Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-12-31

mission to thcm. Vermont would have
to surrender her right Of internal polio"
in this recpcct, even though every man,
woman. and child in the commonwealth
~ Vermont. speaking for themsclvcs
voted against it.
90 not soc my way clear ut TINS
I'm" thus to- jropardizc Ncrmont's right
to tn" exclusive" determination Of her
own police powers so long and 80 sacred
" guarded in such precise and explicit
terms IN h"r organic law nor do | see
how, as representative OF the First Con-
"ressionai District. can iustifv cast-
ing my vote to do SO until the people
themselves have their own act in some
manner easily understandable made
| known their Willingness to surrender It
themselves.
VERMONTS RIGHT TO ADJUST HER
own AFFAIRS.
~ do not believe that tin. people Of
the first district arc yet willing TO have
| 'aiifornia. Sow Mexico. Arizona. Texas.
South Carolina. New York. or Utah. for
| instance. decide what kind Of liquor
law We Of Vermont should live under,
and how it shall be inforced
THE reference of the Hobson amend
nent to the states is not a referendum
Of the question of national prohibition
to the people of the States, It is a refer
"ndum to the Legislatures of the States.
"Hobsont proposition involves the
surrender Of the Statcs's police power.
Those of our friends in favor 81 II that
do not lose sight OF that fact. argue
that tho object is high moral one and
that. therefore. the end ihstifies the
means.
LIQUOR PROBLEM STATE ISSUE.
AS y moral question. pure and sim
pie, the liquor problem cumee first e.
every individual citizen in the rcgula
ton Of his own life and conduct 1t Is
peculiarly md distinctive'y d home az
tair, a social question. in it's begin
ing, and there it mast first he decided
when sufficient men and wom"
and sufficient homes aye agreed upor
tho question to warrant the enacting 81
their solution into a law that will hin'
The minority that havr not reached thai
conclusion, then the question comes e
the lawmakor, not as a moral issue. bu
as constitutional legal probiem to b.
passed upon in it's finalty.
VERMONT 4 LICENSE STATE.
"Tf | am to judge of the kind Of ?
liquor law Nrrmonters want the nator
to make 10y the kind of law they maxi
for themselves. must conclude. as s
matter OF plain logic, that, II Vernon
favors local option and agrees that th
towns within her own borders MAY
license or prohibit the sale OF liquor -
they see fit from year to year. lcavir!
each town to Judge of It's own loca
condition and their demands, then Yer
mont comedies the right of every othe
state under the federal constitution t.
exercise its own option as to the licens
ing or the prohibiting Of the sale @
liquor within its borders
Mr.. Greene calls attention to the fac
: the democrats have not proposed. o
their part to surrender the state
police power and that before election
the people of the state knew that h
. Greene, could not vote for the Hobso
3 amendment. He therefore conclude
/. that he has no right to vote So that Con
t gress might in effect. make Vermont
D prohibition State. He SAYS:
MUST RETURN SELT-GOVERNMEN
Does Vermont want TO give up til
good od-fa shioned New England ide
of local self government in such natter
u to-day and. If SO, how has she l.
any manifestation of that very sam
authority Of local self-governmer
. publicly evidenced that she wants m,
AS one OF her representatives. in Cor
gress, to put her in the way of doing II
II realiz" that some Of our goo
friends uho are so earnestly and
= deeply interested in this matter thin
L the issue Is entirely mora one al
. that | should be- governed by that ide
y and with corresponding lofty purpos
= alone. I am probably closer in sympath
' with them on the moral aspects Of Il
- temperance problem than some of the
L imagine. We all agree as to tho miser
and unhappiness caused mankind by Il
abuse OF liquor But n lawm6kcr, swor
" to protect constitutional rights and qua
: antics. must take into considerable
Vt clements and factors in the law and II
% situation that some nf our friends int
"sted in temperance work in society, hl
not responsible for official acts OF II
government in relation thereto may m
b., lH.aVS think as imDOrt3nt as ! have to