Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1916-03-03
PROHIBITION SIDE LOST
State Liquor Question Argued by
Woman's Club Members
Decision on Weight of Arguments
Judges Verdict Met Approval of
Majority.

Local option triumphed over prohi-
bition in the debate between members
of the Brattleboro Woman's club in
Centre church Wednesday afternoon.
Before an audience which filed the
body of the church and included many
men the negative side of the question:
Resolved, that prohibition is better for
Vermont than local option, was given
the decision by board of judges COM
posed of Rev. d. E. Trout, President
Horton ID. Walker of the local board
of trade and A. e. Merrill Of the board
of selectmen. Without regard to in
dividual opinions on the subject, the
majority of those present felt that the
verdict was justified, and there was
much applause when Mr.. Trout an
nounced it,
The affirmative side was taken by
Mrs. f. L. Perry whose husband in
troduced the so-called Perry bill in
the legislature of 1915, DR.. Grace w
Burnett and Mrs. C. II. Thompson.
The local option champions were Mrs.
II. C. Rice, Mrs II. r. Brown and
Mrs. f. B. Smith
While the judges were considering
their verdict Stewart Stearns played
two piano selections that were very
much appreciated and heartily APP
plauded.
Mrs. Perry, who opened the debate,
said that the question was whether to
shut out the liquor man or
give him q chance. 1t is not neces
sary to have the question of the legal
lied sale of liquor brought before the
voters every year. The only local thing
she could see about it was the ballot
box. She then gave statistics tending
TO show that the five counties in the
state in which there are saloons fur
nish about as many inmates Of insti
tutions as do the nine dry counties
Under the state prohibitory law there
will be the state as we'll as local Off
Gals to enforce it. The saloon must
60.
Mrs. II. C. Rice opened the debate
for the local optionists. She said tina,
the local optionists are working, as are
the prohibitionists, toward the same
end 1t is merely the question OF
which is the better way to control o.
get rid of the liquor evil. If it were
possible to wipe out the liquor traffic
in the country the prohibitory bill
would be passed by an overwhelming
majority She feared that the aban
Comment of the annual agitation
would result in apathy that would
make conditions bad in Windhan
county, which had been dry for years
There is no certainty, based on pas
experiences, that the law would be en-
forced in towns where the local sen
timent was against it, if the star
should pass the Perry bill. AS it i
now nine-tenths of the residents o
Vermont live under no license.
Dr.. Burnett, the second speaker TO
the affirmative, took up the temper
ance question generally and cited tn
fact that the American Pharmacopei
had omitted alcohol as drug an,
that the American Red Cross does no
use it in any of its hospitals Sh
touched upon the abolishing of it il
European countries since the war be
gan and gave statistics to prove tina
the majority of crime is due to alec
hol.
Mrs Brown who followed DR.. Bun
nett, said that the local optionist
were not in league with the liquor ii
terests. She then took up one by on
the six principal arguments of tn
Anti-Saloon league and answered then
Regulation is not question of MOI
ality. License in BFattleboro was tn
result of 50 years of prohibition. n
license in BrattleborO now is the II
suit of two years of license after tn