Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1916-02-18
A PLEA FOR PROHIBITION

Editor of the Middlebury Register:
At the March meetings Vermont is to
adopt or reject the proposed prohibitory
law. Let us adopt 1t by such a decisive
majority that no license law will ever
again be put upon our statute books,
and place our State once more in the
proud position she held for fifty years
as a prohibition State.
grew to manhood in this town and
never saw drunken man or a liquor
sign till | was fourteen and visited a
license State. In my college days at
Burlington, along with other wildcat
sowing boys, | visited some of the
much Wanted "blind tigers" which
sold liquor in violation of law. No
where did | ever see such debauched,
degraded, and disgusting looking har-
pies. The very fact that the keeper of
such "joint" was violator of law
made him careful as to whom he had
hanging around. He was an outlaw.
He knew it and every one else knew it,,
who knew anything about it, and twas
kept out of sight as much as possible.
AS it is now, not only the town voting
license is afflicted with a crop of
"bums," but all the surrounding towns,
to some extent. within radius of tWen-
ty-fve miles. The other towns may go
dry, but they still are afflicted with
the criminals and paupers made by the
town going "wet." The leading mer-
chant in one town declared he would
close his store and sell it if the town
voted license, and it was defeated. He
said he worked hard, paid his taxes,
and would not be imposed upon by see
ing what he had to see as long as the
town had a saloon with its visitors com
ing from outlying places by train and
team and afoot And what is the argu-
ment against the adoption of the pro-
posed law?
Simply this
A certain amount of liquor will be
consumed whether we have license or
not, and by adopting prohibition We
shall be pretending to the world we are
something which we are not. In short,
we shall be hypocrites. " 1t is truly
touching the way the liquor interests
have worked the hypocrisy charge, and
their deep concern lest we fail to live
up to a high ethical standard before
the world.
Murder, rape, arson, and burglary
are prohibited by law, yet certain
number of these crimes are committed.
To be consistent, our wet" friends
should begin propaganda to license
these, as we cannot entirely prevent
murder, rape, arson, and burglary. 1t
is certain these crimes do not cause as
much human misery as the licensed
saloon.
| have watched the liquor question in
high license States and low license
States, and am confident that prohibi-
ton will handle it more satisfactorily
than any other way.
have no quarrel with those who adj
vocate local option because they honest
ly believe in it, That is their right,
but | should like to call their attention
to the fact that in States where prohi-
bition or local option is the issue, the
liquor interests are supporting local
option, but in States where Statewide
license or local option is the question,
these same interests are fighting local
option. Consequently in New Jersey,
where the question this week before the
legislature is local option or Statewide
license, they are fighting local option;
in Vermont, where we shall vote on
prohibition or local option in March,
they are supporting local option. Like
the old Vicar of Bray, they are consist
ent in that they work for their own
interests all the time, and | trust we
shall show the same good sense in
looking out for ours by voting for pro-
hibition.
Some fear the new law will be too
stringent in regard to buying for med-
cinal purposes. But this is needless
fear. However, should we discover any
defects in the law, it is only few
months before the legislature meets
and such defects can then be remedied.
1t is a fortunate time to adopt it, as we
have sufficient time to discover any
needed changes before the legislature
meets, if any defects there be.
AS father, | want to see our COM
munities and highways clean and safe
for our boys and girls on the way to
school. Prohibition will do it.
IDE G. SARGEANT.
Granville, Vermont.