The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1908-06-08


prohibition Farmer In town which
has always voted mo under present
law. The licensing Of business In.
hercntly detrimental to the welfare OF
society is inherently wrong Customs
officer. My observation In towns
where have been In license and no-li-
cense times, assures me that In such
towns the license years have been pro
ductive of disturbances, slow.pay and
q general atmosphere ESPECIALLY
smelD OF less prosperous and clean
condition than prevailed In the same
places under no.license or prohibition.
prominent lawyer / think 1t Is
wrong in principle and evil In practice.
| think that during the first year OF IL
cense In - saw more drunk
enness here than | saw during the pre-
vious rs years-yes, more than ever
saw before Superintendent OF city
schools 'Vermont's present condlt-
ion Is a step backward. In the face OF
rising sentiment for temperance else
where-what a shame to US (Retired
manufacturer. Taking the state as
a whole there has been more drunken.
ition In its worst form Estate mission
airy superintendent. Taking the state
as whole there has been very large
increase of drinking and consequent
drunkenness, as evidenced to GER
tainty by the jail records Of the state.
This increase has been 2l3 per cent,
or more than 3 to L Lawyer.) Il am
of the opinion that we shall shortly
get back to about the conditions as
they were under the old law GA states
attorney. "A good state prohibitory
law would be best In my opinion, be-
cause 1t would more nearly prohibit
and suppress than the present law
does Ia former governor Of the state)
Opposed to such opinions as the
foregoing are the following among
others: I think the present law Is the
strongest temperance measure we
have ever had (Manufacturer) was
Iopposed to this law and greatly oppOs-
led Its passage In the legislature, but
II am obliged to be fair and say that
believe that all in all 1t is much bet.
ter for the whole state than the pro-
lhibitory law was prominent lawyer
and legislator). When the law was
changed | voted for the retention OF
the old law, thinking 1t would be the
better of the two evils, but / have
changed my mind The old law was q
defective. nasty" old thing that nc
one had the least respect for. 1t made
thieves of the large majority Of the
selectmen OF the various towns, who
purchased the liquor. have positive
knowledge, that this was the rule. Or
dinarily the agents who sold 1t, II hon
est when they began, later adopted the
rule, and stole all they could, or dared
to. Men lied and perjured themselves
Ito get rum, and probably more was
fused in the state at large than now "a
Estate official). 1 think the present law
lis better than the old prohibitory law
Submitting the question OF license to
the people yearly keeps alive O more
|active and intelligent interest In tenn
perance (City superintendent OF
schools and county examiner). nc
one can more deplore than Catholic
priest the evils of intemperance but al
the same time we must not run to ex
tremes in the matter. Prohibition IL
one of these extremes, and | cannot
say that | could approve of 1t as 1t was
operated In II was enough
to disgust any honest man. 1t made
men perjurers and hypocrites' (Promi
nent Catholic priest. Local option
is the ideal way to regulate the traffic
and 1t is successful large employer
lin Eyes" and mo" city, No revis
ion unless the old law is greatly i'm
proved employs from 500 to SO(
mem. Under the old law We had the
worst kind of local option. We were
compelled to put up with, oft.times. 6
board of selectmen, who were elected
for no other reason than that It was
known that they would appoint 10
cal agent who would sell all the run
he could. have the best Of reasons
flor knowing absolutely that for great
many years the agent here was In
structed to make all the money he
could for the town and the man who
|, could not get rum at our town agency
, In almost any quantity was exceeding
ly bad, for the direction to the agen
was. Let anybody have It unless he /.
known to be very bad drunkard"
IAN ex-governor. L should look up
on reversion to a prohibitory law a.
a calamity. although used to suppor
It. We can stop the sale of liquor un
, der the present law, and We nevel
could under the other law. Our cit,
! court has hardly any business. No
one arrest for drunkenness last month
/, (City clerk and treasurer in "Yes" ant
2 ~ III % oh 10
, then public opinion is back OF tn,
: law (Large manufacturer in Yes
and mo" city. My experience al
states attorney has convinced m,
that the present law promotes tn,
cause of temperance better than tn,
old law did. have personal knowl
' edge of about 20 towns, and | don
think there are but two towns In tn,
: number where the present law is NOR,
: effective. am disposed to give the 10
> cal option law ten years trial. In tn,
present state of things ! believe It 4
!. wholesome to have responsibility fel
: locally; 1t is annoying but salutary
: pastor of prominent city Protestan
church,
: Such opinions, pro and con, nigh
:. be quoted at almost indefinite length
! Many say in substances: vote,
!, against the present law but have sine
come to regard II with favor. Severa
feel that the prohibitory law was sci
!, iously Detective that these defect
might readily be eliminated; that tn
!, remaining residuum might be supple
! mented by certain elements of the pre-
. sent law which now have a demonstra
= ted value, and the result would be
:, law which would be both sane and sa
: utary.
!, THE principal objections urge
y against the present law may be sun
: married. as follows: (D From prime
!; pie. Many OF the replies, both fror
. the clergy and laity assign this objet
), ton; (2) Many affirm that local OF
= ton, under the present law, is q fit