Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-09-02
HOT SHOT
Fired with Democrat tic State Com
mittee Workmanship
THE REPUBLICAN BAD FAITH
On Local 0F'ion-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

The Democrats of last legislature
presented bill for Local Option IL
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 most of the Republicans of
| the Legislature were determined that no
license laS whatever should be enacted
| that could survive vote of the people,
this bill was much mutlated before it
became law
As a part of the malignant tactics of
the obibtion-Republican and Polti-
clans for plumber, their Representatives
on the Joint Temperance Committee con-
stantly. in secret caucus, unbeknown to
their license associates. with whom they
profcssed to be acting in concert to con-
struct the best law possible, to put up
Jobs and lay ambushes for their asso-
ciatcs who supposed they were engaged
in u square. above-board deal After
doing everything in their power in this
way to spoil the license hill, 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 con>prator at the final pinch
went back on them. as the Prohibitions
neutrality-suspicious. charged at the
time.
From such hodee-podge of bad faith
and brazen reputation of Republican
promises on the subject it is Il wonder
tha' the hill emerged in even a. good
shape a. it did. As result of the mer-
it, left. a. proven by the official records.
it has:
Decreased the number of liquor sellers
in the state by Il per cent
The number of towns where liquor Is
sold. by IS per cent.
Liquor cases in county courts by
thrcc-fourths.
Medical sales" under 9Th class or
druaai-t licenses. nine-tenth- 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.
And yielded net revenue of nearly
100000 to 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 mca surcd by arrests and
prosecutions. it has now vindicated IT.
self. From the reaction excess at hret
there has been progressive Improvement
4 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 a statement under
date of August IL from the state Trca :
urcrs office. these prosecutions aggre
gated 5G4: while for it, average quarter
in the last year of prohibition they werC
5GG. 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 o
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-Rcpublican mutilation-
and not one of which would have existed
if Democrats could have controlled
are:-
Several points of doubtful constitu
tionality.
Several features of unfainc,s to law
chewing sellers. of which the mutilatiol
of the provisions for fifth class or drug
gist license is an example
Several clogs and di>coragements T.
the effective administration of the Law
against law-breaking dealers.
To- oil ;,,+,, 3 10
by the Prohibition Republicans with Tn
primary purpose OF putting it into sucl
shape that the people would reject it, |
nearly succeeded, reducing the maiorit'
y at the referendum to less than l,0OC
+ when the normal majority for license, n
J indicated by the September elections il
1902, was some 1000.
= The secondary purpose is now in opcr
! alton. Everybody comedies that the lay
needs much amendment this coming fall
1t is absolutely certain that the Prohibi
tion-Republicans, only repeating thei
o tactics of two years ago, when they wer
hound by an even more sOlcmn prOmis
than now, will 90 to work in this amend
= ing process either to attempt the Bate
scheme again or dstort the present lay
into such shape that no one will be salts
fed with it, and then submit it to an
other referendum, when it will be sure t
be rejected Indeed, they have been in
discreet enough-before they had an
idea of tn present method of getting tn
truth and warning before the people
h through several of their organs, to dis
close exactly the latter purpose The
/ calculate that Presidential year will civ
y them majority enough to do whateye
they please
OF course they will have maiorit
enough in the legislature-we have n
= hope of preventing that
The only possible chance OF headin
7 them off is to give such Il rote for Porte
i and the whole Democratic Stdtc rick,
as will scare the Republican machine @
|. the state into an honest and decen
course. And no small vote will do thi
q because Prohibition contains a vas
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