The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1904-09-01
DEMOCRATIC HOT SHOT
Fired with Democratic State Com
mittee Workmanship
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH
On Local 0ption-Reason for the Platform
Dodge This Year-Proof from Its Own
Admission that 1t Plans to Kill the Law
by Tactics Like Those of Two Years Ago

by Tactics Like Those of Two Years Ago
The Democrats of last legislature
presented a bill for Local Option Ii.
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 Democratic Measure
and because mostSof 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 a part of the malignant tactics OF
the Prohibitions 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 asse-
ciates who supposed they were engaged
in 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
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 a 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 AS per cent.
Liquor cases in county courts by
| three fourths.
"Medca sales" under 5th class or
! druggist licenses, nine-tenths as COM
pared with the old town agency.
Brought closer approach than law
has ever done before to determination
of secret dives, Sunday traffic, sales to
| minors, confirmed drunkards, etc.
ana NlelQtu d neL lcNchuc VI Coiiy
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 measured by arrests and
prosecutions, it has now vindicated 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
Nav 81, according to 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
strictness in making arrests that gener-
ally 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 Prohibition 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
primary purpose of putting it into such
shape that the people would reject it. 1t
nearly succeeded, reducing the majority
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 Prohibi
tion-Republicans, only repeating their
tactics of two years ago, when they were
bound by an even more solemn promise
than now, will go to work in this amend
ing process either to attempt the Battel
scheme again or dstort the present law
INTO such shape that no one VIII be salts
fed with it, and then submit it to an
other referendum, when it will be sure tC
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 ma jority
enough in the legslature-we have nc
hope of preventing that
The only possible chance of heading
them off is to give such r0te for Porte
and the whole Democratic state Tickle
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 vast
plumber for the machine and its oper
ators, which is gone under the present
law and which they are desperately de
termined TO regain.
If believers in local option and legisa
| ton for real temperance, instead of pc