Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1903-01-02
The Beginning of the End.

The Randolph Herald, one Of the
most prominent papers Of the State,
closes a long and carefully written edi-
torial upon the referendum and liquor
question with these words:
This paper believes in direct state
control of the liquor traffic. 1t does
not consider the act about to be voted
on an improvement over prohibition.
1t will oppose the act, and hopes to
see majority vote recorded against it
in February. Then for campaign in
favor of the plan this paper advocates.
This, as is we'll known, is the posi-
ton Of the Register, and has been for
some time. A dozen other papers or
more have expressed themselves almost
as frankly, and it begins to be evident
that the advanced thought of the State
is on this line, that it is gaining every
day, and that it is going to win out.
1t is going to win because it is
founded upon common sense. In the
first place it has become evident to
many thoughtful and practical tenn
perance people, both in this country
and in Europe, that prohibition will
have to be modified to a certain extent
to meet the different conditions that
exist in different communities, and in
order that all temperance men and
women may work together-a matter of
very great importance in the struggle
that is being made against the evils of
intemperance.
In Vermont at the present time
many have become dissatisfied with
the prohibition law, which the State
has had for fifty years, and want
a change. Under such conditions
high license was proposed, and the
result last fall seemed to show that
the voters favored it. They do favor
a change. This we believe IS be
You'd question and we believe it is
beyond question, too, that they are
going to have it. But they do not
favor high license. Why? Because,
as a system for regulating the sale of
liquors in the interest of the public
good, it has been thoroughly and com
pletely discredited.
In the first place it admits private
gain in their sale, which alone is fatal
to any system which undertakes to
wisely regulate that sale. In the sec.
ond place it does not provide for the
purity of the liquors, another fatal
omission and, in the third place, it
fails absolutely to give or even offer
any permanent solution of the prob
lem, but leaves each town to fight out
the question of license or no license
year after year, under the most annoy
ing conditions to all concerned, until
finally they shall get rid OF the law.
As a system to regulate the liquor
traffic, it would be impossible to con-
ceive worse one.
The question then arises, why such
system should have been so widely
adopted, The answer may be found in
the fact that when the licenses are, in
reality as well as in name, high, and
enough of them are granted, very
considerable revenue is obtained.
There is no other possible inducement
except this revenue for a community to
have high license. But the above
conditions obtain only in large and
densely populated cities, and not
at all in State like Vermont,
where there are no large cities
and the population is largely rural. In
Boston, admitting saloon to each
500 of the population, and charging
$4,000 for license, a very considerable
amount is collected. And so in New
York city, large revenue is raised
by the Raines law, but we think it