The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1903-02-05
THE REFERENDUM.

any reasonable expectation that the
license act would be held up.
To the opponents of the law the
gratifying feature of the vote is the
narrow margin by which the act has
been made operative on the first Tues
day of March. The opponents of the
prohibitory law, by way of discredit
ing that statute, have long pointed to
the circumstance that it came into
force Oh a majority of somewhat above
one thousand votes. Their exultation
over their temporary victory will be
tempered by the blistering JUNCTION
they have customarily addressed to
the souls of prohibitionists. 1t is
something of a descent from the 40, 00n
majority on the wings of which the
prophet of license was soaring to vic
tory.
The opponents of prohibition have
loudly maintained that the over
whelming majority of the people of
Vermont are in favor of licensing the
sale of Intoxicating liquors. Where,
in the vote Of yesterday, is the evil
dence of the truth Of this claim? In
round numbers, the aggregate vote
was 60, 000 In the late State election
the aggregate vote for Governor was
about 70, 600. So it was in 1900, the
year of the last national election.
THIS may be taken as the measure of
a full vote. The vote on Tuesday was
10000 below this measure What is
the probability, under existing con-
ditions and circumstances, as to the
preference of these 10, 900 non-voting
citizens. 1t is entirely reasonable to
assume that the great bulk of them
were not in favor of license. CiIcum-
stances are all on the side of a close
approximation to a full vote by the
license supporters The truth of his
tory sustains the contention that
apathy and neglect would be among
the "No' voters. These 49, 600 alb
sentees. for the most part, would have
voted mo" had they gone to the
polls, or had the opponents of license
in all cases been as Jealous and enter
prising as it's friends in support of
their cause.
The rum claim that Vermont is for
license has been utterly discredited.
1t is made clear that the voters of
Vermont are opposed to license; it is
clear that had reasonable time been
allowed for discussion and delibera-
tion the license act would have been
held up; it is as clear as the MONDAY
sun on an unclouded summer day that
the people of Vermont, in an over
whe(ming majority, are stoutly op-
posed to license. This truth is indis-
putable.
AS to the consequence of Tuesdays
vote: The burned child shuns the
fire. Admonition not to play with fire
may go unheeded. When the young
ster has felt the smart of smuggling,
he will be taught caution that admon-
ition without experience does not en-
force. These children of Vermont
have long been admonished to beware
the fires of license. The people who
voted NO." in The line of duty viii
now await with composure the out
come of the experiment with license,
abiding in the confidence the evidence
the vote of Tuesday inspires, and in
the consequences that will follow con-
tact with the fires of license, that the
freemen of the State. clothed and in
their right mind, will approach this
subject at the next election.
While voting "No, many citizens
have been of the belief that experience
with 1.-THE real thing" is the only
remedy for the license fever, and are
taking philosophically the result of
Tuesday. Among the $1,000 non-vot-
ing freemen there were probably many
who are tired of the everlasting jargon
on this subject and in whom indiffer-
ence had been bred by the follies
alike of license and prohi bition. They
are not for license, they are not for
prohibition in its present estate. They
are for better and more rational
system than either.
Prohibition, in the meaning of the
term derived from the old law, is evil
IDENTIFY thing of the past. License
and local option are things of the
present. OF the latter the State will
have two years of experience. Ex-
perience will bring enlightenment,
and afford the data for formulating a
new system of regulating the traffic
in liquor and its use, and that system
will be what the Watchman and Jour-
nal and other papers of the State
had been advocating, system of
rigid State control
And the last state of Vermont, sue
ceeding prohibition and license, shall
be better than the first or the second.