The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-01-14
LICENSE LAW AND PROHIBIT
DRY LAW COMPARED.
Fourth Article.
BY Gilbert A. Davis.

| une NOL6ls Is ushSu w u COllpdrlSOD VI
the existing law with the proposed
law on this subject.
The voters of the State are COM
mittee of the whole for the discussion
and consideration of the license act.
Each voter is legislator and / adj
dress him as such, knowing that each
should express his honest opinion
from study and knowledge of the
subject i'll hand, as the freeman's
oath requires If predisposed to favor
high license or local option, the ques-
tion is, Will the proposed changing of
the law be of any advantage to the
State, to my town, to my family, or
myself?
But very small per cent of the
people of Vermont can become rum
sellers under the license law. 1t is
certain that those who do succeed in
getting licenses will not do so except
for the money there will be in the
traffic, not for the good of the COM
munity. Every motive that can in
|
most liquors, for the highest prices
that he can reasonably expect to get
and thus turn the dollar his way
With the increased sales of liquors
the towns and State may expect the
inevitable results--an increase of idle
ness, suffering, pauperism and crime,
with the enormous expense attending
these evils. No advocate of high IL
cense will be bold enough to deny
these expected results, but he says
regulate what you can't stop. VERY
well, then be consistent, and, never
having been able to stop larceny, MUIR
der, robbery, rape, adultery. assaults
and breach of the peace, the logical
result follows, that it is better to i'm
pose high license fee for the COM
mission of these crimes and thus get
a revenue into tls public treasury.
for the State and town, that will do
away with the necessity for local,
direct taxation. Under the prohibit
DRY law we have escaped the neces-
will not pose before the public as a
philanthropist or benefactor
There has been feeble attempt to
hedge him around with penalties, a
bond, close supervision, rules and
regulations, and to give his occupa-
ton glamour Of responsibility. So
long as he keeps within the terms and
, conditions of his license he is to pass
as respectable member of society,
but the most direful penalties are to
be inflicted upon the person who
without license shall sell or furnish
the same quality Of liquor that the
l licensee does at the next door, not be-
a cause his act was morally wrong OF
his liquor bad or because bad use
was made of it, but because he has
l violated the law and diminished the
profits Of the licensee.
There will be penalty on the
, drunkard but not on the licensee who
: sold him the liquor, unless the latter
/ then knew he was drunkard.
1 The changes in the civil damages
: law are made in the interest of anC
= for the protection of the licensee, no
s for the protection of the public, a
S any one will see from an examination
1 of the two sections. Section 4507, V
p S. isl must quote at some length il
e order to make my point clear;
S "When person, by reason of in
: toXicatlon, commits or causes an in
e jury to the person or property of an
. other, the person who by himself
Il clerk, agent or servant, unlawful
sold or furnished any part of tn
j. liquor causing such intoxication
), shall be liable to the party injure,
}. for the damage occasioned thereby, il
g the same form of action as such in
i toxicated person; and both partie
d may be joined in the same action. L
l. case of the death or disability of
person, either from such injury or i
consequence of intoxication from tin
v use of liquors so unlawfully furnished
-. a party who is in any manner depend
. ent upon the injured party for mean
Is of support, or u person upon whoI
'e such injured person is dependent, ma
ID recover from the person unlawful
70 selling or furnishing any such liduo
the damage or loss sustained in conse
IL quence of such injury"
III Section 450S, as amended in 1896, is
g "In case the wife of said person
1T or his minor child or children, he
he come Il town charge in the town wheI
n they reside and neglect or refuse I
w. bring their action against said perso
g. or persons within thirty days aftt
x the cause of action hath accrued IL
a the recovery of two dollars per da
70 for the time such person may be thu
~ confined with double costs, then I'll
T. overseer of the poor of the city {
al town where the wife OF minor chill
c. or children reside, may, in an actio
of founded on this statute in the nam
- of the city or town where said part
III or parties reside, recover of the pc
n son, who by himself, clerk, agent {
servant unlawfully sold, furnished, {
gave away to such person any part
Oh the Intoxicating liquor upon whic
90 he became intoxicated, the eXpen
% and care of providing for said wife
ou minor child or children during I'll
ha tinp thpu rprnoin tout, fhorua IN