Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-03-03
LICENSE AND LICENSEE
Mr.. Fits Points Out the Fault
When Young Men Took Rooms
SAYS He Has no Fault to Find With Com
missloners and There Was Not Reason
for Revolving Licenses.

says he ftdS no = dulN u Fhlu WIZ" SN"-
missloners and There Was Not Reason
for Revolving Licenses.
Editor of The Phoenix:
Dear Sir: l am informed that In certain
quarters there is disposition to mis-
construe the statement made by me in
the local papers of last week, as to the re-
cent investigation before the license com
missioners. upon my complaint can
not see how any one can fail to under
stand the facts as they appeared In my
statement. but If there is in anyone
mind any doubt as to those facts, let me
make them clear.
The informal complaint / made to the
commissioners was entirely Il personal
one brought about by things that had
come to my personal attention and in
which / had Il personal interest. as the
commissioners and licensees well under
stand. The commissioners did all that l
asked of them and all that l think they
were warranted to do under the law Tney
certainly followed my requests fully, The
responsibility for what the commission
ers did or failed to do should be placed
where it belongs that is, upon my
shoulders. For there was not single re-
quest | made to them that they did not
comply with. ] didn't ask them to revoke
the licenses. and made no formal com
plant to them to that end. l stated to
in my mind If the facts shown quite came
up to what the law required as cause for
revoking the licenses. The difficulty is
not with the commissioners but with the
law. Under the licenses granted to the
two hotels as the law stood before March
l. the licensees had the right to sell any
where in the building, so the charge 1
made, that, in the instances referred to,
liquor was furnished to the young men in
their rooms, reprehensible though the
practice was, didn't give "A legal ground
for revoking the licenses And the con-
dition of the licenses under the old law
that no sales should be made to a person
known to the licensee to have been in
toXicated within six months. didn't cover
the cases In question, for nothing APP
peared before the commissioners of this
condition existing more than six months
ago.
The facts in one particular instance are
as follows: A certain young man of the
town. each time after drinking many
times at the bar at the American House
was furnished lodgings at the hotel on
the following dates Nov. S. 1S and IS.
Dec. 4, 5. q. 20 and Jan. Il; whiskey was
charged to the room on the date of Dec
4. on Dec % the register shows the hand
writing of the clerk in assigning the
young man a room. The same young man
at the Brattleboro House registered on
Dec. s. II, Jan. s. Is and 49, and on the
last day was registered in the clerk $
handwriting. on the date Dec S there
was a charge of extras. % cents, which
the proprietor said was whiskey. | re-
peat that this young man is not the only
one who has been so put up by these
hotels. The young men in question are
not minors The sale of liquor to them
was quite likely not in violation of law.
The disgraceful and demoralizing thing
of ii is the continued and repeated selling
and after repeated selling the furnishing
of room. 50 that the condition was con-
cealed from parents and employers
Many of our best citizens are patrons of
these hotels. both for meals and in some
instances for lodgings, as Is entirely prop
er and right. but that doesn't excuse the
licensees for the moral wrong in doing
what they confessedly did do, that is.
furnishing liquor to a young man when
he was unable to go home, and then con-
cealing it all by furnishing him a room.
repeat this is not the fault of the license
commissioners. 1t is the fault of the IL
cense and the lcensee.
Very respectfully yours.
CLARKE C. Fits