Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-03-03
WEST 8RATTLEBoRo.
Rev. L. M. keneston on the Evils Of
Liquor License In Brattleboro.

Rev. L. M. keneston on the Evils Of
Liquor License in Brattleboro.
The theme Of Rev i. NJ Keneston's
| sermon at the Congregational church last
Sunday morning was the condition of
morals in Brattleboro brought about by
license Of the liquor traffic. The text OF
the sermon was the 10th Psalm and
Nehemiah 1928. Mr.. Keneston said in
substance:
We were told that the open saloon
would furnish an opportunity for the
building up the stronger characters. The
| result has been the death blow to men
hitherto inclined to drink. and the start
ing of very many young men, and even
| boys, on the road to ruin. / do not be-
leve there is a man in Brattleboro who
will attempt to refute this statement.
! The next argument was that there
! would be less drunkenness and less drink
| ing under license than under prohibition.
| This cry. also has been silenced by the
| facts. For. while hundreds OF persons
are sure that drinking and drunkenness
| have increased to an alarming extent I'm
| the last two years, / will stop speaking,
| this moment, and remain silent any
length of time, to hear of one person,
who knows anything about the condition
of affairs, who is still deceived by that
old lie
The one stock argument that remains
/ is that old Island" and that seems
likely to remain until the island shall be
removed and cast into the middle of the
sea. But what relation has that to this
question? Absolutely none BY every con-
sideration OF morals and experience. we
! are bound FIRST of all at least) to fortify
| ourselves and our own town in right
eousness. While do not. for n moment,
condone the action of my beloved native
state in allowing such den Of iniquity
| at our very doors, can in some measure.
| understand her position. when we asked
/ her to stop the nuisance, and received
the reply that we need not expect pro-
lection from another state so long as we
! legalize the same thing in our own town.
| Now let us turn the thing around and
! look at IL on another side. No one can
deny that drunken men stagger on our
streets and haunt our railroad station.
| They tell me that these men come from
/ surrounding towns, by the narrow gauge
trains. and otherwise and get drunk on
Brattleboro rum. Now, then. the very
curse for which we blame New Hamp-
| shire we are wantonly inlcting upon
neighboring towns in this state who are
| trying to keep themselves clean What
have we done with the golden rule? We
are still our brothers. keeper. and cannot
escape responsibility for casting stumb-
ling blocks In the way Of others. For the
/ sake, then. of other towns we ought to
keep this town right. We are indebted
to them for large measure Of our pros
perity. Then let us not return them n
curse for n blessing. and contaminate the
very source OF the supply Of a larger part
of our manhood and our trade.
Again, license has been tried for two
years and found wanting, that several
conscientious. influential men, who have
voted in favor of the experiment are now
ready to vote against II as failure. l
said influential men, when, in reality,
there is only one man of dominating in
flueuce. and he is not minister, holding
forth the word OF life to men, nor a jurist,
held i'm highest honor by his fellow cit
liens, nor yet philanthropist, responding
to every cry OF suffering humanity. but
a high handed gambler, bidding defiance
to the laws Of two states. and swearing
vengeance II the voters of Brattleboro
dare to attempt to Danish the saloon. And
this notorious law-breaker holds the
sword OF Damocles above the heads of
men, thrifty, righteous and otherwise in
dependent. and frightens them, like cow
ering slaves. into abject submission. oh,
wretched slavery. that men who would
leap to shoulder a musket or draw a
sword dare not cast a slip of paper as the
sign OF their emancipation,
The promise that Vermont would not
allow the evils that result from license
in other states has been repudiated by
her evident inability to avo.,. them. Last
fall l made an is days tour OF several
states. l walked the streets Of Chicago
night. and st. Louis and Washington
late at night. and had to wait until my
return to law-abding Vermont to see the
first drunken man. But here in Brattle-
boro. the centre of the culture and NOR
ality Of this good commonwealth, drunk
en- men stagger into the ladies' room OF
the depot, they reel and swear on the
platform, they lie across the sidewalk,
and ladies lift their silks and walk around
them. I'm the gutter They board the
street cars and defy restraint. They dis
turb the peace by their carousals and
abuse their families. and the saddest
thing about IL all is. but very few seem
to care The people are Indifferent and
children laugh at 1t. In lawless New
rum soaked Connecticut, public sentiment
condemns and the law prosecutes such
cases. but self-righteous Vermont is blind
to them, and leading citizens declare there
is little or no disorder and little nc
need Of police.
Our indifference in these things amounts
to crime and results in moral ruin. Two
years ago young men begged OF us. "Foi
Gods sake, keep this town clean, and
help us to be men" How could any man
whether he cared for God or not, resist
such an appeal? And yet. good mora
men and Christian men refused 10 heal
this call of humanity. voted for license
and today their sons are drunkards.
In the sight of the terrible spectacle o
the last two years, it would seem thai
every man would see the Righteousness:
of building n wall around his own house
for the sake of his fellow men i'm sur.
rounding towns, for the safety OF hi,
neighbors, and for the protection of his
own children. In no other way can W,
hope to escape the fate of the degen
crate and rehellious, and be built up II
DrOanprity and virtue