Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-02-05
BRATTLEBOR0, FRIDAY. FEB. s, 1904.
straws and the Local Option Wind.

dnotnef way OF spying local optloii'
is encouraged by the universal att
tude of mind with which Vermont voI
ers are approaching the annual tow
meeting, the day of decision for ,
against license of liquor selling fl
the year following. This attitude {
mind--if we except the few extremist
of the anti-saloon league stamps
tolerant one: ii is cheerful, min
our own business attitude. it ask
only fair and full vote in each tow
and the impartial carrying out of tn
will of the majority.
Straws which show how the win
blows are found in the editorials o
leading state Dapers-not all of on
mind as to the adoption of the new Law
a year and a half ago. The Rutlan'
Herald property of p. w. Clement, ant
the original local option paper in Yer
mont, takes a neutral position 1
says:
We are not to paliate the shortcom-
ings of license in Rutland nor to urge
voters to decree license for another
year. We say now as we did last
month; The question of license is q
matter of individual judgment. We
do not propose to advocate license or
no license. 1t is enough for us that
the electorate of this city has complete
control of the situation under the new
law. Municipal prohibition or license
can be decreed in March, next for one
year, and that prerogative is club
which ought to keep the liquor traffic
within safe bounds.
Rutland the source of the move
ment, has been the greatest sufferer.
One year of license has been a failure
The provisions of the law were not en-
forced This does not mean that local
leading advocate of no-license for the
coming year in that city is Joe Jones,
Clements chief and omnipresent spell
binder in 1902 Mr.. Jones spoke at
recent no-license rally and is thus re-
ported by the Rutland News, (prohi-
bition):
In his closing appeal regarding the
opportunity in March to vote on this
question, Mr.. Jones asserted that if no.
license is victorious it will be the duty
of the local option party to see that the
law is enforced to the same degree that
it is their pledged duty now to see that.
under license, the restrictive measures
are enforced and licenses not violated.
If you vote yes, it will be your own
fault; If no, you will find out whether
he law can ever be a success in Ver-
mont
Mr.. Jones's method lis somewhat
and his apparent CONVEX
zion has caused much comment. The |
Journal (prohibition) sees
What ought to be the truth of the mat
er, and that the support of no license
~ Jones, Smith, Brown or Robinson,
loes not indicate loss of belief in
ocal option. The Journal makes only
me slip in the following:
The rallying cry of the local option
men has been home rule" In other
words the basic principle is that the
wishes of the majority in each town
hall control the treatment of the liz
or traffic, no town to be obliged to .
ave saloons unless a majority of its ,
itizens want them. or to go without
hem if a majority is in favor. Mr..
ones has been and still is a license {
ian, but, while last year he believed 6
pen saloons would be best for Rut
md he now believes they should be
AIRED out and the prohibitive side of
he law tried instead. He may be e
ght or he may be wrong in his judg- S
tent, but there is no apparent reason n
ny he cannot be perfectly sincere in
Is declarations
The statement that Mr.. Jones is still
license man" is not borne out by,
r. Jones's own speech. The Journal
-idently means that Mr.. Jones is still
local option man." as he may very
ell be. The usually up-to- date Bur-
lgton Clipper seems to miss this
81
int entirely, and sputters:
b.
Joseph C. Jones-is this Joe Jones
e trombone player in Clements 1902
lined up as no-license o'
vocate and the other evening in Rut- d,
nd gave some free advertising to to
orce" breakfast food. Joe is light 9,
ng change artist, with limited -
lrdrobe OF
We are not discussing Jones's sin W
rity-he alone knows of that-but p'
position is quite conservative and
nsistent The Poultney Journal pro-
ses at least to make friends of the lie
lmmon of unrighteousness and keep SO
anchor to windward. This is char ell
eristic of several of the one-time III
papers. The journal says pc
its own town: pr
70 town of its size can boast of a II"
ter hotel than Poultney, and we be- tr;
re that the majority of voters will in
Icur with us when we say that the sa
icious manner in which our land
I has conducted his license meets
h general appreciation. We cannot On
understood as meaning that a Ii sta
sc is the best thing for a town but tic
do say that a first-class hotel is
dit to any place. and We have one, uu
il is through the revenue from IL res
Sc that its maintenance is assured. an
uzzle: lis the Journal for or
inst or neither or both? The st.
nsbury Caledonian approves of the ant
llts shown by a year of local option of
hibition and promises a no-license La
: in St Johnsbury. Whereupon the boz