The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-02-12
BOTTLE SELLING IS
ONCE MORE
CONDEMNED
Mr.. Bond Says Section Of Law
Should be Repealed
IN DEFENCE OF SEARSBURG
No Town Raises Higher Taxes For
Schools Bad Characters Are
Not Natives.
IN DEFENCE OF SEARSBURG

| Editor of the Banner:--I owe you
thanks and am glad to give them for
your courtesy in giving me a space in
your wideawake paper. and, although
in most of your contentious l heartily
agree with you, | am going to take Is
sue with one or two of them.
In the first place do not think you
are correctly informed in regard to
the moral situation in Searsburg.
have lived in Searsburg GO years and
do not remember OF any child born
in the town who grew up here to man
hood and womanhood who ever COM
mitted crime that called for impris-
onment. No town in this state has
raised higher taxes for school purpos-
es, or tried more earnestly to educate
its sons and daughters. Nor do | re-
collect of any child born here who at
manhood or womanhood age, lacked
an education sufficient to do success
full business in the world II we have
a few bad men here We can readily
show that they came from other towns.
believe, Mr.. Editor, that you have
been misinformed.
| | would not use any space to ans
wer Mr.. Halls inuendoes mot argum-
ents) were it not that both yourself
and citizen" seem to have misunder.
stood me. In regard to M article |
have not single word to retract l
will admit that in the third line from
the bottom of that article should
have added after the word law" the
words. in Vermont and New York
Everybody knows the spirit OF the IL
cense law in Massachusetts, New Yorl,
and Vermont Is almost identical
though the phrasiology may be slightly
different. or any other man, not
black listed. can go to Bennington to-
morrow or any other day so far
as Vermont law Is concerned can get
a pint, quart, gallon or two gal
Ions of liquor We can get as drunk
as we please and If we commit nur.
der, the saloonkeeper cannot be held
tn any way responsible, criminally, be,
cause Massachusetts, New York and
Vermont law says that the sale Of the
liquor is respectable calling. and
should be licensed and protected.
II l fail to get all the rum want II
is not because Vermont law prohibits
it, but because the saloonkeeper uses
his judgment as to what quantity it is
safe for me to have. say again this
section should be utterly repealed and
so far as Vermont law is concerned,
make 1t impossible for a man to put
himself in the condition of Alfred Ma.
han 'or Dennis Wall and his compan.
s, ions.
When l sent my first article | did
not expect 1t would arouse such a
prompt discussion, but / am glad
sent 1t, for otherwise your own re.
marks in regard to the duties of par
ents, and citizens" splendid article
might not have appeared.
] sincerely wish that some strong
man would take up and thoroughly
discuss the tendency of the present
style OF the execution of criminal law
in this state and others. When see
a man like s. NJ Waite steal $1O0, OOO
and be imprisoned in the parlors OF
the House of Correction at Rutland for
six years and 60 free and respected. !
cease to wonder that young men be.
come embezzlers and bank wreckers
And when / see three of Vermont
most respected lawyers, give their best
efforts to free Lucretia Borgia alias
Mary Rogers. by some technically OF
the law, | begin to wonder If we are
not drifting towards the condition OF
Rome when the Praetorian guards
sold the imperial purple to the man
who would grant them the greatest in.
dulgencies In crime.
George J. Bond.
Searsburg, VT, Feb. 10, 1908.