St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-02-24
= Esq,
St. Tohnsbury, VT.

st. JohnSbury, VT.
Dear SRI am in receipt OF your letter
OF the 18th asking me to set forth few
reasons why | favor no-license for Rut-
land / have always been an advocate
of local option, and did some work in the
last campaign to bring about the present
system. Last MaIc h voted for license
because believed that even license pol
icy would work better in Rutland than
absolute prohibition. After nine months
of license | am constrained to admit that
nv expectations have not been realized.
In the face of the most fragrant viola
lions of law and democrat zing conditions
resulting from the saloon, there is but
one alternative, and that is to reverse
our action of last March and vote for no.
license at the coming election. [ have
faith that this wi be done.
The number OF arrests for intoxlcation
during the nine months of license, as
compared with the preceding year. has
increased nearly five hund1e ed per cent.
large number of intoxicated persons
are able to elude the police and escape
arrest by seeking refuge on side streets
and dark alleys. Last summer it was
no uncommon thing to find a drunken
person resting in the front yard. An
extra policeman is on duty at the police
station to answer telephone calls in this
class of cases. While the number of
arrests have increased nearly five to one,
the number of intoxicated persons seen
Y our streets has increased ten fold.
One of our policemen made he remark in
nv presence that if he should arrest
every intoxicated man he saw he would
be arresting five men where now he only
arrests one. A business man told me
that heretofore he had been able to save
three or four hundred dollars annually
from his small business. During the nine
months of license he has not only tailed
to save anything, but has spent several
hundred dollars from the savings OF pre-
vious years. He spent 1t in the saloons.
He says he will vote no-hcense to save
what little he has left. The other night
young man was carried out of a saloon
in an ossiled condition. It required the
help of four men to place him in a hack.
The rumseIIer claimed he did not get the
liquor in his place-that he was in that
condition when he came in. IF that is so,
it must have required the help OF TOUR
men 90 land him there. Ladies who are
compelled to do shopping at night or
desire to make call on friends, dare not
return to their homes without an escort
for fear of injury Or insult from drunken
men. A young man who took the
Kelley Cure twelve years ago, and had
noe touched drop of liquor during that
time, has hardly d avn a sober breath
since the saloon was opened. The saloon
keepers have been notified time and
again not to sell him, but they ignore all
sense of deceney in respect to- this young
man. This is but one one instance. |
could mention Others.
Two lumbermen from an adjoining
town went into one OF our bar-rooms
in an intoxicated condition, and against
the protest of an onlooker. were furnished
drinks until they became so beastly in
toxicated that they were carried out like
so many logs, placed in their sleighs and
lett to get home the best way they could.
Complaints have been made but no
action has ever been TAKEN Old men
and middle-ag ed men who were only
moderate drinkers year ago, have be
come excessive drinkers. Young men
who we're fairly clean and abstemious
under the old law are now frequenting
saloons, and have been seen reeling
through our streets, some of them have
lost good positions. In some of the
saloons women sit down at the tables
and drink the same as men. This was
unheard of under he old system. Mer-
chants are complaining about poor col
lections. Those | have talked with lay
the blame on the saloon. Even barber
shops find it hard to collect cash for a
ten cent shave, in many instances men
who year ago would not ask to be
trusted for haircut or shave do NOT
hesitate to ask for credit now. One
barber told me that the ten and twenty
five cent pieces, instead of coming to him,
go to the saloons.
The ciCy received as its share from IL
cense fees the sum OF $500. The in
creased cost of police protection and dis
bursements for charities and correction
during the last nine months have mater
tally reduced the amount. The city
trt asurer has drawn upon the state
treasurer for two thousa aud dollars to
cover the first six months deficit. | am
informed another defi.it of two thousand
dollars is looked tor at the end of the
llct nse year.