St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-08-31
DEMOCRATIC HOT SHOT
Fired with Democratic State Com.
mittee Workmanship
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH

On Local option-Reason for the Platform
Dodge This Year-Proof from It's Own
Admission that It Plans to Kill the Law
by Tactics Like Those of Two Years Ago
The Democrats of last legislature
presented a bill for Local Option IL
cense law, formulated in their caucus
and introduced and fought for even to
the sacrifice of his life, By the late DR..
Conland, that was conceded the best
among all those before the Legislature.
Because it was a Democratic Measure
and because most of the Republicans of
the Legislature were determined that no
license law whatever should be enacted
that could survive a vote of the people,
this bill was much mutilated before it
became law
As part of the malignant tactics of
the Prohibition-R Republicans and Politi-
clans for plumber, their Representatives
on the Joint Temperance Committee con-
stantly, in secret caucus, unbeknown to
their license associates, with whom they
professed to be acting in concert to con-
struct the best law possible, to put up
jobs and lay ambushes for their asso-
ciates who supposed they were engaged
in a square, above-board deal. After
doing everything in their power in this
way to spoil the license bill, they as
founded their license associates, at the
last moment before the committee was
to. report, by proposing the substitute,
which they nearly carried, of the Battell
bill. The Democrats, Clement men, and
a few real license Republicans, had no
suspicion until this moment of any such
game which failed of success only be-
cause one conspirator at the final pinch
went back on them, as the Prohibition
Republican politicians charged at the
time.
From such hodge-podge of bad faith
and brazen Reputation of Republican
promises on the subject it is wonder
that the bill emerged in even as good
shape as it did. AS result of the mer-
its left, as proven by the official records,
it has:
Decreased the number of liquor sellers
in the state by 47 per cent.
The number of towns where liquor Is
sold, by 48 per cent.
Liquor cases in county courts by
three fourths.
"Medical sales" under 9Th class or
druggist licenses, nine-tenths as COM
pared with the old town agency.
Brought a closer approach than law
has ever done before to extermlnat ton
of secret dives, Sunday traffic, sales to
minors, confirmed drunkards, etc.
And Welded a net revenue of nearly
100000 to Town Treasures and for
good roads. where before was net out
90, probably, under the farce of pro-
hibition.
And in the one respect in which there
was a possibility of doubt, the extent of
drunkenness. as mea sured by arrests and
--acao,,f;opc ~ hac nov yindipatpd it.
self. From the reaction excess at first,
there has been progressive improvement
of over twenty per cent every three
months, as shown by the quarterly set
Element of cost bills with the State
Treasury, and for the quarter ending
May 81, according to a statement under
date of August IL from the State Treas
urer's office, these prosecutions aggre-
gated 564; while for its average quarter
in the last year of prohibition they were
566. Considering the much greater
strietness in making arrests that gener-
allv prevails under the provisions of the
new law, there can be no doubt that we
have reached much better condition of
temperance under the new land at the
end of fifteen months than Prohibition
brought in fifty years.
The defects of the law, every one due
to ohibition-Republican mutilations,
and not one of which would have existed
If Democrats could have controlled
are:-
Several points of doubtful constitu-
tionality.
Several features of unfairness to law
obeying sellers. of which the mutilation
of the provisions for fifth class or drug
gist license is an example.
Several clogs and discouragements to
the effective administration of the law
against law-breaking dealers.
These defects were all put into the bill
by the Prohibition Republicans with the
shape that the people would reject it. It
nearly succeeded, reducing the ajority
at the referendum to less than 1000,
when the normal majority for license, as
indicated by the September elections in
1902, was some 1000.
The secondary purpose is now in oper-
alton. Everybody comedies that the law
needs much amendment this coming fall.
1t is absolutely certain that the Prohibit
Republicans, only repeating their
tactics of two years ago, when they were
bound by an even more solemn promise
than now, will 60 to work in this amend
ing process either to attempt the Battell
scheme again or distort the present law
into sucn shape InaC no one VIII De SAILS
fed with it, and then submit it to an
other referendum, when it will be sure to
be rejected. Indeed, they have been in
discreet enough-before they had any
idea of tn present method of getting the
truth and warning before the people
through several of their organs, to dis
close exactly the latter purpose. They
calculate that Presidential year will give
them majority enough to do whatever
they please.
OF course they will have majority
enough in the legislature-we have no
hope of preventing that.
The only possible chance of heading
them off is to give such a cote for Porter
and the whole Democratic State Ticket
as will scare the Republican machine of
the state into an honest and decent
course. And no small vote will do this.
because Prohibition contains a vast