Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-04-30
NEWS OF VERMONT
More Important Events Grouped FOR
Free Press Readers-Great Increase
Of Drunkenness in Montpelier
under License.

The Montpelier journal prints the fol-
lowing: The journal is not disposed to
unduly criticisc the workings of the new
license law mt so early date. but be-
lcving that its readers, whether they
favor the license system or are opposed
to it, want to know how 1T affects
Montpelier, it is proposed to freely dis
cuss the matter in "A general way from
time to time. 1t has been stated that
the largely increased number OF arrests
since license went into effect is due to
a changed policy on the part of the police
department and not to an increase in
drunkenness This apology must provoke
a smile from even the most ardent license
advocate who has had ms eyes open for
the past ten days. This is not intended
US "a criticism of the police department
Tor ii ever officers did their duty the
Montpelier policemen certainly nave ul'f-
ing the time stated and great credit IS
due t. them for it, But residents ON the
less frcqucntcd streets of the city know
that if the police force was increased
fourtoid it would be impossible to APP
prchcnd all the intoxicated mon that APP
pear. Residents OF Lower state street
Friday evening were treated TO the spec
taclc of "A man so drunk that navigation
was utterly impossible and no arrest was
made, and this is not an uncommon oc-
Currcucc. but the police are not to blame
for it in the least. Had the case been re-
ported the man i'm question would Ger
tainly have staid in Jail over night. y
suggestion Of how the law affects indus
try Is gathered from the statement of a
local manufacturer who taid to a journal
representative that since the license went
into effect the ahScntccs from mis- works
had averaged more than % per cent of
the total force each day. and the force is
not Il small one either. This same manu-
facturcr has figured out that consider
Il.
comfortable homo was paid out for liquor
i'm this city during last week alone.
There are other instances of this or that
might be mentioned but II is unnecessary.
As stated at the beginning the journal
does not mention these things in the
spirit of criticism but Montpelier peopi"
are up against a situation that deserves
study and it is only right and fair that
| they should know the facts.
HUMANE OFFICERS SHOOT THREE
HORSES.
Mrs. Jennie II. Powers Of Brattleboro.
! State humane agent. was called to Whit
! ingham last week to investigate a case
of cruelty to horses owned 10y George
Athcrton of district No. .. and discovered
IhY Luke Plumb. lister willie performing
/ the duties of his Office. Mrs. Powers.
who was accompanied by Mr.. Plumb,
Sheriff Wilcox and Grand Juror Waste,
found one horse embedded i'm the mud Of
! "a swamp and grooming pitcously 1T
wlS quickly put out of its misery by tho
agent. TWO others were shot where they
stood. One was dragging n forefoot which
was In Il horrible condition and the other
was n more skeleton and covered with
raw places the result of ~ terrible beat
ing two weeks ago by a man who worked
/ for Anterior and has since been dis
charged Athcrton was arrested taken
to Jacksonville and tried before Justice