The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-04-07
VERMoNT's DRY EDGE
How a Massachusetts Contemporary
Views Vernon's License Problem

NlCWo Lt(CHoC EfOOiCH
Whether or not the village of South
Vernon and West Northneld is to con-
tinue in the enjoyment of the sale of
liquor for the next year is problem
of the first interest around that settle
ment, best known as the junction OF
the Boston and Maine and Central
Vermont railroads. The town of
Mortified is watching the working
out of the problem with some concern
and even Greenfield. some dozen
miles TO the south, is not without in
terest in 1t as the railroad connection
is direct and Vernon is the only point
to the north to which Greenfield thirst
can look after May /. The town OF
Vernon is the only one in Windham
county in which license is granted.
There is another town up in the wilds,
where the total vote is cast by five
citizens, four of whom indulge in the
pleasantly of voting yes, but none of
whom care to take the license. South
Vernon stands alone in its distinc-
ton. The license has been granted In
past years TO the hotel at South Yer
non, which sits on the border of the
state, the line between Vermont and
Massachusetts being just across the
street.
Under the vote OF the town it would
continue to be exercised there and the
rare railroad facilities OF the neigh
borhood would continue to make it
a resort for a wide region of dry land.
But it has been discovered that an act
of the last Vermont legislature seems
TO have made a license there Illegal.
The new Vermont law provides that
no license shall be granted within two
miles OF the state lines unless the
principal village is within that dis
lance, and if there is no principal
village 1t shall not be in any case
granted within the two miles This
act prescribes a zone of two miles in
width around the states border, with
in which no license can be exercised
unless the principal village OF the
town is within the zone. The law was
not made expressly for Vernon. but is
understood TO have come from the
situation opposite Hanover n. H..
where licensed liquor shop was
squatted on the bank of the Connect
cut on the Vermont side with particu-
lar view to supplying the students OF
Dartmouth college. and became such
a scandal that the legislature enacted
this legislation.
In Vernon's case. there is ques-
ton where the principal village is. II
one does not exist then the South
Vernon hotel is clearly outlawed. If
the postoffice and church and few
houses at the center OF the town con
sttute the principal village then the
license must go there. South Yer
mons only wet hope is that It may be
considered the metropolis, but the
weakness of this contention is that
on the Vermont side of the line the
hotel is about the only village feature.
The postoffice is on the other side
of the state line, so are the village
stores. so are about all the residents.
Il is Mortified village and not Yer
mons, apparently, and if so the license
commission of Vernon is barred by
the law from granting the license
there.
It is the chief topic of conversa-
tion around the South Vernon junction
what view of the law the license
board will take. Somehow the i'm
preston prevails that they will strain
point and let the inn on the state
line continue to dispense moisture.
But it will not be allowed to have the
final word There is too large an in
terest in the prevention of the sale.
which makes the junction a center for
the buns of wide country, and the
courts will be appealed to in the ex-
pectation that Vernon Interpretation
of the law will prove to have been too
much influenced by neighborly feel
ing. Mortified is not lacking in peo-
pie who would be glad to see the Ii
cense removed and who will back a
movement in that direction.-Gree
field Recorder.