Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1907-11-07
Mr.. FERGUSON
STRIKES BACK.
HEAD OF ANTI-SALCON LEAGUE
PAYS RESPECTS TO EDITORS.
Sbarp Reioinder on Subject Of Local
Option. --Marshals Court RECORDS
to Show How Few Wet Towns
Wet the Whole State.--Chalienges
Answer from His Critics.--league
Asks for Resubmission Now.

SUPERINTENDENT have come SO tnIch anu
fast of late that, having few regular du-
ties to perform in order to earn my sal
ary, have been unable to devote the nee
essary time to make individual or sepa-
rate acknowledgment, and l will there
fore ask your indulgence in punching the
expression of our appreciation.
The suggestions kind are always appre-
ciated by the superintendent, the league
and the churches which we try to serve
in the field of temperance and Anti-Sa-
loon effort. OF the suggestions otherwise
| will make little comment lest | fall into
he same error with them. The tempta-
ton is great | confess. | dare say most
of our editors will acknowledge that L
have no monopoly or corner on imperfec-
ton.
lam about the state of Vermont per
haps as much as any other man. / go in
to every hamlet and town and city.
speak in all the churches, save half doz-
en- only, of eight religious denominations
in the state, and thus | have great oppor-
tunity for observation and to hear what
PEOPLE are saying on certain important
questions. Among the questions fire.
quently mentioned is the question of the
editorship of the newspapers OF the town
or city, and | would be as poor student
on editors as some of you would make me
out to be on the saloon problem il
didn't learn at least enough about editors
so that could get off something about as
genteeI as the following ignition, which
one of YOUR number fired about me. /
am sure he will be proud of his gems, for
they are $50 rare, you know" | there
fore quote with credit: "HOw long are
the sensible temperance people OF the
state going to allow their cause to be
damaged by the fambOyant ttoundering
of a fiub like Ferguson -Brattleboro
Reformer. Again quote from same tenn
perate authority. In speaking OF the
Baptist state convention passing thelr
temperance resolutions, "ferSu7oh anu
his fiunkies triumPhed.' The "hun-
kies' referred to we're Rev. W. \. DaVi-
son, d. d., Vermont Baptist state cohNeh-
tiOn superintendent OF missions; KEY. +.
d. Penney, d. D.. pastor OF the FIRST
Baptist church, Burlington; Key. "
Thomas Haf-r, Baptist state evangelist
Rev. T. 4. Howard of wanting, and
about fifty other prominent Baptist c!er-
" and laymen, Who wanted To speak on
the same side and all but seven or the
rest 81 tie convention who cli speak on
the same side when they came to the
vote. Of course they Gld II ''"lthout
thought2' Oh, We Baptist 'Hunkies' OF
Vermont, EoN W have departed from
the traditions of The fathers of We. Ib"
newspapers say We no longer "thiu& fer
vOuTscIve-.' but are eng led astrly 10y
"Hataut Hireliug. We should J"in the
"earhlyN celestial company who are
singing the songs Of freedom from the
bonds OF prohibition. Why are We $50
tlud that ve VIII not sCe?'
But We can take some COWtCrt in the
thought that Vermont NethOdi9t7 and
Vermont Jniycr-alists and jnltarlaIs
and Vermont Free Bapti-t- and Vermont
Sunday schools of all religions are a.
thoughtl-zs a. We are. rs pretty good
sized crowd yCu are in who fail to ''tnink
fur themselves" If all these would il-t
think enough and no more than to teach
thu children in the sunday and the week
day schools the evils ct intemuerance. and
fight for your lives on election day to save
YOUR town from the saloons, YOU would
greatly oblige some of our friends, the
editors 1t is true that under such efforts
alone the breweries and distillerles and
saloons have increased their sales in the
last forty years from two to nineteen gal
Ions per capita in your country, but the
] amount of liquor consumed IS of little
consequence so long as local option is the
/ law. The license towns are annually de
creasing and that is the cure-all notwith-
! standing there are and always will be so
long as town local option prevails in Yer
mont enough of them wet to wet the
W hole state as shown by the figures sub
mitted by the directors of the state work
house to the last legislature, giving ad-
mission to that institution in bi-annual
periods for the last fourteen years, ten of
prohibition and four of local option Ii
cense. Those figures show that the most
reckless wear under state prohibition
brought only sos prisoners to the work
house, while the first two years of Ii
cense there were 1881 and the second two
years 14O4, but it doesn't matter if the
number of second ofiense'' drunks sent
to the workhouse does double the average
of prohibition wears. we are having local
ort;on and the wet towns should not be
disturbed in their right to damn the dry
ones and the state at large.
And. dear editors. this merciIess in
crease of drunkenness (for Superintendent
Morgan saws drunkenness is responsible)
as manifested at the house Of correction il
vboIIy urIowfnI for NO man boI5s or hoe