Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1908-04-13
EX-GOV. CIRCUIT AND MIR. BALD
WIN FOR RESUBMISSION.


from the last number of the Vermont
Issue and are editorials inspired by in
terviews with exGov. Grout of New
port and Hon. F. w. Baldwin Of Bar
ton. Mr.. Baldwin's idea is an extreme
one and would not meet with great
favor state wide, though it would
find many supporters among the tenn
perance people. Mr.. CIRCUITS views
are held by many throughout the state
and his statement that the legislature
of 1904 would have voted high license
down if given an opportunity is encour-
aging indeed to the antisaloon forces !;
and Mr.. Grout was one of the leading
members of that house and knows
whereof he speaks.
Hon. Josiah Grout Of Newport, for
merly governor of the state, declared
himself as unqualitiedly for resubmis-
SION IN recent interview with the
editor of the Vermont Issue. He said
that he should not have taken that
stand four years ago, but he thought
that the law had now had a fair trial.
and that the people of the state should
have chance to express their opinion
as to the wisdom of its continuance.
And on the question of the value of a
proper prohibitory law with adequate
penalties and sufficient guards he
did not hesitate to line up with the
friends of the handicap of a plank in
the convention platform for the con-
tinuance of local option. we have not
had a legislature since 1903 that would
not have voted to repeal the present
law. And of the Legislature of 1904
the Ex-Governor was an honored mem
Der, and therefore speaks with intimate
personal knowledge.
xxx
In an interview with the Hon. F. w.
Baldwin of Barton. for several years
the chairman of the State Republican
Committee. he stated to the editor of
the Vermont Issue that. in his judg-
ment, the present local option law was,
as a measure for the reduction of
drunkenness throughout the state as
a whole. dismal failure. He also
stated that, in his opinion, the prohibi.
tion law which preceded this was not 9
success. The town agency was the
bane of the old law, and the physicians
prescription the curse of the new law
In each case that which the law in
tended to be simply means for pro.
curing stimulants for: strictly medicina
purposes was often transformed into
an agency for catering to depravee
appetite for stimulants as beverage
Hence Mr.. Baldwin is heartily il
favor of the repeal of this law and the
substitution therefor of a prohibition
law that will do away with all sales Of
intoxicants for any purpose whatever
That certain forms of alcoholic stimu
lants may be sometimes beneficial as
m edicines Mr.. Baldwin did not deny
but he claimed, and who can deny tn e
claim. that the small good made pos.
sible by their sale for that purpose is
often very much more than offset by
the deleterious effects from their per-
nicious use as beverages.
Of course. such law would allow
the sale of the denatured article for use
as fuel. ar illuminant. and fo1
various similar purposes. but would aE.
s1lutely forbid the sale of any form of
alcoholics not thus denatured. Thus a
broad distinction would be made be-
tween external and internal use. De-
natured alcohol could be used fer bath