St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1911-12-27
State Reforms Needed.

State Reforms Needed.
Although candidates for state Of
fees are in the field and advocating
political panaceas for various ills 1t
is encouraging to note the serious
discussion that is going on in the
state press of social rather than po-
litical reforms. It indicates a deep
conviction among men continually
concerned with public matters that
Vermont can make real progress
in the care and restraint of it's
criminal and unfortunate classes.
The frank discussion that is being
made of these matters cannot fail to
awaken a healthy public sentiment
that eventually will force action.
There are three matters that de-
serve careful thought and intelligent
legislative action at this time. The
care of the drunkard, the care of
morally and mentally deficient adults
and children and a more prompt and
efficient method of detecting and
furnishing crime. To treat all these
subjects in one article would make
it so long few could read it. So
we will give attention to only the
first at this time.
Vermont's law making the drunk
ard a criminal and attempting to
punish him as such has proven
failure because the offence of intoXf-
cation is not serious enough to merit
sufficient punishment to effect any
moral reform in the criminal. Per-
haps it would be difficult to find a
better method for the punishment of
most first offenders than the present
public trial and imposition of a
small fine,l because these first offences
should be treated early enough SO
the offender could reform of his own
free will and the disgrace of a public
conviction should spur him to make
such a reform. But for the man who
has become so confirmed in the
habit of using intoxicating liquor to
excess that legal punishment is no
deterrent, the fine and short terms of
Imprisonment are generally harmful.
In the first place the Imprisonment
is so short that he cannot gain the
moral strength necessary to reform
himself and it also brands him as
a criminal and handicaps him in an
effort to secure a respectable living
after he is released. Thirdly it often
leaves his family without means of
support and abets pauperism.
The state should cease it's attempt
to make the convicted drunkard pay
the cost of his trial and punishment
and then make the penalty of his Of
fence simply enough to care for thse
expenses. 1t should make the con-
tinement of the victim long enough
to be of real assistance in breaking
him of the habit. 1t should allow
him a fair compensation above the
expense of his board and restraint.
In the case of a married man this
compensation should go for the sup
port of his family and be expended by
the overseer of the poor if the fami-
ly is not competent to use it judi
ciously. In the case of an unmar-
ried man it should be deposited in a
bank subject to his call when he has
been released. Confinement under
these conditions would work little
hardship on the man himself and
would certainly be more beneficial
to his family than to have him al
liberty and spending his money fol
liquor and subjecting them to the
abuse of an intoxicated brute. The
amelioration of the conditions O.
his confinement would justify the
longer term. 1t might transform the
confirmed drunkard from a worth
less and irresponsible person into {
self-supporting and self-respectinE
man. 1t certainly should be con
tinued until it had accomplished
these ends.
This work could probably be bes
done in a state reformatory rattle
than state penal institution. Blu
as Vermont has only penal institu
lions it might first be undertakes
in them as an effort to reform. l
it proved successful it would be blu
a short time before another insti
tuition would be necessary. Releas
from such confinement should. al
ways be on probation for term lon