St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1907-02-20
A Strong Appeal.
Every Man Should be at the Polls at the
March Meeting to vote "NO."

March Meeting to vote "N0."
The last number of the Vermont Issue
contains the following appeal to voters
from the pen of Rev. DR.. c. Il. Merrill o.
this place:
A trumpet appeal is called for by the
editor of the Vermont Issue to increase
the no-license sentiment between now
and the March meeting, and also to help
get the last man out to the polls" These
are two laudable ends most certainly,
and it would seem in a state like Yer
mont that trumpet appeals tor so
worthy purposes might be superHous.
But the very fact that the editor calls
for them with such insstency only goes
to show that there is no discharge in
this warfare and that eternal vigilance
is the price of freedom from the ills OF
license.
The stage comes in every reform when
the need is not so much for convincing
arguments as for sustained effort in con-
certed action Those who know and
are persuaded must be aroused to do
what they can The cause that is good
is too often left to go by default. The
forces of evil are never at rest. Allied
with them is the drift towards decadence,
The tendency of things is toward rever-
sion to the lowest type. And if all these
forces are to be met and this tendency
overcome, it must be recognized that
vigilance cannot for moment be relaxed.
Like the farmers chores and women's
work. here is something that is never
done 1t must be always doing.
Why then go to the polls with con-
slant vote for no-license? 1t has been
said that a good license law will enforce
itself, and the watchfulness required by
prohibition can be relaxed. But bitter
experience has demonstrated the tallacy
of this claim And certainly by this time
the truth should be recognized that at
every stage of the conflict between the
forces of temperance and intemperance,
the warfare is to be waged relentlessly.
If this be the case, it is poor strategy to
yield ground to the enemy in the vain
hope that he may be more easily
conquered in positions of his own choos-
ing. What has license to show for the
increase of sobriety and law observance!
For answer take the picture of DR..
Phillips, of Rutland, making his daily
morning pilgrimage down to the
Cooler to take account of the stock of
the round-ups of the previous night and
gently chaff the keeper over his growing
constituency. Such articles need no
eloquent statement. The facts are gross
and palpable.
The time when each will go to the
place of his own choosing and dwell
among kindred spirits lies before us all.
If that could be anticipated to the eX-
tent that there could be gathered into
one community company of those who
are temperate and who live for all that
makes for temperance ideally, and into
another those who place no restraint
upon appetite and allow liberty to sink
into unrestricted license, could any
doubt which of the two would hold
promise of the future or which of the
two would ultimately possess the earth?
A good Providence does not permit us
to anticipate such an order now. The
conflict between good and evil must go
on tor the present at close range. But
for purposes Of argument it is fair to
compare two tendencies when they have
been carried out to their legitimate
ends.
How do they contrast in their ideal
conditions? Taken at their best, when
the normal issue has been reached, which
is to be preferred?