The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1911-03-04
FERG1SON BREAKS
OUT AGAINST
lawmakers
Continued from LIST page,

are however unable to regard him as
a local optionist. for no true local
optionist could consistently introduce
and persistently father as did he,
House Bill No. 8, which gave bottle
the right TO take orders and
ship by common carriers everywhere
and anywhere in and out of the town
or city voting license. That means
nearly free rum and defeats all the
NO" option. Mr.. Cameron OF Nor
ton, very young man, hardly more
than boy, was seat mate OF II. b.
Amey, Esq, member from Brighton,
an adjoining town, and the general
impression was that Mr. Amey was
thereby virtually on the committee.
There were four ministers of the gos-
pei members of the House and most
people would have thought some OF
them good temperance committee tim
Der, but Speaker Howe did not think
so and he put them on such commit
tees as the Committee on Railroads.
Speaker Howe took good care to
put some excellent men on the COM
mittee but IL was decidedly a license
law committee and against a Refer
endum from the start. II Is but fair
to say that we think some of the COM
mittee would have favored Refer
endum II the committee as a whole
had possessed favorable symptoms.
The Senate end Of the joint COM
mittee on Temperance consists OF
four members appointed by the Lieu
tenant Governor. president of the
| Senate. The lieutenant governor
could hardly have made better selec-
tons. They were Hon Porter Dale
OF Brighton, Hon. II. T. Cushman OF
Bennington, Hon. c. G. Sheldon OF
Highgate and Hon. j. G. Coolidge oil
Plymouth 1t is probable that Speak
er Howe thought he had Senator
Cushman's hands tied by the Ben
nington County platform but whether
he did or not we do not know.
The Referendum bill was House Nc
349, and was introduced by DIR. l.. w
Burbank of Cabot, a strong temper
ance advocate.
II would have been difficult TO have
selected better or a truer man. HI
did all that could be done against the
fearful odds.
The next black eye given the Refer
enGum was administered, inadvertent
lily OF course. by the newspapers, whit
when the bill was introduced calle'
1t the South Carolina Dispenser,
Law" The bill was as straight state
wide prohibition as was ever writtel
into the law of any state except Kan
sas. 1t did provide for the medicine
mechanical and chemical sale OF lie
uors under state supervision but tn
beverage sale Of liquor was entirel
prohibited and the other sale whic
we believe It impossible to prohibit
: under present conditions In the stat
! was so hedged about that the beyel
age sale would have been exceedingl
difficult under IT, Even the elect "
lC. 4. U. women were led astray. A
good men as Vermont delights to hoI
or, lawyers. jurists and business me
declared the Referendum Bill the bes
prohibition law they ever read 0
knew of.
, A public hearing was given on tn
; Referendum bill II was a success
! a good hearing. every courtesy wa
shown by the committee to the speal
? ers from different parts OF the stat
. The only woman who appeared
s speak was Mrs. Annette Parmlee {
r Enosburg Falls who spoke against III
| bill.
Shortly after the public hearing h
a1 10
= Referendum bill favorably but
= prominent members OF the Cor
mittee we were given to understan
n that the Committee was impresse
e that there was general demand Il
e Referendum and although the
I could not agree TO the bill as prese
J. ted, some OF the Committee, and the
+ believed majority. we're in favor
) letting the people vote on the que
i ton OF keeping the present law {
II the hand one hand as II is or on Il
D other hand as II would be without q
e saloons In other words let the pc
4 Pile say II they wanted to cut out d
saloons OF the present law. We TO
v them that We should not object
IS such a Referendum.
a The Committee held the who
n thing under consultation until abo
ID three weeks before adjournment al
Is then sent II in with an unfavorat
L report, no recommendations, amer
m ments, or substitutes
)r Or. Burbank moved TO amend [
bill by striking out. all after the Z
is acting clause and substitute theref
T. a provision for a Referendum II
n the one the members OF the Temp
II ance Committee had intimated tn
he thought OF recommending In answ
SO to the public demand The amer
lie ment motion was carried and {
r. amended bill passed to third readi
ne by one majority Nearly a third
or the House were absent at this yo
rs When the bill came up on its passa
vs. the Anti.Referendumites were
n lined up and the bill was killed 70
p 1876 The following shows how I
d. members voted or didn't vote.
nv Voted for the Referendum.
Andrus OF Albany. Bailey OF RI
dolph. Bates Of Derby. He'll OF Lun'
nuTk. blillnks OF bMnafu, bOnu
Chester. Royce OF Waterbury. Br,
son OF Hardwick. Brown OF Valid
ut Buchanan OF Glover. Bundy OF SUIT
Burbank OF Cabot. Byington Of Ch
la lotte, Chapman OF Windham. Cook
In. lrasburg. Cook. OF Thetford. Cory
ut OF Chelsea. Croft OF Enosburg. ID
iels Of Warren, DAWSON OF Dan
10 Dearborn OF Lincoln. Dodds OF so,
nv Hero. Drown OF Sharon. Elliott
Hartford, Ellis OF Pittsheld. Fisk
cd Barre Town. Fletcher OF Eden,
A ter OF Weston, Gatchell OF Charl
an town. Gleason OF CRANKY, Grout
mr.. Townshend. Guernsey OF Rochest
ed Harrington OF Pomfret. Hatch OF 81
ford. Hazeltlne OF Andover. Howl
"a. OF Londonderry. Howard OF Whit