Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-08-01
FIRST YEAR OF LOCAL OPTION"

isfactory to our license friends Qor they /
have been getting "sunbeams out OF Gu /
cumbers" throughout the year,, nut me |
real results of the law are not specially |
commendable to the friends OF soprlety
and good order. neither to the tax payer |
of the State The records show an in
crease of at least 80 per cent. of drunken
ness in the State and the general public
knows full well that not more than one
drunk in five'is arrested by the police
officers.
Various licenses of the State. Give at
Brattleboro, one at Manchester, two at
Burlington etc.,, have been revoked for
violation of the conditions of the licenses,
chiefly for selling to minors.
Superintendent Morgan of the House of
Correction says in his annual report that
commitments to the House of Correction
the past year are just about double the
number of either of the two preceding
years under prohibition.
Mr.. Davenport lays great stress upon
the number of government licenses held
in the State under prohibition as COM
pared with the number this year Under
license He speaks especially of Burlng-
ton. He selects year for Burlington
when Burlington was at her worst and
not year when there was a fair attempt
to enforce the law. Such year was 1902
when there were Is whiskey government
licenses, one of which was the agency,
and nine malt liquor licenses, "a IN all.
(Mr Davenport says co.,
The malt liquor licenses have never
been, in Vermont, a fair criterion for
judgment, for many dealers holding them
were selling liquids within the State law.
Take the hard liquor licenses in the year
of enforced prohibition there were in
Vermont. exclusive of the agencies, less
than 15S as against 25S under license in
the past year.
Mr. Davenport says there were govern
ment licenses held this year in only rs
towns; there were, in fact, licenses held
in IS towns He says there were only 306
government licenses held in the State
this year. The fact is there were 314, al
ready on the records March 2, more than
three months before the end of the fiscal
year. He says there were 70 illegal gov
eminent licenses held. The records show
there were 81 in March. He says only II,
besides the yes towns, contain liquor sell
ers; the government records show q.
Mr.. Davenport says the number of
United States special taxes paid is always
a 'close approximation to the number of
Sellers" because few will risk Uncle
Sans severe penalties" This looks we'll
on the surface, but the State liquor law
makes the payment of the United States
special tax evidence of guilt with q rem
atty of $500 fine, while the government
has no penalty if a seller pays up when
caught. He simply pays the twenty-five
dollars and no penalty attached. That is,
he pays no more when compelled to pay
than he would pay in the beginning on
his own motion. One of the deputy col
lectors Of the government told me per-
sonally some years ago that his business
was Ito get revenue" and if man paid
1.-The tax when caught, that settled it,"
If he refused payment of course prosccu-
ton would follow.
I submit the Portsmouth records in
| verifcation of this matter: On October
| 90 last, the records show a government
| license, paid, simply $25, and the license
| dated back to July l. January 26 a license
was paid $22.92, and dated back to August
| 1. January 26 was the date the party
| stood State trial, and business marked
discontinued the same date. Another
| party was caught by the authorities No
| vember and was allowed to pay his $25
| and date his business from July 1. With
| this generous treatment by the govern
ment the seller runs the greater risk to
go on to the records before being found
out by so much as $3O0-the State fine
is greater than $25, the government Ii
cense. Hence they are doing business
without the government license as never
before.
Mr.. Davenport admits by his own fair
showing" an increase of so per cent. in
drunkenness, and then undertakes TO ex-
plain it away, but finds it nard task.
He says the total number of liquor Of
lenses was 3,413 this year against 227C
the year before. Most of the 3,413 offences
were for intoXication and to this number
should have to be added the breaches OF
the peace for nine out of ten of them
are traceably directly to the traffic. The
States attorney of Windsor county prose
cuted eight cases just recently at Hart
ford and six out of the eight were fol
intoxication and the other two breaches
of the peace. growing out of the DRINKS.
Mr.. Davenport suddenly discovers, VI hen
/ undertaking to explain away this 50 per-
| cent. increase in drunkenness, that con
illusions from such figures are very IN
safe" This, after using statistics to prove
| everything else in his case. He SAYS
orders generally have been given the
police to arrest every drunk on sight ,
Inc mayor OF the city of Burlington IN.
structed his police force to exercise great
> | care IN arresting DRINKS, for even E
drunken man has rights and if a man
can navigate and is not creating a dis
= turbance he is not molested Oficars II
- his own town of Brattleboro saw thei
Q instructions are the same as under tn
: old law. This same condition prevails, il
=, other parts of the State. Burliugto
8 police force sheriff force and mayor bav
: been appealed to in vain for radiance O
D DRINKS carousing on the streets till lat
hour in the night and then taking nigh
8 trains to out-pOsts from the city, niue
If | to the discomfort of respectable people
1t is not believed that one drunken ma
> in five is arrested under our license Law
o Neither fifty per cent, nor twenty-fiv
= Neither fifty per cent, nor twice fit
per cent, will express the increase c
Is drunkenness since the opening of the sd
d looms.
! But another important matter escape
Mr. Davenport's attention. that is tina
d the police in the latter part of the yea
~ have not arrested men for being drunk
but for breaking the peace" Thus tn
n record of drunks has been purposely an
,e materially kept down. This has been don
because, (a) it is easier to convict fc
IL breach of the peace; (b) it gives the tow
1t all the fine instead of half Of it; (c)
- saves the drunkard from being bIacl
- listed as an "habitual drunkard;' an
If (d) keeps down the records Of DRINKS
! the interest of the saloon and high
| cense.
q The Montpelier records Of April to Aug
ust inclusive, early in the year under L
% cense, show 70 arrests with only elgt
breaches Of the peace; while the follow
IT,