Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-04-21

population is sparse and scattered has
been singularly free from serious crimes.
and that only one murder case mas Deen
tried in the courts of the county IN a
hundred years.
There have been heavy numbering opera
tons in Essex county for many years,
so that for some months in every year
a considerable number of men have beer
within the county who were not or It's
own population, and the ranks OF lumber
men contain many who are not specially
careful Of their conduct. Considering the
sparsencss of the population and the KIND
of men who have often been employed
there. the record OF the country as regards
crime Is unusually good.
The Phoenix, discussing this matter,
says rum did 1t, commenting after this
fashion. The analytical moralists have
been putting in their fine touches on the
Essex county murder case. There Is the
usual argument about rural decadence,
dcgeneracy of the old English stock, and
the theory Of isolation and crime on one
hand, and rcfutation on the other to the
effect that quetude and the beautiful
natural surroundings OF Vermont are
more uplifting than congregate life to
all except twisted characters. This Is all
well enough for augmentation, but the
fact is that Essex county. the most iso-
lated section of the State. where the
crime was committed has had only one
murder trial in 10 years. About four
years ago a man was shot in drunken
row at Lexington in the county and
the assailant was indicted for murder, but
on a plea of Elanslaughter WAS sentenced
to States prison for term of years.
This recent shooting in Bloomfield. was
the elimination of a drunken brawl. and
the explanation, as in the affair at Lem
inGton. Is simply this; rum did It,
The Phoenix then says. in another
paragraph
with all the crimes and all the acci-
dents of the past few months in YER
mont directly traceable to rum it is time
to give the question of license or no
license a rest ana to devote a little at
tention to the advocacy of temperance"
There is some hing we had hoped to see
! taken up and seriously discussed by the
State press Under the old prohibitory
law there vase little opportunity for
done.
Under the new law, when selling and
drinking is done in the open. there is
such an opportunity There has been no
remarkable increase of serious crimes
under the local option regime, but where
there have been such crimes. caused by
! drink there has been no occasion for
hushing up the matter lest some good
fellow suffer the penalties of the law.
There are now, and there have been
for sorle years far too many crimes in
Vermont directly charged bic to drink.
All crime would not be eradicated II the
use of liquor could be entirely suppressed.
but potent cause of crime would there
by be removed Absolute suppression is
not to be expected. 1t cannot be accom-
plshed. An appetite of the human race
that has survived from the time OF Noah 5
grape vine demands its qualification.
Not suppression but regulation and con-
troll. is true temperance. The press of
Vermont may be an influential agent in
the work of true temperance.
Whether or not the local option law
has come to stay. 1t is not seriously be-
leved that the old prohibitory law can
be restored. We might well drop discus
sion of methods Of regulating the traffic
and take up practical methods of reEu-
lating and controlling individual appe-
lite.
EYE OPENERS FOR FARMERS.
(From the Springfield Reporter.)
a Gassetts farmer rises to remark as
follows in the Vermont Tribune and he
is everlasting right in the position he
takes. too:
The patrons Of the Boston dairy com
pany received notice here. April 2. that
tho price of milk would be Is cents pei
can of eight ana one-half quarts This
is five cents per can less than Marcel
milk. less than two cents per quart. The
farmers thought this was less than the
cost of production and withdrew theiI
milk, and not a can goes from this sta.
ton now. This ought to be an eye opener
to farmers and show them the necessity
OF keeping up the cheese factories and