St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1915-03-24

OL. AlDduS lily = : . = . y
Somerset
Vergennes z
West Rutland. 20
The closeness in some places was
startling, as for instance, the cities
of Burlington and Rutland, the larg-
est in the state, going wet by 25 and
10 votes, respectively. On the other
hand some places were kept in the
dry column by equally close votes;
ISwanton by eight and Middlebury by
only four.
/ Since the local option law went into
! effect several years ago the trend has
been toward fewer wet" communi-
ties, and places have changed from
one column to another, depending on
local conditions, such as the activity
of the liquor element which has in
duced a revolt, etc. The first year
the local option law went into effect
1 SO towns and cities voted wet" and
the minimum was reached this year.
1t has been figured out that the aver
age number of towns voting yes
since the law went into effect is Sc,
though in no year during the past
nine years have over "a towns voted
that way.
Presumably the friends of temper
ance will be greatly pleased by the
result and especially by the closeness
of the contest in so many places.
They may read the result as being an
indication that there is real demand
i for a referendum, such as is now be-
fore the legislature, and that the peo-
pie will vote for the prohibitOry law.
1t would be impossible to say how
4 far they are justified in this assump-
ltion. Considering the question from
the academic standpoint, it might de-
velop that many who vote for no
license under the local option law
would not vote for state prohibition.
But one cannot with safety declare
what the result would be.
1t is trotting out piece of we'll
worn advice to warn the towns that
have voted dry the full obligation
lof the community has not been met
. in its vote alone. tragic example
in a dry Vermont town, the exam
pie of dozen or more men killed by
drinking wood alcohol dispensed from
: well recognized source of illega
: liquor selling, is ample warrant fol
sounding the warning again.
Every town, wet or dry, should SEE
that the law is lived up to, otherwise
: the whole thing is a farce. The need
: exists in the 'twet" communities, fol
: while it was expected that self-inter-
: est would compel licensed liquor deal
ers to be insistent on the crushing out
. of illegal selling in their communities
those who have observed declare thai
it is impossible for licensed men to dc
= this because they would open them
. selves to warranted or unwarranteo
: actions on the part of friends of those
who had been brought to the bar OF
. justice by their fundamentally
> 1t does not seem to The Messenger
that public opinion has been suf1-
GENTLY awakened to the difficulties
connected with the handling of the
: liquor business, and it more tolerant
= in varying degrees, than it should be
, A firm hand should always be placed
: on this traffic; the best interest Of
the public demands it, and the liquor
: licensee, who is honestly striving tc
abide by the law under which he op.
; crates, will welcome it, for in thai
way alone will he find his ultimate
. protection.-St. Adams Messenger.
Suffrage Killed in House
The house has killed the woman
! suffrage bill. True the measure wa:
! not defeated by an overwhelming ma
jority, the vote standing 129 to 100
: but it was decisive enough to show
that a large number of the represen
o tatives had changed their minds from
q the time an earlier forecast was made
. that the house would pass the bill
this year in concurrence with the sen
/ ate. 1t was not through any pres
sure brought to bear on the house
/ members that they changed theil
r minds, but because they took the
trouble to find out just how the WON
+ en- themselves stood on the question
: Many of the representatives made
i canvass of their respective towns
+ and as the result a strong sentimen
r against suffrage among the womeI
q was disclosed In fact the ants
7 were very pronounced in saying tina
4 they did not want the ballot, and il
v many places the united efforts of thu
: opposition were so effective as to off
9 set completely whatever influence hat
O been brought to bear on the legisla
: tors by the advocates of equal suf
o frage. One Of the representative
+ voiced the sentiments of several 9th
II ers in saying after the vote had beel
V taken:
+ 81 am in favor of the principle 0
g equal suffrage, but large majorit.
+ of the women in my town don't wan
/ it and have told me so.
Then again the measure lost ad
herents on account of the radica
amendments relating to taxation
tackled on to the original bill, AM
} in their confused state of mind mem
| ~, = fo vote in ia