The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-03-04

1t is said that the Act may be at
tackled because it has been injected
into town meetings established for
the transaction of municipal business
only. The present law went into eff
feet Is years ago on referendum
which "injected it into town meet
ings' in the same way. The referen-
dunn principle has come to stay. 1t
makes for true democracy 1t gives
all the freemen of the state a chance
to vote on matters that vitality con
Germ all the freemen of the state. The
constitutional amendments adopted two
years ago, the vote on the state house
addition, and the present referendum
on the primary act have been inject
ed into town meetings. in the same
way.
The so-called "iokers' in the Perry
Act mentioned in the advertisement of
March I'd, are that section l of the
Perry Act declares fermented cider to
be an Intoxicating liquor, and section
Il provides for the manufacture and
| sale of this Intoxicating liquor in any
quantity That section q allows an
officer to search your grip or bag or
suit case. your automobile, buggy or
carriage if he has reason to believe you
have a half pint of whiskey secreted
/
the act does not apply to the furnish
ing of liquor by person in his private
dwelling, unless such a place becomes
place of public resort The advertise
ment then contrasts a drunken brawl
in a private dwelling with a harm
less half pint IN a satchel.
:, Section l Of the Perry Act referred
to is section 5lo1 OF the Public
Statutes now in force Section of
the Perry Act is section 5102 of the
Public Statutes The local option law
now in force declares feFmented cider
to be intoxicating liquor. 1t allows the
furnishing of liquor by a person ii
his private dwelling. 1t allows the
sale of fermented cider by the barre
or cask in identically the same Ian
guage as the Perry Act.
Section Ii of the Perry Act is section
5l95 of the present Statute. 1t is the
law now that an officer shall searcl
your baggage or vehicle if he has rea
son to believe and does believe tina
you are concealing liquor therein.
The advertisement closes with tn
following: ''What is the use of takin!
) chances with such a crazy law; VIII.
not let well enough alone?'
| That is, these provisions, which ar
identical in both laws, are tcrazy
r in the Perry Act and 'Swell enough
: IN the present local option law.
. The animus of these so-ealled argu
ments is apparent. They are made a
4 an appeal to prejudice and to cate
1 the popular vote, and are made in tn
knowledge that the average voter ha
e not the means at hand TO compare tn
f terms of the Perry Act with the pre-
e ent law, and will take it for granite
r, that they are inspired, as any argumer
f on a measure of this Importance shoul
II be, by honesty and good faith.
There is no doubt that majority
IS the advocates of both measures desil
IS to see the matter tried out on its me
s. its, not on fictitious issues. This WI
l. undoubtedly the purpose of the refe
h endum. 1t is a question of prohibitic
,r against local option on principle. Ia
tics of the kind represented by the
j. advertisements cannot be too hasti
1t condemned.
u Yours respectfully,
ss HERMON f. EDDY.
Rrattlesere, vt, March 4, 1916.