Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1903-01-08
Anti-SaIoon League Column
NoTE.--rhis Column is controlled
directly by the Vermont Anti-Saloon
League.
Will High License Law be Better
Enforced in Vermont than
Prohibitory Law


That the present prohibitory law has
been evaded, violated and defied in many
towns of the state none will care to deny.
That party and official corruption has
existed and still exists; that officials have
corrupted themselves by receiving brides
and hush money, growing rich out OF the
process, has been repeatedly and publicly
charged from press and platform, and
never successfully disproved, ali are aware
of who are conversant with the history of
the past year.
These evils, we are told, will be done
away with il high license-local option
law is passed.
1t is my belief, amounting to a convic-
ton, that change from the present law
to license or any other law that looks to
the restriction OF the liquor traffic will be
bitter disappointment to all who look
for better enforcement of the new law
than has been accorded the law we now
have, unless the change goes deeper than
the mere text of the law itself.
The purpose Of all liquor legislation is
to prevent entirely or permit only within
close restrictions the sale of intoxicating
liquors while the purpose of the rum sell
Ter is to sell all the liquor he can to all the
people he can for all the money he can at
all the times he can. But the real trouble
lies deeper than with the lawless rum sell
Ter; il lies at the root of law itself and the
enforcement of the same, and here the
reform must come il any law is enforced.
The elements determining the enforce
ment OF law are:-First, public sentiment
as the result and expression OF public
conscience; second, the political party as
the medium by which that conscience and
sentiment expresses itself; third, public
officials who are created by the people to
execute the will of the party; fourth, the
lawless man, the vicious man who brides
the officials where he can to allow him to
continue his outlawry in spite Of the will
Of the people expressed by legislation and
statute
The facts as they stand are these: The
outlaw seller has been and is allowed in
many instances to violate and defy the
law that plainly prohibits such a course
and the officials, who are well aware of
his crime, allow him to continue unmo-
Tested. These same corrupt officials who
are known to be faithless to their trust
are allowed to continue in office and in
many cases are reelected to the Office that
they do not intend TO administer faith
fully, and for this the party that elects
them is to blame, and upon the party and
the ring must ultimately fall the RESPONSE
bility for msladministratiOn OF official
position and power. The corrupt party
and party ring is allowed to continue and
claim the support OF freemen, and the
are to blame.
Until there is better public conscience
and better public sentiment as result,
better party or the present party is cleaned
up, and honest, oath-keeping men elected
to public Office, no law that looks to the
or even the restriction of the
saloon and rum selling will be regarded or
because the rum power with its
vast monetary interests and its leverage in
human appetite and greed will spare no
pains or money to debauch and buy up
the corrupt officials or a corrupt and
party.
The late Sheriff Pearson forever nailed
the old lie that "the law cannot be en-
forced.n Conditions of restriction and
will not be changed nor will
the cause of temperance be advanced by
the adoption of the high license-local
option law which is the liquor mans own
favorite law. What he favors and advo-
Gates, all good temperance men should
oppose and defeat.
Let the people of Vermont scorn to re-
sort to make a shift or throw a sop to the
brewer, distiller and saloon keeper by
his own measure, high license /
local option law that viii give to our
towns and villages the open saloon, but /
instead, get a little more iron in their |
blood, reform their conseiences and domi- |
nant part, vote to keep the present law,
which is the product OF fifty years OF the
best thought of our state, strengthen it
where it lacks strength, but above all. COM
pei all men to observe the laws and officials
TO enforce them, and all who viii not 10
suffer the consequences.
II. c. PENNEY, Fair Haven, VT.
Dec. 10, 1902.