St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-07-20
np. DAyENpoRT,s REPLY
Te the Letter Of Rev. George w Morrow
ON the Werkinas Of the LEGAL Option


Law.
EDITOR CALIFORNIAN:
Rev. Mr.. Morrow's article in recent
caledonian in reply to my recent study
of the workings of the new Local Option
Law is to be welcomed. Courteous and
candid discussion never fails to be useful
towards full development of truth and
there is no subject more in need of it than
the difficult and many-sided question on
how best and most effectively to deal
with the liquor traffic. Mr.. Morrow is
quite right in declaring it to be untrue"
that the new law has banished the vari-
Gus evils ofintemperanceo or been perfectly
enforced the liquor law has never yet been
enacted against which sad shortcomings
in this respect could not be charged. The
question is one of comparative results,
and the worlds experience has found the
best in local option, which has made
Finland the most temperate land in
northern Europe, which in Norway
(bringing generally local prohibition in
rural districts with saloons operated by
benevolent associations in cities) has in
so years reduced the consumption OF al
cohol by three-fourths. and which, by ev-
cry measure possible to apply, has
wrought Improvement of 20 to 33 per
cent in every state that has replaced
state prohibition with local option and
has had the two systems statistically COM
pared for series of years, as in Massa-
chusetts and Michigan. My inquiries
from every possible official source in Yer
mont showed a striking beginning made
towards similar and even better results
by our own law in that:
~ 1t had reduced the area of the
liquor traffic by 48 per cent, OF the num-
Der Of towns where liquor is sold from
IA to rs
(2) Reduced the number of sellers by
AZ per cent or from 57S to 3O6.
(3) Reduced medicinal" sales by over
nine-tenths, Or from 1856, 900 by town
agencies to some $31 900 under the fifth
class drug store licenses.
a. Reduced liquor cases in county
courts by three-fourths.
(5) Effected close approach to exter-
mination Of the secret dives that used to
so flourish, of which only Is at the very
outside now remain.
(6) Come far nearer than ever before to
accomplishing the real purpose of all re-
strictive legislation in stopping sales to
confirmed drunkards, to minors, on Sun
days, ETC., the practically unanimous
testimony of the License Boards, includ-
ing several members who had been pro-
hibition1sts themselves.
CD And yielded net revenue to the
public of nearly 100000, where before
it was net outgo.
Of all these conclusions Mr.. Morrow
traverses not the third and fourth at all,
and hardly more than goes through the
motions against the others. And his
statistics, when fully analysed and
weighed in all their bearings, like the in
vestigation by the late committee of en-
quiry of the convention of Congregation
al churches, are only con6rmatorv of the
results of my study. Statistics when
complete and comprehensive, and viewed
| in the light of all the elements and fact
| ors that enter into them, are the best
possible evidence; but when partial OF
fragmentary, are likely to be most mis-
leading, and ever contain danger of error
in overlooking some of the contribu
tory elements or relations. Or, as the
old adage has it Figures won't lie, blu,
liars will figure" This is not said ir
any way as reflection on Mr.. Morrow
for have no reason to question the con
scientiousness ofhis position or the truth
seeking of his argument, but only to EN-
phasize the point, which also has famil
| lar illustration in insurance rates, which
can safely be made only on the wides,
possible basis of statistical experience
and which it would be manifest folly te
fix on the figures from any one or any
few towns or years. But precisely sucl
is Mr.. Morrow's error in declaring from
the returns from the House of Correc
ton and two city courts that "the RECORD
shows an increase of at least 90 per cen
in drunkenness" The truth IS that by
the only measure we have, the case
appearing in court of liquor offenses O
every kind in the whole state, as show1
by the records of the State Auditor ano
Treasurer, by whom the cost bills TO
every one had to be settled, there wer,
227O such offenses in the last year @
prohibition and 3413 in the first year @
license. Mr.. Morrow thereupon quote
me as admitting so per cent increas
, in drunkenness" and then undertaken
to explain it away, but finding it a har
task" The truth is that presentin
these authoritative and official figures a
; the only evidence to be found any wher
that even prima facie bears against th
Z new law, an analysis of them followed
showing that while at first they und,
niably indicated excess, each succeedin
three months period showed progressiv
!. improvement OF about % per cent, unit
in the last months seven of the
counties showed better figures than til
average quarter under prohibition. an
: that as a whole the figures were bette
than those of the first year of loo:
option in any of the other states i
! which, after local option got fairly int