellows Falls and
lifelong democrat and as such favored
license law before many of its present
strenuous advocates were born. Aside
from his unquestioned fitness for the
position Mr.. Williams appointment to
the long term was particularly appropri-
ate because of his connection with Hotel
Windham. Under his supervision this
hotel at large expense was converted
into modern hostelry, one of the best
in the Connecticut valley and source of
pride to all citizens of Rockingham.
Mr.. Alexander is one of the respected
and substantial citizens of the town, and
his appointment meets with very general
favor He is staunch republican and
was supporter of the present license
law.
Mr.. Riley is the superintendent of the
Fall Mountain plant of the international
Paper company and is a citizen who
stands well with all classes. AS the en-
ployer of 500 or more hands he is
deeply interested in keeping Rock
ingham temperate and sober
town. In reply to an enquiry sent out
from the TIMES office last January Mr..
Riley said: Il favor prohibition if it will
only prohibit. My experience, however,
in three prohibition states, Maine, Ne
braska and Vermont, is that it does not
do this. In the absence of strict prohi-
biton, then am in favor of high license
local option, having the fee so high and
the penalty for infraction so severe that
the licensee could not afford to violate
his license. | believe also that the least
possible number of licenses should be
granted and then only to those whose
life and morals have been such that they
would be guaranty that the business
would be conducted respectfully. So long
as intoxicants are to be had so easily, it
is better for the welfare of this town, l
. believe, to allow one or two properly
a conducted hotels to have license under
4 severe restrictions as to whom they shall
!. sell and when, and if all beverages could
3 be made subject to strict inspection all
a the better.''
LOCAL OPTION CLUB NOT ENTIRELY
PLEASED.
Street reports Saturday night and
of the Local Option club were exceed
ingly wroth and were threatening the
selectmen with political humiliation be-
cause member of the club had not been
appointed on the board. These reports,
as is usually the case with reports, were
considerably magnified. The rank and
file of the club seem well pleased with
= the appointment and the officers so fal
publication. G. T. Grout, the Windhan
county member of the Local Option
League of the state, was asked his opin
, ion but steadfastly maintained silence
presumably meaning by this aside from
political considerations, the appointees
were unobjectionable.
To disinterested outsider, if persona
disappointment and political ambition
are eliminated, it is difficult to see how
the club can be otherwise than pleased
!, The club before town meeting held sew
d eral meetings and after appointing q
, committee of investigation decided that
the old board of selectmen were quite
the proper men to support and they sc
informed the citizens of the town or
: chromatic flyers literally distributed or
town meeting day.
The league of which the club is part
is committed to the theory that the pres
ent law is a temperance measure anG
: that it will both decrease drunkenness:
and the amount of liquor consumed
The league also favors the strictest kline
of enforcement, and unless times are 81
dry that all signs fail that is just wha
Rockingham will have during the mex
six years at least. As we understand
the matter the club was not organized
and does not exist for political purposes
Its aim is not to get corner on towT