Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1904-09-01
DEMOCRATIC HOT SHOT
Fired with Democratic State Com
mittee Workmanship
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH
On Local Option Reason for the Platform
Dodge This Year-Proof from Its Own
Admission that II Plans to Kill the Law
by Tactics Like Those of Two Years Ago

and introduced and fought for even 10
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 most Of 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 II
| became a law.
/ As a part OF the malignant tactics OF
the Prohibition 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 10 be acting in concert TO con
| struct the best law possible, to put up
| Jobs and Law ambushes for their asso-
| eiates who supposed they were engaged
| in a square, aboye-board deal After
doing everything in their power in this
way 10 spoil the license bill, they as
| founded their license associates, at the
| last moment before the committee was
60 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 al the final punch
went back on them, as the Prohibition
Republicans politicians charged at the
time.
From such a hodge podge Of bad faith
and brazen reputation Of Republican
promises on the subject il is a wonder
that the bin emerged in even as good
shape as il did. As a result Of the mer-
it, left as proven by the official records
il has:
Decreased the number Of liquor sellers
IN the state by a. per cent.
The number of towns where liquor Is
sold. by As per cent.
Liquor cases in county courts by
threefourths
Medical sales" under 9Th class or
druggist licenses, nine.tenths as COM
pared with the old town agency.
Brought closer approach than law
has ever done before 10 determination
of secret dives, Sunday traffic, sales to
minors, confirmed drunkards, etc.
And yielded a net revenue Of nearly |
100000 10 Town Treasures and for
good roads. where before was a 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, il has now indicated IL
self From the reaction excess az hrst,
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 10 a statement under
date Of August II 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 az .he
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
II Democrats could have controlled,
are;-
Several points Of doubtful constitu.
tionality.
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 wbreaking 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 ii. II
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.
Ii 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, viii 90 to work in this amend
ing process either 10 attempt the Battell
scheme again or distort the present law
into such shape that no one will be salts
fed with it, and then submit it TO an
other referendum, when il will be sure to
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, 60 dis
close exactly the latter purpose They
that Presidential year will give
them majority enough TO do whatever
they please.
OF course they will have majority
enough in the legislature-we have no
hope of preventing that.
The only possible chance Of heading
them off is TO give such q uote for Porter
and the whole Democratic State Ticket
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 a 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.
IL baf;avors IN Local optiop apd lorss1o |