Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-03-10
License Men Beaten at the Polls
by is Majority
They Were Confident Of Victory But a
Strong Rally for No-Lleense Was Made
at the Finish.

Strong Rally for No-Llcense Was Made
at the Finish.
The elections, and decision of the
question whether Bellows Falls would
have license the coming year. caused
much greater interest than usual in the
town meeting of Tuesday, and the largest
vote ever cast in town was recorded,
just 100 being the count For a day or
two it had been conceded by the no
license side that the look for victory was
not promising, and many openly asserted
that the claims of the license workers
that they could win by a large majority
was probably true. This did not deter
those who were discouraged from doing
the best they could, and the result showed
the wisdom of the effort, the majority
for no-license being 16 in vote of nearer
the full expression of the town than ever
before.
Little or no organization or work was
put in upon the no-license side till Mon
day, but from then number worked
nobly to get out the voters. The license
side had men out for a week or more
among the farmers and in the villages,
every man supposed to be at all upon
the fence being visited and labored with.
The canvass and arguments were sharp
but good natured and many good stories
are told of experiences of the lawyer and
law student who travelled together dur
ing the preceding week. They had their
experiences, both grave and gay" but
the gravest one was at the announcement
of the result, as they were so "cock-sure"
of their victory. When the morning train
came in from Bartonsville and Rocking
ham those who came on it reported there
were 40 men, largely from Bartonsville,
with tickets all furnished by one man.,
and public teams came ALSO
1t is undoubtedly true that many men
who had not the stamina to stand up
hAEA NIaf- fWfD de- taaff
intention to vote no-license were brought
here at the expense of license, and when
they went into the booth and met the
question squarely with themselves would
not vote for the saloon. Nothing else
can explain the seemingly large pre-
ponderance of license sentiment before,
and during the meeting.
A number of delinquent tax payers
presented themselves, were challenged
and went back. In few minutes they
appeared again with their receipts, and
were permitted to vote. Certainly not
all these carried out the wishes of those
who went to the expense, for one man
somewhat under the influence of liquor,
when he returned was hardly in a con-
ditlon to fully understand what he was
doing He became so mixed up and dis
gusted between the booth and the ballot
box, that after being told number of
times where to deposit his ballot
didn't care a - whether he voted or
not, there was SO much red tape to it,
and walked out of the enclosure still
carrying his Yes" ballot in his hand.
There were 124 delinquent tax payers
last Saturday, but the number is small
at this time. Eighteen names were added
to the list at the meeting of the civil
authority for that purpose Saturday even
ing. The list contained just about 1900
names as revised.
The list of officers elected given in
another place shows that the contested
offices of first selectman and school
director, over which much stir was made
and large amounts of literature wasted,
went to the old incumbents, NJ II. Ray
and H D. Ryder respectively, by majori-
ties of some over 100.
The meeting was a quiet and dignified
affair, and the results are satisfactory,
or otherwise as the differently interested
ones look at them.
Little special business was upon the
call. The town voted to continue last
years town history committee, A. n.
Swain, Dr. r. r. Campbell and N. l.,
Divoll, adding thereto James H. Williams,
ST., and Foster Il. Locke, and instructed
them to publish a history, approprating
$500 therefor; S1100 was appropriated
for the library, 5000 for cemeteries, and
800 for Memorial day. as in former years.
The trustees of the library We're instruct
ed to complete as far as possible the MES
of the Bellows Falls Times now in the
library to the present time, and continue
them in the future, the librarian to make
as complete a card index as possible of
the past and future important events
happening in town In this way it will
be possible for citizens to look up events
much more readily than at the present
time. A. n. Swain presented the library
some years ago with the complete files
of the paper covering the 80 years which
he. published it, thereby perpetuating
records not obtainable elsewhere. Since
1886 the files are incomplete, but can be
supplied.
Eighty cents on the dollar of the grand
list was voted for ordinary expenses, and
five cents to apply upon the bridge in
debtedness. The latter will amount to a
payment of about $4,000.