Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-03-25
A SPECIAL TOWN MEETING
MAY BE CALLED BY SELECTMEN
TO VOTE ON LICENSE AGAIN.
Petition Asking for a Vote to Deter
mine Kind Of Licenses Has Been
in Circulation This Week.-D ffioulty
in Securing Permanent Signers.


The license question in Brattleboro.
which was supposed to have been
settled for year at least at the past
town meeting, has been brought up
has been filed with the selectmen
calling for special town meeting to
determine what sort of license shall
be granted for the coming year. This
is In accordance with section 8 Of the
local option law which says "rhe
selectmen of a town voting In favor of
J license shall, upon the application of
six voters, call a special town meet
/ ing TO determine the kind of license TO
/ be issued in said town. The vote
thereon shall be by ballot and in the
following form: Shall license be
granted for the sale of liquors of all
kinds? Shall license be granted for
the sale of beer and matted liquors on
lyY and the voter shall make a cross
against the class of license for which
he wishes TO vote"
This petition, which was circulated
by Attorney +. II. Laughton was
presented TO the selectmen Tuesday
with the following names attached:
Luther NJ. Keneston, II. +. Weather
head, J. G. Stafford, Warren Fessen-
den, r. H. Briggs, and +. ID. f. |
stowe. As soon as news of the Pc |
tition became public a great deal of |
discussion was aroused as to its origin. |
and rumors were frequent that it emil |
mated from across the river" When /
these rumors reached the ears of Mr.. |
stowe he at once decided that he did |
not wish to be party to any such a /
proceeding. and told the selectmen TO
remove his name. When this was
done only five remained on the pc
tition and 1t was returned to Attorney
Laughton. not having enough sigma
lures to be legal Mr.. Laughton, how
ever, at once secured the name Of
George III. Thomas. and the petition
remained legal until Wednesday morn
ing when Rev. l.. NJ. Keneston sent
word TO the selectmen that in view
or the obscurity of its origin he would
rather not appear on It. Mr. Weather
head also ordered his name off, and
The petition contained only four
names.
Yesterday Attorney Laughton sue
.eeded In securing the names of p
'Ieming and Z, +. Crown. but up to
asst evening had not returned the petit
ttot' " the stltStuleH II is UnQer-
tood. however, that II will be filed n
oday, and IL so the special town n
meeting will probably be called for q
April g. e
The action OF the voters who signed u
ne petition, although perfectly legit-
mate, has caused a large amount of Y
innate, has caused q large amount of II
comment, and the general @
pinion seems TO be that II Is entirely -
ncailed for. Men who have always IS
cen against license and who voted a.
o at the March meeting have been
card to say that they were not at
u In sympathy with the move and
elieved 1t to be nothing more than al
scheme to create trouble. Whatever be
lie outcome of a special town meet &c
e, 1t would cause the town a need | G,
SIS expense. and there does not seem in
be any shadow of doubt that II ma
ouid change the present state of af- ii,
lrs Brattleboro voted license at pa
e March meeting and there seems TO is
no good grounds for an attempt to VI
verse that decision before next year. ce
Attorney Laughton, by whom the IS
tition was circulated says that il tn
iginated from a talk which he had 1S
TN Messrs. Stafford. Briggs and lat
'ssenden short time ago At that fer
ne the question of the closeness of Re
vote was discussed and Mr.. cat
ughton mentioned section of the ma
Y. Mr.. Laughton says that Messrs. wh
AFFORD, Briggs and Fessenden thought en-,
would be good plan TO circulate Ing
petition and told him to go ahead 1s7
tn it.