Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-02-23
THE LIQUOR PROBLEM
Conditions in BrattIeboro Under
License and No. License
An Emphatic mo" Majority Is What Is
Needed to Indicate Settled Policy Of the
Town.

the liquor problem and developments that
suggest common ground upon which
men can stand i'm dealing with 1t. He
said in part.
The people of Brattleboro are today
in the position to reach a more general
agreement upon athe way to deal with
their liquor problem than at any earlier
time in recent years. The committee of
so have during the past ten years made
an investigation of the liquor problem
more impartial and able than any pre-
vious study in this country. The physio-
logical, economic, legislative and social
aspects of the drink traffic have been
investigated by subcommittee of such
men as could speak with most authority
upon the departments of inquiry as
signed to them. The investigators are
men of international reputation, and
their reports are now in our public
library.
After speaking Of the conclusions of
the physiological, economic and social
sections of the committee, Mr.. Miles
said that the section on the legislative
aspect of the problem ends its investi-
CATION with the conclusion that 1t cam
not be positively affirmed that any one
kind of legislation has been more sue
cessful than another in promoting real
temperance. Local option has an adj
vantage in that the same public senti-
ment that votes it, stands behind the
conclusion of the committee as to legal
control is that varying conditions make
the liquor problem an essentially indi-
vidual and local one for different COM
munities, and experience counts for
more than theory in working out its
solution.
Look to our experience with the liquor
problem in Brattleboro. We have been
getting a good deal of it. in considerable
variety If our conclusion does not agree
with that of the committee of so in any
other respect it does on the point that
local experience weighs for more than
any theory. The theories of all parties
rave been upset. The party containing
most Jealous temperance people voted
against the local option law as a step
toward increased drinking. The party
in which there was the largest number
of men who favored the open sale OF
liquor voted for local option The out
come has given us through a local option
law the strictest local prohibition that
anybody remembers. The legislation
which the prohibitionists did not want
has brought the result which the major
ity of the local option people did not
expect and probably did not want.
although they may now approve it, | do
not say that no local option people fore
saw the outcome, and 1 speak of Brat
tleboro, not of the state at large 1t is
emphatcally true here that We face a
condition and not a theory. Our theo-
ries have gone by the boards.
What is the condition that we see, and
by which we should shape our present
action?
All acknowledge a marked decrease in
the amount of drunkenness. In the six
months beginning with May, 1908, under
license at its worst, we had II prosecu-
lions for drunkenness. In the six SINH
lar months of the next year, under
license at its best, we had 80 prosecu-
lions, and in the same six months in 1905
under no license seven prosecutions-les
than quarter the number under license
at it's best. One whose work keeps him
at the railroad station said last week
that he had seen but one man under the
apparent influence of liquor since Christ
mas while he used to see three or four
day. There is practically no Illicit
liquor selling.
Some of our store keepers tell me that
men VINO could not pay their bills under
license pay them now. Others say that
some who used to be without money to
buy are now customers One grocer
says that his collections have been from
eight to ten per cent. better this
year, and that some back bills have been
paid by men whose money used to go
for liquor Some men are not drawing
on their savings bank deposits as they
used to do. Men are spending for gro
ceries, meat and clothes for their fami-
lies money that did go for liquor for
themselves. Our working men, not
tempted by the open saloon, find 1t
easier to carry their money home. Our
young men, and experience teaches that
we must include our boys, find 1t less easy
| to begin the drink habit.
The extent of the allurement which
| the saloon exercises Is measured by the
| investigation of 1895 which showed that
| half the population of Boston visit the
oil doll
challenged as impossible until a like
| investigation in Chicago in 1898 showed
that more than half the population of
that city are in it's saloons every day.
These facts show that the saloon is the
great social centre of cities upon which
| its hold Is established
We are to be congratulated upon the
restaurants of Brattleboro, to which
many who would go to saloons now 60
and find better chance for a social hour
than the saloon would give. We may
rejoice in the present prosperity and ex-
cellent service of these restaurants.
They make the saloon unnecessary.
We have now cleaner town than
under license. Do we want the present
| condition another year?
Walking the other day behind two
| laborers who were strangers to me,
heard one of them say that many would
vote for license this year. to bring into
| town more business. Half a dozen
saloons would make place for very few
more laborers here. They would not
bring a chance to earn more money,
only to spend more. One district of
As. 900 population in Chicago has 200
saloons, saloon for every 240 people,
probably one to every rs men. That
| community has developed the saloon
| business. Is 1t richer for having the
support of a saloon saddled upon every
IS men? The money that would make
business for saloons here would be taken
| from the business of the groceries,
markets and other stores. Now ii helps
to feed mothers and children. Then men
would drink it up.
Some will vote for license because,
| without license fees, we must pay higher
taxes. Saloons do not pay taxes from
benevolence, They do 1t because they
take out of the community enough to
pay expenses, a thousand dollar license
fee, and still make the highest profit of
any kind of business, We can far better
raise by direct taxation the half of each
license fee that goes to the town, than
pay the saloon keeper along with it the
other $500 that goes to the state and
also the many thousands additional to
cover his investment in plant ana stock
and also yield him an abnormal profit
The saloon keeper takes at least $4,000 out
of the community for every $500 he pays
the town. The license fee that we get is
not net profit TO the town. Chittenden
county has SO more criminals and 1882 more
prisoners committed for drunkenness to
support under its license regime. The
worlkhouse at Rutland has become so
| crowded that must ha anlaraad -