The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1909-03-06
TO STOP GAMBLING
Correspondent Asks for Better Paid
Police.

Police.
To the Editor of the Banner In last
nights issue of the Banner was an
article regarding the adoption of the
curfew law for Bennington Being
woman | cannot have voice at the
coming village meeting, but | would
like to say something along the line
of what | believe should be done at
that meeting. There could be things
done by this town that would be of
greater benefit to the children than
the ringing of the curfew bell.
There has been quite a little writ
ten and said recently about voting
no on the license question. Now
that the town has gone yes we have
settled down to a whole year of sill
ence. have no patience with the
paid advocates of no license, who are
heard from only about four weeks be-
fore election and then fold their hands
and let the liquor sellers run the bus
mess just as they see fit. 1t makes
no difference to them how many mi
nors swap their caps in the saloon
for a derby hat that they may get a
drink and get more than one drink UNI
til it takes two or three of his COM
panions to get him home.
Even as bad as this state of things
is in our community there are even
worse. The drunken man Is not con-
sidered accountable for what he says
or does. If 1t is true then when rum
is in, the man is out There is an
evil that exists in our town today that
is dragging our young men and older
ones as well down where brains are
not muddled with drink. That is the
gambling holes in places of business
that are putting out for show in the
front respectable line of goods
while at the back they are robbing
our fathers and sons. We have en-
acted a law compelling the liquor
dealer to close at certain hours but
the gambler knows no such an hour.
On Sunday he will attend church be-
cause he has soul to save while his
victims have none. Consequently
while he kneels and prays that the
Lord will bless him and send more
fools to enrich him in his nefarious
business his victims are spending the
last cent they have earned the whole
week through.
AS we pass by on quiet Sunday
afternoon you can hear the ring OF the
silver dollar as it changes hands or
is thrown down by some desperate
player who is just parting with the
last one. This is no over-drawn pic
ture for it has been known to happen
Now before we have our trustees
instructed regarding curfew law
let's vote to hire a police that will be
above shutting his eyes and seeing
nothing but old men in saloons, be
cause he has money stuck in his eyes
and he can not get it out. If we have
not got to be so near like the cities
of Sodom and Gomorah, in which
there could not be found ten righteous
men there to save her from destruc
ton, let's vote to hire policemen ant
pay them a living salary so that they
will not be compelled to shut theil
eyes in order to get living and clost
the dives that are running the yount
men of this town. Then when fathers
and mothers stay at home at nigh
the boys and girls will also, and there
will be no need of curfew.
This town makes liberal provision
for the care of the amusements of thu
people but when you provide a salar,
for a man or two men to look ate
the morals of the town then the liber
atty ceases and the littleness of ou
interest in the towns welfare appear
in the service.
V