The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1904-08-26
SOLID DEMOCRATIC TRUTH
Space Controlled by Democratic
State Committee
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH

Oh INC LOCdl OpblOn IdW-nOW IL nun
lated Measure Two Years Ago-And by
Vote of Two or Three to One, at Different
Stages, Sought to Kill It-Democrats
and Clement Men Saved It--Reward Of
the Latter
The Republican platform of 1902 with
reference to the all-absorbing issue OF
that campaign, said:
And we request the state Legislature at Its
next session to make provision Tor ascertalning
the Will OF the people by n direct vote on the
acceptance or rejection of a licence and local
potion law regulating the sale of Intoxicating
liquors and further provision that upon popular
vote In favor OF sucn Il law duly ascei tanned the
same shall become a statute of the state In
force.
This was the promise to the people
on which the Republican party won
that election Without il defeat would
have been inevitable. How did it fulfil
that promise?
In the first place the promise itself
contained "A trick The Prohibition
Republican, politicians who drew that
platform knew they discussed the
fact before presenting the plank to
the convention-that the Supreme
Court had said, in case just
after prohibition was adopted, that such
n direct referendum would be uncon-
stitutional. Yet knowing this, they re-
fused to propose a form Of referendum
like that by which prohibition was
originally adopted, which indirectly as
certaned the peoples viii by making it
question OF dates They planned to
lead the people into q procedure that
the Court would annul. But for the
Democratic exposure of it, the trick
would have slipped through without
jar,
And yet when the legislature met. in
the face OF this exposure, in the face of
warning from the president OF the Bar
Association, and OF overwhelming legal
authority that this procedure at the
very least involved needless risk. the
great bulk of the Republicans stood
doggedly 70 it, Can there be a shadow
OF doubt Of their purpose to cheat the
people. when every man of them knew
that a referendum in the form Of that
of 1853 would just as well answer the
purpose OF ascertaining the peoples
will?
Then in the face Of their promise to
the people to present license ana
local option law the Republican party
instead attempted to foist upon us the
Battell state store, enlarged and loos-
ened town agency scheme. Defeated in
both these projects, by the union Of
Democrats Clement men and few
genuine local option Republicans, they
bent every energy 10 spelling the local
option measure with amendments, and
succeeded in a large measure.
Does not the record warrant every
one of these charges? Let us see. The
total membership of the last legislature
was 273 $50 senator's and 243 represen-
tatives besides vacanciesl. OF these
a. were Democrats, SO Clement men and
! labor, Lawrence of Rutland. The
vote for governor was "A for McGet-
trick. 20 for Clement and l64 for
Mccullough, with absehtees Several
of the 1854 were elected as fusionists, but
TO leave no chance for dispute we will
count them all straight Republicans
On the question of substituting the
bogus referendum the vote in the House
was Ill yea" to l27 may"
OF the may" votes the Democrats were "a
Of the nay" votes the Clement men
Ofthc nay" votes the labor vote was.
or the "nay" votes the straight Re.
publican were ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. 81
II