Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1909-05-26
STATE-LOCAL OPTION.

In 1903 Vermont adopted the license s
local option system. an act submitted 6
by the legislature having been ratified
by the voters at the polls. This sys'
tenn has been continued for six years.
down to the present time, without sub
stantial modification. Its prime feat
ure is local control of the liquor traffic.
Each city and town votes in March
meeting on the question of whether 1t
will or will not permit the sale of IL
quor, as prescribed by the legal regu-
lations, for the ensuing year. 1t the
vote is yes. legal machinery is set in
motion, licenses are granted In return
for fees and liquor is sold by the il.
censes, conformably. If the vote Is
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 26 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 state very
largely dry, but with scattering 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 1t IN
the best possible way?
Anyone at all conversant with the
workings of the present system readily
perceives that the weak point of local
option is its complete failure to justi-
fy it's own name. Local option IN
Vermont is not local option. A yes
vote in a certain town means that the
saloons in that town will seli--to
whom? To the people who voted for
them, only? Not much. To anybody
who comes to them with the price and
who is not on the blacklist. What does
this mean? 1t means that those from
far and wide who banker for intoXi-
cants will journey to this place, as to
we'll in a desert, and drink full ano
dee2." 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 Ii
quor within them. It means, conse
quently, that the most injury done b!
a saloon is without its own borders
inflicted upon its neighbors. who hav'
done all they could under the law t,
protect themselves, but are compelled
to look on helplessly while some neigh
Dor defiles them through serving witt
liquor the few in every communit.
that make improper uses of it. Thi
Is not, we repeat, local option. l
gives to towns that have voted agains
the saloon the problem and the car
and the expense resulting from drunk
enness for which they are in no wise t
blame. 1t makes every town as feal
full of the action Of its neighbor as
could be of its own, yet absolutel
without power to control in any wa
what that neighbor may do that so v
tally affects itself. This is not righ
nor fair, nor just.
In its broad aspect, we believe
the principle of local option in col
trolling the liquor traffic. Each tow
is a better judge of what it want
than any other town, or the state
a whole. Further, a yearly registt
of the local sentiment is healthful
it's tone and helpful in its effect.
each town were an island, impassab
removed from every other town, or
sales of liquor could be restricted sol
ly to residents Of the towns voting f
such selling, local option would
ideal in practice, also. But these CO
ditions do not exist and cannot be q
taine5;. The thought comes instar
ly when it is reported that Northfie
and Braintree are the only licen
towns between Burlington and t
Massachusetts line, what an outsi
traffic there will be for these place
And this is justified when we see
applicants for licenses in Northfe
and an applicant in the little town
Braintree willing to pay $500 We
for the privilege of selling. 1t is fu
Their justified by the actual experien
of the year, what is seen and observe