Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1904-08-01

ceding license is 713, while the aggregate
for the year of license is 1,341. an increase
of 90 per cent. Superintendent Morgan,
in his annual report for commitment to
the House of Correction. attributes the
increase almost wholly to the licensed
saloon.
In Mr. Davenport's financial argument
for the license law he places to the credit
of the towns at large (as does Mr.. Bacon
also) S6,57925 net revenue, but though
including court fees, sheriff and witness
fees, etc, he lodges completely the added
expense in police departments, one of
the greatest expenses of the luxury of
license everywhere. A few illustrations
will show this conclusively. Fair Haven
paid $500 for extra police protection, Mid
dlebury S72S Ludlow $72S. Here is police
outgo of more than 5000. At three-fifth
this rate for the 65 towns where saloons
were open, including the cities also, here
is an outgo of $4,000. The boards of COM
missioners cost the towns an average of
$3.50 each and here $4,000 more is to
come out of the $37, 600 These and others,
(care of poor etc., extra expenditures
incident to the existence of the licensed
sale of intoxicating liquors will much
more than wipe out this seeming met
revenue" credited to the towns, to say
nothing of the moral loss and loss of time
and money resulting from the increased
drunkenness.
IliIld ldC1e luS oAdlC p1OAlI VI met
revenue is given at s37, 900, but the House
of Correction at Rutland has been over
crowded throughout the year ana will
have to be enlarged if license continues,
and this s37, 900 would cover only a small
part of the expense of the enlargement
| of our State institutions.
Mr.. Davenport says F. D. Hale State
| auditor reckoned up in 1896 eleven years
average net profit to State resulting from
! fines and forfeitureS under the prok BIZ
tory law $4,000, annually, 0his should
have been $23,OOO), and then proceeds to
offset this amount by items that should
be ''legitimately charged to the liquor
traffic. This argues just as strongly
against his statement of $37 600 net revenue
under license.
Mr.. Davenport refers to the town
agency system as the community cor
rupting and soul rotting farce" intinat-
ing that the saloon system has changed
the character of men. but what would
be his defense of five saloon men and
three policemen, including the chief, who
! recently in a trial on complaint Of viola
| ton of the liquor law, perjured them
| selves over and over again in defense
| of the saloon keeper
1t is untrue that perjury has been re-
| duced. 1t is untrue that license has pro-
NOTED scbriety, good order and clean gov
| eminent. 1t is untrue that Illicit selling
has been stopped. 1t is untrue that Ii
cense in Vermont protects the boys from
! drink. It is untrue that every drunk
| is ARRESTED on sight, 1t is untrue that
| license gives any assurance of net rev.
enue to town or State. On the other hand
| drunkenness and crime have increased
| many fold; many licenses have been re-
vOked and many illicit sellers fined and
| impriSOned; some seven suicides have
| been committed, traceable directly to the
increased use of drink; thousands of dol
! lars have been drawn from our savings
| banks and drank up; payments have been
| stopped in our building and loan associa-
| tiOns on homes that were nearly paid
| for, and later those homes Sold
The visible effects of license are mani
| fest on our streets, on our electric and
| steam cars, about our hotels and on the
| highways leading from our centres. Des-
| titutiOn of children in attendance upon
our public schools has been noticeable
and complaint after complaint comes to
| our office from wives and mothers seek
| ing redress from the saloon. Our ex-
| sheriff just tells us he saw more drunken
| ness during the first eleven months of
| license than he saw in as many years I'M
| der prohibition The law requires that
every constable, police officer sheriff and
deputy sheriff in the town report under
oath whether he has observed any indica-
tons or received any information tending
to show violations of the provisions of
this act by a licensee or of sales or fur
nishing of Intoxicating liquor by unli-
cenSed persons every quarter. And these
officers have reported quarter after quar-
ter mo violation
How is this for community corrupting
and soul rotting farce?" Talk about
perjury G. w. MORROW.