Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-01-14

Barre, according to the kilograms ac-
count Of the meeting OF the city council
Of the Granite City, printed Thursday, in
dicates a large Increase In intoxication
there under license The Telegram says:
The report of Chief Brown shows
| total Of 314 arrests In 1903, an increase of
| 131 over 1902. The arrests for intoxicati ton
were 1871, an increase of 1l3 or ia per cent
over 1902 II In true, however. that the
| disparity has not been quite as large re-
| Gently as during the summer and fall.
The Rutland News makes a comprehen-
sive analysis OF the results Of the licensing
| of the sale of intoxicating liquor as
beverage in the Marble City, as follows:
The moral effects Of license in Rutland
| since 1t became operative last May are too
we'll understood to require reitcration
here. We believe that 1t is agreed that
the social conditions in this city are con-
siderably less satisfactory and respectable
than before. An observing man would
hardly have the hardihood to claim other
wise. Perhaps few citizens have given the
matter sufficient attention to figure out
just how the financial balance sheet
stands as the outcome of the greatly null
tiplicd number OF arrests for drunkenness
somewhere between 400 and 100 per cent
OF the arrests Of the previous year.
Starting with the two months immcdi-
atcly prior the the induction of the
license regime. March and April last, we
find that there were 20 arrests for drunk
enness In those 80 days. In May, the first
month of license, there were 70 arrests
In March and April, q of the 'drunks"
took Jail sentences. and in May, 81 went
To jail. In the three months named. fines
were paid aggregating $3S215 On the
other hand the costs Of arrest and prose-
cution were S967.91. This leaves the city
to the bad on these three months $3l5.76-
the excess of the amount paid out In
court charges over the amount taken In
IN fines and costs collected. This is mani
iestly n losing proposition to the city.
And 1t must be borne in mind that no ac-
count Is taken of the cost of increased
police protection made necessary by the
opening Of bars.
proceeding further, we find that In the
next three months of license, June. July
ana August there were a, 65 and AZ ar
rests for drunkenness, respectively. a
total of ISL. OF this number. 90 DRINKS
LOOK their jail sentences while the bal
ance, 80. paid their fines of $295 and costs
imposed of $+3o47. Meanwhile it cost
sl,f5230 to try the cases. so that for these
not appearing as such, do not figure in the
In the next three months. September,
October and November, the arrests for
drunkenness were 34.49 and 81. an aggre-
gate Of 1874. OF these drunks SO took jail
sentences and the balance paid $2S5 in
iines and $366.54 in costs, while the cost
10 the government of arrest and prosecu-
ton was si'21lo9. Il nea loss of s559s5
Recapitulating. of the 800 arrested
drunks in the nine months. March to
december J. there were 240 who took their
JAN penalties. while the balance paid in
costs and fines 81. 0o9 16. 1t cost S.. Gil 60 to
Try the cases. leaving the court with
sl,5S2H to the bad. In other words 1t
cost Rutland about $500 to indulge in
incense for the first seven months of it's
trial to say nothing of anything further
than simply the officers and courts OK
penses in drunkenness cases alone. AS
stated. the increased police pay roll and
the costs of the cases more or less d.
rectly attributable to drunkenness. but
not appearing as such, not figure in the
financial statement.
Prohibition. II was worked in Rut-
iand' was perhaps bad enough. but the in
Vestment in license. purely from the fnan-
cial view point, is as clearly bad one as
could very well be imagined
IL would appear from these figures that
hutiahd had found the licensing of liquor
no more satisfactory than has Burling-
ton 1t has already been shown that this
city IN 1902 under prohibition had 10
druhks before the courts. From May to
December 1905. the doors Of the county
Jail closed upon $40. There were 6lo GRIM
mails of all sorts locked up in the county
jail in the same seven and one-half
months. Burlington's cost in liquor cases,
for the three months. July. August and
september aggregated $1,3693S while the
amount collected from fines was only
s9o4.o3, leaving a deficit of si6is5 for the
three months There were alternative or
forced imprisonments from Burlington in
the county Jail and the House of Correc-
ton aggregating 3,02S days. making the
state "A board bill, at 30 cents a day, OF
Sl.oli, which Is at the rate of S. 400 year
In considering the number of arrests for
intoxioation in Burlington during the past
season it Is to he borne in mind that the
number of persons thus apprehended
would unduestonably have been much
larger but for the official instruction to
our guardians Of the peace that great care
should be exercised in relation to the ar
rest Of persons under the influence of in
toxicating liquor. unless inebriates were
actually creating a disturbance.