Bennington banner and reformer. (Bennington, Vt.) 1903-19??, 1903-06-04
Well Known Democratic Editor
Gives Some Points.
SUCCESS DEPENDS ON IT
Thinks the Surest Way of Defeating the New
Law is to Not Obey
Its Provisions

Bennington has on the whole been
fortunate compared with other towns
in the state in not having the opening
of the saloons followed by any grand
debauch but the letter printed below
is none the less pointed and apt for
that reason and applies to other com
munities as we'll as Brattleboro.
This letter is written by @. r.
Davenport, for twenty Eve years editor
Of the Brattleboro Reformer and the
strongest Democratic editorial writer
in northern New England Mr.. Dav,
export has for twenty years been
consistent believer 10 high license
and foe of prohibition ana has prob
ably through his writings done more
to overthrow the prohib tory law than
almost any other nan, not even ex-
cepting Mr.. Clement, but be is none
the less free to criticise conditions as
they arise and to urge a remedy. His
letter which was written to the Brat
tleboro Phoenix is as follows:
To the Editor Of the Phoenix
Sir: Friends OF the new local option
license law note with dismay, and
some of them with qualms of repent
auce, the multitudiuosity on our
streets OF the man-with-a Jag since
the licenses went into operation. l,
myself stood on the street a couple OF
hours the other forenoon to see five Of
them stagger by, and candid and in
telligent citizens tell me of seeing
many times that number on some days,
and especially Saturday evenings. 1t
IS not to be denied that the situation
is serious and fully justifies Rev. Mr..
Keneston's structures last Sunday,
however much that earnest and &C
complisbed gentleman may err as to
it's meaning and the remedy. The
contrast is net exactly inspiring with
the old Conditions, when Brattleboro
used to take pride in the fact of only
six or seven arrests Of drunk" year
ly-though that time was quite a while
back.
1t also goes without saying that the
new system will die yearling il these
conditions continue. Nor need we
be surprised, nor should we complain,
that prohibitonists chuckle, or even
il any of them are disposed to let
things gD at their worst in the belief
that it will only render more certain
return to what they believe to be the
only right way OF dealing with the
subject This, in part at least, is only
parallel to the attitude OF many H.
cense men under prohibition, and
it only makes plainsr aud more imper-
ative the duty OF the believers in the
new law as u measure Of the best pub
lie policy.
States Attorney Sehwenk has set |
the right example in giving to the Ii
cSnse board the name Of every person |
prosecuted for Intoxication so that |
the board may forbid licensees to sell |
to biEG again. The bailiffs ought, for
the sake Of public decency, II nothing |
more, to give to the police officers
strict orders to run in' every drunk |
they see. And the rest Of us, to make |
sure Of covering every case they over
look or neglect, ought to hand the
name Of every Intoxicated person we
see or know Of to the license board. |
Thus quick end would be put to
these exhibitions that DOW disgrace
our streets. And it would not be any
busy. body meddling" on our part |
but only plain duty to neighbors and
community; for the man drunk is a
menace to life and property generally
as well as to family, and we have no
right, knowingly an repeatedly, to
let him run at large than the maniac
The law (Sec 24) forbids the sale Of
liquor to any person who is known to
have been intoxicated with in six
months. Any seller who violates this
condition is liable to forfeiture of his
license, and one forfeiture bars him
forever mot for one year only as 10
Massachusetts) from getting another
license anywhere in Vermont 1t is
penalty that 70 seller is likely to risk
for the sake of the profit on ten cent
sale. BY making sure then that the
license hoard and through it the seller
knows" of every case of intoxication
that the good citizen knows, we have
the seller fixed where a single sale,
with no screens or Instructions to hide
it from the pass r-by, brings the pen
atty and the lifelong bar. The easy