Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-03-14

ton that he knew of thirty Illegal places |
in this city whore he could buy liquor |
Is this not one sufficient reason for ex-
planning the growing lack of faith In
Rutland in the license policy?
we quote at length from newspaper
with reference to the situation in still
another town because that journal has
plainly not believed that the drink evil
could be erndicated by vote OF the peo-
pie. The Morrsville Messenger In dis
cusslng the change of its town from IL
cense to prohibition in the recent cleo
ton, makes the following suggestive
comments:
The fault with license that resulted in
mo- votes on Tuesday cannot lie in
abuses of the privilege nor in malad-
ministration on the part OF boards APP
pointed for it's oversight In Morrisville
there has been conducted a very largo
liquor business, by means of the whole
sale license privilege. and no complaint
has ever been heard that it has not been
managed as we'll as a liquor business can
be. 1t is further true that the holders
of the Morrisville licenses, have practc-
a.
sales in many directions and the volun
tary closing of places OF business when
an opposite course would have had full
protection Of the law, out of n disposition
to make liquor selling in Morrsvlle as
free from Objectionable features as poss-
lble. There is no doubt about this.
Everybody knows it and the strongest
opponents Of license admit It. If the fault
ut &c tote i,.
one nor one arising from abuses of the
privilege, where is 1t? The Messenger in
all impariaity has tried to find it and
! in so doing las come to certain conclus-
| ions.
| If the testimony OF citizens in whose
statements the Messenger heretofore has
reposed confidence is to be relied upon IN
this instance. Tuesdays mo" majority
vote was due to n conviction on the part
Of a sufficient number or voters that the
drinking habit has been on the increase
during the four years that the licensed
sale of liquors has been uninterrupted.
While in support of this contention there
is little of statistical bearing. fairminded-
ness has to admit its possibility If not It's
probability. Surely, if men not previous
users of intoXicants, particularly young
men. under a license dlspensation, have
become addicted to the drinking habit, a
check upon such n tendency is proper. If
a check can he produced by a mo" vote,
no good citizen can rightcously complain
of Tuesdays verdict The Messenger,
( however, through observation in other
States besides Vermont and through more
or less study of tho liiuor problem in its
sociological bearings. is compelled to ad-
init a lack of faith in the power of any
constituency to vote a habit good or bad,
lin or out of the lives Of it's members
Be that as il may. the majority will ~
that Morrlsvile shall he dry" for the
wear beginning May /, 1907. With that cx-
preston, however. the work of making
conditions thus and so Is but begun and
unless the town be dry in fact as wei
las in theory, a ludicrous II not dlsgracefu
travestv upon the aw-respccting policy
Iof the past four years would be enacted
In nothing hut a strict adherence to the
decision voiced by the mo" vote can q
fair test Of "no-licensc" be made, and #
lis every citizens duty to be watchful D
its enforcement The liquor traffic is pos
sessed of wonderful tenacity and /!
Iclothes itself in many different garbs an,
works its way under many differen
i"' ms an" ho'o'S S,''"'" ~, set ~,
- ,,ooo.i,.o ,.o.o nc c,,ra,,, os uraor ~.
, consent of one affirmative.
In concluding this subject 1t is prope
10 summarize VIVA ''Se ms u :"
dr,rlsinq ba hit must decrease or At Ieas,