Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-05-06
srArE-LocAL oerloN.

OF the lt4a0E IfAAlC. AaCh City HNN 49, /
votes In March meeting en- the question
OF whether it will permit the sale of
liquor, as prescribed BY the legal regula-
tons, for the ensuing year. u the vote
is yes, legal machinery is set in notion
licenses are granted in return for fees
and liquor is sold by the licenses con-
formally. II the voters no, there is no
legal selling OF liquor within the town,
except in case OF druggists licenses.
As it stands, about 220 OF the 246 cities
and towns in Vermont return no vote
each year. About rs towns vote yes. These
have been the figures for several years
past and the normal level seems to have
been reached. We can depend, then, on
a state very largely dry, but with . scat
ter;ng of wet towns dropped down here
and there, seldom grouped. but cropping
out year by year in various parts Of the
state. This is the condition with which
Vermont has to deal. The question
arises, are We handling it in the best
possible way /?
Anyone at all cnnversant with the
workings Of the present system readily
perceives that the weak point OF local OPP
ton is its complete failure to justify Its
own name. Local option in Vermont Is
not local option. A yes vote in a certain
town means that the saloons in that town
viii seII--to whom9 To the people who
voted for them, onlyf Not much. To
any body who comes to them with the
price and who is not on the blacklist.
What does this mani 1t means that
those from far and wide who banker for
intoxicants viii journey to this place, as
to we'll in the desert, and sdrink full
and deep" 1t means that the principal
part of the saloon trade comes from out
of town; from towns that have forbidden
by their vote the sale OF liquor within
them. 1t means, consequently. that the
most injury done by saloon is without
its own borders, inflicted upon its neigh
bors, who have done all they could under
the law to protect themselves, but are
compelled to look on helpIessly while
some neighbor defiles them through serv-
ing with liquor the few in every COM
munity that make improper uses of it.
This is not, we repeat, local option. II
gives to towns that have voted against
the saloon the problem and the care and
the expense resulting from drunkenness
for which they are in no wise to blame
II makes every town as fearful ct the &C
ton of its neighbor as it could be of iii
own, yet absolutely without power I,
control in any way what that neighbol
may do that so vitality affects itself. Thi
is not right. nor fair, nor just.
In its broad aspect, we believe in tn
! principle of local option in controlling
the liquor traffic. Each town is bette
!. judge OF what it wants than any othe
town, or the state as a whole. Further
= a yearly register OF the local sentiment
heaIthful in its tone and helpful IN It
effect. II each town were an island, in
0 passably removed from every other town
IS or il sales of liquor could be restricts
e solely to residents OF the towns votin
u for such selling, local option would b
: ideal in practice, also. But these condi
e tions do not exist and cannot be attained
e The thought comes instantly when it
e reported that Mortified and Braintree al
I the only license towns between BurIing
ton and the Massachusetts, line, Whs
an outside traffic there will be for thet
:, pIacesl And this is Justified when we Sc
twenty-three applicants for licenses
Mortified and an applicant in the littl
hamlet OF Braintree willing to pay $3.50
year for the privilege of selling. 1t
further justified BY the actual experienS
:. Of the year. hat is seen and observed;
j, constant pilgrimage of the thirsty to h
:, supply depot; lines OF empty or broke
bottles leading along the highways |
- neighboring towns; staggering, stronl
breathed passengers on the railws
= trains; busy police officials and courts
= the surrounding section; crowded count
:, jaiIs; and not infrequentIy violent deatl
directly traceabIe to the ulcer that
=. single town has established. How mud
n real local option can there be in such
:, system2
=. 1t seems to us, in view OF the vel
=, keen seIf-interest necessarily imposed {
every town by the action OF every 9th
town, that there ought to be some mea
IL whereby the unit Of option shall be lar
us er than a single town. County opli,
~ has been proposed, but in our opini'
III would prove ineffective and unsatisfactor
Vermont is not run on the coun
mt basis. its topography does not admit
IN county lines meaning much as natural (
III visions. and there is frequently wi
mt variance Of sentiment on all questio
m within q single county.
ose Vermont taken together is smaller
lis area than some western counties, and
for considerably less population than cor