Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-02-28
License or No License-Which.

License or No License-Which.
1t cannot be denied that there dwells
in the minds of many sincere people
conviction that the theory of license is
the more practical one. 1t is contended
by the advocates of that system that a
gh.license, if carried out honestly, will
result in more practical good to the
greater number of people. 1t seems now
that this would be the proper time to dis
cuss this question, when the matter will
in very few days be brought before the
voters of the community for settlement
for another year.
One of the arguments brought up by
the opponents of high-license was that if
this system were in vogue the illicit sale
of intoxicants would cease. Their con-
tention was that if the traffic was legitl-
matted the ''pocket pe1ar" would be
driven out of business; just how was not
made clear, but their protestations were
strong on this point. An experience of
nearly five years has shown conclusively
that the illicit sale of liquor prospers I'M
der license, and, far from being sup
pressed under the system, is growing in
proportions year by year. One thing is
certain-the holders of licenses have done
nothing to help in the suppression. being,
no doubt, so occupied in disposing of
their wares that the activity of the back
alley vendor has escaped their percep-
tions.
1t may or may not be an occasion of
surprise to many in Middlebury to be in
formed that,parties whose names are on
the "black. list" are-if they have the
price-able to get all the liquor they
need, and without putting themselves to
much Inconvenience, either. Conditions
here are such at the present time that it
need not be considered a nine-days' won
der when men can brag openly that the
blacklist is no barrier, if they can only
raise the fifty cents necessary. Let us
have ''no-license" this year. 1t looks
now as if we shall. The majority in
favor of license was only nine last year.
But the no-icense people need not be too
confident of the result, for this same
over-confidence last year was the cause
of the majority the other way. And
when we get no-license lett us see to it
that the law is enforced. For the argu-
ment most frequently used by the license
side is that just as much liquor will be sold
way, even if we vote license down. Let
us prove the falsity of this assertion.
Can the business men of this commun-
ity say that high license has done any
thing toward increasing the cash bust
ness here? Can anybody say that the
$l400, more or less, derived from the
issue of licenses has helped the town
enough to Offset the damage done by the
free sale of liquor within its borders?
The liquor traffic returns to labor only
six cents of every dollar of product, and
% cents on the dollar goes back to the
farmer and producer of raw material; of
other leading industries, clothing, furni-
ture, hardware, etc, the total return to
the producer of raw material and labor
is 70 cents of each dollar of product.
From purely economic standpoint the
traffic is failure; while, morally consid-
cred, the thing is an abomination.
"a careful estimate shows that 100, 900
men fill drunkard's graves every year,
and their ranks must be filled by the
business, to say nothing of increasing the
traffic. Shall we vote yes, and so offer
our boys or our neighbors' boys as raw
material for the saloon to manufacture
into its sure product of debased manhood,
crime and pauperism? The saloon bust
ness cannot be carried on without the
constant fresh supply of raw material
the boys and young men of our town, our
homes and our hearts"
The question is one which must not be
lightly passed upon. License of liquor
selling is right or it is wrought is not both
And it is important enough to call out the
full vote of the community on Tuesday
Regardless of what other communities
think or do in this matter, Middlebury
should stand for an emphatic "No."