Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1908-01-03
PROHIBITION
VS.. LOCAL OP-
ton in STATE
OF VERMONT

i
the following comparison between
four years of prohibition and four
years of local option in Vermont,
which state abandoned prohibition
four years ago in favor of the local
option plan. The figures are interest
ing. The clipping follows:
The following statement is made by
Supt. C. j. Ferguson of the Vermont
AntilSaloon League:
The following is a summary of the
records of each county jail in Yer
mont and also some large towns To-
Gated at such distance from the
county jails as to need local lock
up for temporary commitment of par
ties intoxicated or committing
breach of the peace. If a person is
arrested for either of these offenses in
a large town or city not the county
seat and committed to local lookup,
trial is usually had next day and if
fine and costs are paid the party is
released and the case never appears
at county Jail or house of correction.
A record of such cases is therefore
necessary to secure a fairly complete
digest of the drink" record of the
state. There are usually from one to
three such large towns in each coun-
ty. Not all such town records have
been secured, but a sufficient number
for a fair comparison.
The tables cover exactly four years
of state prohibition and four years of
local option. They are the same
months Of the four years, beginning
MayS1, 1899 and ending May /, 1903,
for the prohibition period and from the
later date which was the date of be.
ginning of license, to Nal 1, 1907, for
the four years of local option.
The records of confinements in coun-
ty jails for drunkenness shows an
average increase Of 213 percent since
local option was established, every
county in the state showing an in
crease, according to the tables.
At one county Jail the number Of
arrests for drunkenness during the
last four years of prohibition was 545,
while during the four years just past,
of local option, 1917 drunks were ar
rested.
| Leaving Grand Isle county out of
consideration and that seems fair for
4 they themselves do not consider in
toxication of much consequence fol-
in eight years the county Jail record
book shows only six commitments fol
| drunkenness, although it is conceded
there is much unarrested drunkenness
the thirteen Vermont county Jail rec
ords show under the local option four
years an average increase of 213 per
cent in drunkenness over the last four
years of state prohibition; the foul
years of prohibition being PIT and the
four years of local option being 5,
$50.
Total of Is county -Four years
prohibition, 2,175 DRINKS; four years
local option 5.554 drunks.
| Total of II local lockups -Four
years prohibition, S51 DRINKS; foul
years local option, 1,S41 DRINKS.
| Grand total, four years of prohi
bition. 1920 DRINKS.
! Grand total, four years Of local op
ton, 7,401 drunks.
| Local option more than prohibition
1881 DRINKS
| Theofficial report of the directors
of the house of correction to the last
legislature in order that that body
might understand the dilemma in
which the institution was in for &C
commodations, ETC., gave for compari
son the records of total commitments
for biennial periods covering the pre-
vious fourteen years. These were a:
follows for two years ending June &c
in year named:
1892, prohibition $500. sos
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