Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1910-11-30
w. G. T. u. COLUMN NJ.
PROPOSED LIQUOR LAW.

ulOHI AuII-OdlOOu LSde
; Some people found fault with the
length of the old prohibition law and
then drew the local option law about
three thousand words longer. 1t is
practically impossible to draw any
sort of liquor law which properly
provides for all things,< that must be
cared for and have the whole meas
ure brief Therefore, it has been
thought best to make an abridged
statement of the so called referendum
bill to enable busy but interested peo-
pie to get quick but sufficient and
correct knowledge of it's leading fea-
lures"
An eminent jurist of Vermont, be-
ing asked what were the weaknesses
of the old prohibition law, recently
said 1.-The insignificant fines and the
town agency The referendum bill
remedies both these difficulties. The
referendum bill eliminates the saloon
for the sale or liquors for beverage
purposes.
The referendum bill provides for the
medicinal, mechanical, and chemical use
of liquor in an altogether new, novel,
sensible, and business-like fashion.
Controlled by local option privilege,
the state store comes las a matter of
course" in large towns and cities, but
may easily be excluded at any regular
town or city meeting if by majority
vote they decide they don't want it.
| Towns of less than four thousand in
| habitantS may have a state store by
! the same local option process, if they
ask for it. This would place a local
state store in II towns and cities in
Vermont unless they voted against it.
and all others could have a state store
by voting for it. This provision is
! based upon the supposition that large
places will generally want such stores
and should not be put to the trouble
! to get them, and that the smaller
places are not likely to care for such
stores, and should not be put to the
trouble to keep them out. Either,
however, can easily overcome the
presumption. A ten per cent petition
to selectmen or mayors brings on
vote in any town or city, and the ver
dict stands until changed by subse-
quent vote.
The rendum bill provides
for a central state agency located
wherever it's superintendent and the
governor shall decide. The governor
appoints a superintendent who holds
office during the pleasure of the COVER
nor and performs the chief acts of his
!.
and the local stores In counsel with the
governor. The governor names super
intendent's salary, not to exceed
eighteen hundred dollars. Superinten-
dent buys all liquors by advertising
for bids, and bids are opened in pub
lie. All liquors are subject to analysis
before paid for or used.
The central state agency bottles,
labels, numbers, puts prices on and
supplies local state agencies with
nothing but such sealed packages, the
seals of which are not to be broken
in any local state store or by any
local state store agent. The agent is
subject to heavy penalty, notice of
which is printed on each bottle and
may be taken advantage of by any
purchaser if the agent breaks the
seal of a package of state sealed
liquor.
The purchaser must take oath that
the liquor is wanted for lawful use,
and physicians are not brought into
the transaction.
The local agent gets a definite
salary and large sales do not increase
it. He sells only in limited quantities
at quoted prices.
The price of liquors is determined
by cost and expense, and the state
gets no profit nor suffers any loss. An
appropriation of $4,000 is provided
for by the bill simply for the purpose
of carrying on or floating the bust
ness, the sale of the liquors is to pay
all costs to the state in the end.
Druggists buy their supply of liquors
for the compromising and keeping of
medicines, for which alone they are
at liberty to have (unless appointed
local state agents) from the central
state store at a margin of only three
per-centum and subject to severe
penalty if they have in their posses
: sion other liquors than so purchased.
Upon a , second conviction for non
compliance with the law a druggist
beside the fine loses his pharmacists
license. a
Confscated liquors. if of good quality
, and of sufficient quantity are turned
!, over by the court to the central state
agency for its Legitimate use, or
otherwise are destroyed.
,, Penalties and enforcement are left
as now by largely retaining the
= present sections relating thereto.
Some sections of the present law are
? amended to make them consistent
. with the proposed measure, others
are repealed. Some sections of the
old prohibition law are Incorporated as
they were. This brings down certainty
of construction, and will save much
:, litigation which would result from
entirely new provisions to accomplish
I the same results.
The bill provides for a referendum
to the voters of the state at the March
meeting of 1911. and therefore little,
@ if any, extra expense or bother.
If majority of Vermont voters
say they want the law, it goes into
,. effect May LIST, 1911. If majority Of
Vermont voters say they prefer the
1t present local option law the new law
>, does not go into effect until December
~ 1912, which of course means that the
next legislature would repeal it before
y it goes into effect at all.
The bill gives the people "a square
dool -