Windham County reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1901-1906, 1904-08-26
SOLID DEMOCRATIC TRUTH
Space Controlled by Democratic
State Committee
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH
On the Local Option Law-How 1t Mutt
lated Measure Two Years Ago-And by
Vote Of Two or Three to One, at Different
Stages, Sought to Kill lt-Democrats
and Clement Men Saved It-Reward OF
the Latter

and Clement Men Saved It-Reward OF
the Latter
The Republican platform OF 1902 with
reference to the all-absorbing issue OF
that campaign, said;
And we request the state Legislature at It's
next session 10 make provision for asccrtainlng
the will OF the people by direct vote on the
acceptance or rejection OF ncence anu io e.
option law regulating the sale OF INTOXICATING
iauors and further provision that upon popular
vote I'm favor of such a law duly asceI ttined the
same shall become statute OF the state IN
force.
This was the promise to the people
on which the Republican party won
that election. Without it defeat would
have been inevitable. How did it fulfil
that promise? -,
In the first place the promise itself
contained a trick. The Prohibition,
politicians who drew that
platform knew-and they discussed the
fact before presenting the plank TO
the conyention--that the supreme
Court had said, in case Just
after prohibition was adopted, that sueh
A direct referendum would be uneon'
.titutional. Yet knowing this, they re-
fused TO propose form OF referendum
like that by which prohibition was
originally adopted, which indirectly as
certained the peoples will by making u
n question of dates. They planned TO
lead the people into procedure that
the Court would annul. But for the
Democratic exposure OF it, the trick
would have slipped through without a
jar. -. -
And vet when the legislature met, IN
the face OF this exposure, in the face oil
warning from the president OF the bar
Association, and OF overwhelming legal
authority that this procedure at the
very least involved needless risk, the
Great bulk of the Republicans stood
doecedlv to it. Can there be a shadow
OF doubt of their purpose TO cheat the
people, when every man OF them knew
that referendum in the form OF that
of 1853 would Just as well answer the
purpose of ascertaining the people
will?
Then in the face of their promise 70
the people to present incense anu
local option law the Republican party
instead attempted to foist upon us the
Battell state store. enlarged and loos
ened town agency scheme. Defeated II
both these projects, by the union OF
Democrats Clement men and lew
genuine local option Republicans, they
bent every energy to spelling the loca,
ontion measure with amendments, ana
slicceeded in a large measure.
II xtsl every
one of these charges? Let us see. Inc
total membership OF the last Legislature
was 273 $50 senators and 243 represeh
tatiyes besides 3 vacancies. Of thest
A. were Democrats. SO Clement men ane
labor. Lawrence of Rutland. I'M
vote for governor was A for Mc9et
tr;ck 80 for Clement and l64 foi
| Mccullough. with absentees. seVera
a. the l64 were elected as fusionists, bn
10 leave no chance for dispute we vii
count them all straight Republicans,
On the question of substituting IN
bogus referendum the vote in the hous'
was Ill "yea" to l27 may
or the "nay" votes the Democrats were 4
! az the "naym votes the Clement men
| were ...............,.... .....'....' .''''''
| "0f the .nayn votes the labor vote was.
| OF the may" votes the straight Re-
/ publican were .,.'''..'...'''''''''''''
p /?
So if it had been left to Republican
alone. the people would have peel
tricked ont of the law by a vote
nearly three to one.
In the Senate and House together tn
vote for this bogus referendum was IL
to l47.
OF the l47 that saved the state iron
this cheat. As were Democrats, D
Clement men. labor and As Republi
cans OF the Ill all but three wer
straight Republicans, so of all the Re
publicans in the legislature, over two
thirds (l0S to 4sl, voted for know
cheat J.
II the legislature had contained it
usual Republican majority, or that o
1900. the same percentage would nav
made the vote l34 Republican in fayo
of the cheat to 65 Republicans and 4
Democrats against it, or majority Q
% for it,
The question of substituting tn
Rattell bill for the license and loca
option law promised did not reach
vote in the Senate but in the House !
was 81 YEA tall but . straight Re
publicansl to AS may"
OF the lis the Democrats ware.
~ the las the Clement men were ........
| or the las the Labor vote wss............
OF the las the straight Republican were
"A
So of the straight Republicans tn
vote was SO to 55 for a fat repudia
ton of their platform promise, ant
If il had been left to them. the stat
store system, that has wrought sucl
decentralization in South Carolina an'
built up an impregnable political ma
chine for Tillman there, would hay'
been inflicted on this state. And if thu
Republican party has its expected ma
ioritv this year. relieved from TN
Clement scare, this is Just what we may
expect of it.
Every amendment calculated u
weaken the law or make it odious, hat
an even larger Republican support
Ono of the worst of these was that
which would have practically fined ever!
town that attempted an honest enforce
mont of tie law by making it pay thu
costs of prosecution of law-breaker'
and sending the fines realized to thu
rtate treasury. Senator Sutton, Demo
erot made a direct issue with pro
posal to provide stimulus for stringent
enforcement by giving all fines, les
costs. TO town treasures; but he was
rnthlessly voted down, while even pro
tessed licensed Republicans wer'
threatening that if any more amend
ments we're attempted to remedy th'
mutilations Republican bad faith ha'
mt into the bill. the whole mea SURF
would be voted down. A further rob