Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-02-12
THE REFERENDUM.



THE REFERENDUM.
O-rom the Montpelier Journal)
An intelligent understanding of con-
dtions existing in this State forbade any
reasonable expectation that the license
act would be held up.
TO the opponents Of the law the graf
flying feature of the vote is the narrow
margin by which the act has been made
operative on the first Tuesday of March.
The opponents of the prohibitory law,
by way of discrediting that statute. have
long pointed to the circumstance that it
came into force on majority or some
what above one thousand votes. Their
cxultation over their temporary victory
will be tempered ny the blistering JUNCTION
they have customarily addressed to the
souls of prohibtionists. 1t is something
OF descent from the 10000 majority on
the wings of which the prophet of license
was soaring to victory
The opponents of prohibition have loud
ly maintained that the overwhelming
ma iority of the people of Vermont are
in favor of licensing the sale of intoXi-
eating liquors. Where. in the vote of yes
terday il the evidence of the truth of this
claim? In round numbers, the aggregate
vote was 5000 In the late State election
the aggregate vote for governor was
about 70G So it was in 1900, the year
of the last national election. This may
he taken as the measure OF a full vote.
The vote on Tuesday was 10000 below
this measure. What is the probability.
under existing conditions and "lrcum-
stances AS to the preference of these ~ =
600 non voting citizens. II is entirely RED
sonablc to assume that the great bulk of
them were not in favor of license. cir
rumstances are all on the side of a close
approximation TO n full vote by the license
supporters. The truth of history sus-
tains tn" contention that apathy and neg
lect would be among the "No' votes.
These 1900 ahsentees. for the most part,
would have voted "No" had they gone
to the polls. or had the opponents of IL
ccnsc in all cases been as Jealous and
cntcrprising as its friends in support of
their cause.
The rum claim that Vermont is for IL
ccnee has been utterly diScredted. 1t is
made clear that the voters of Vermont
are opposed to license; il is clear that had
! "A reasonable time been allowed for dis
cusaion and elaboration the license act
would have been held up; 1t is as clear
| as the monday sun on an uncloudod sum
mer day that the people OF vermont IN
an overwhelming majority. are stoutly
| opposed to license. This truth is indlS-
putablc.
| As to the consequence of Tuesday
vote: The burned child shuns the fire
| Sdmontion not to play with ilrc may
| go unheeded When the youngstcr has
| felt the smart Of singing he VIII hs
! taught caution That admonition without
| experience does not enforce. These chill
drcn of Vermont have long beer admon-
| iehed to beware the fires of license. Tho
| peonlc who voted "NO' in the line OF
duty will now await with composurc the
outcome Of the experiment with license
abiding in the confidence the eNidenC,
| the vote of Tuesday inspires and in TIL,
| NAT fn1 10
with the fires of license that the freemer
Of the state clothed and in their RICH
mind, will approach this subject at th'
| next election.
While voting "No." many citizens have
been of the belief that experience Will
the real thing" is the only remedy TO
tho license fever and are taking philo
Sophically the result Of Tuesday, Amoni
tho 10000 non-Voting frccmen there Wcr
| probably many who arc tired of the ever
| lasting iargon on this subject and il
! whom Indifference had been bred by th
follcs alike of license and prohibition
rhCy are not for license. they arc no
Cor prohibition in its present estate. The,
nre for better and a more rational sys
! TEN than either,
Prohibition, in the meaning of the tern
derived from the old law, is evidently
thing of the past, License and local up
ton are things of the present OF tn
experience. Experience will bring enliRht
enment and AFFORD the data for formulaat
ing Il new system Of regulating the traf
lic i'm liquor and its use. and that system
will be what the Watchman and Jour
nal and other papers of the state ha
been advocating, a system of rigid con
troll.
And the last state of Vermont, sue
coeding prob ibition and license, shall b
better than the first or the second.
a REVOLUTION IN VERMONT.
(From the Montpelier Argus)
Local option has won in the elccto
of Tuesday. The carefully laid plans O
its opponents have failed. The grca
amount of work they have put into III
struggle has counted for naught TIL
verdict of the people. forcshadowcd Ion
ago is in favor of a reasonable moderate
sensible regulation of the liquor traffic
the prohibition of which has been foun
impossible in half a century of trial. Th
Anglo saxon principle Of homo rule
sustained the blight of bigotry is re
, moved and Vermont takes a step III
ward beside the progressive States of tn
country. Those who have worked stead
lily and conscientiously for this have goo
: cause to congratulate themselves, an
this paper. which has been an advocat
, of local option from the beginning, fee
some share of pride In the result.
= There are friends of the old law VIII
. will consider the result n victory for N
2 liquor element We look on ii as "A d,
feat for that element. Certainly man
? men now engaged in selling rum wi
9 nave to so out of business.
+ We look on the result as "A victory fC
the cause of temperance and moralit!