The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1916-02-26

PRAYED moral sense are among the
causes. Burglaries are rife in large
cities; generally for plumber, some
times from love of adventure. (No one
would charge the recent. burglaries in
Brattleboro to any liquor law In our
large towns much of the crime COM
mitted proceeds from shifting, ire
sponsible population such as was not
to be found in this state % years ago.
The annual contests in towns are a
benefit to the people. They practically
enact for themselves a no license law
every year and enforce it when enacted
because 1t is their law The annual
canvass and discussions in Brattleboro
are of incalculable value. There never
has been time when the temperance
sentiment here was as strong as it is
today. G. G. Fits, in recent address.
mentions three old strongholds of rum
that were cleared out by various
causes. Great credit is due him for
closing one, if not two, of them But
1t should be remembered that in the
last Il years of the prohibitory law
there were three wide-open bars with
IN stone s throw of Main street
bridge, and that they and other dens
of less magnitude were then tolerated
by public sentiment. No money was
spent in enforcing the law against
them. Public sentiment would not toll
crate them now for day.
One excellent thing in the operation
of the present law is that when emo
license wins town it rarely loses
it, and only handful of towns remain
license. 1t costs effort, and so does
every good cause in which men engage.
The voters of this town and of the
state must soon pass upon this inn
portant question. To the arguments
used to induce men to vote eyes
there is the ready answer that if the
local option law had proved a failure.
after II years trial, there would be
reason for experimenting with a new
law; but local option has been a sue
cess-the most powerful agency in the
cause of temperance the state has ever
employed
Why2 Because every town, for
weeks before the annual March meeting
has been, in effect, an active temper
ance society, and every man, woman
and child, who believed in temperance,
has enlisted in the work of carrying
their town 'no license
Note the result: Town after town
has been carried until only 90 remain
license, and several of those are almost
persuaded to join the advancing col
umn. Rutland, Burlington and St.
Adams annually decrease their eli
cense > vote, now in small majorities;
Montpelier "no license; Brattleboro
proud of it $50 against 500.
Another result: The present law has
been educational. Under it the tenn
perance sentiment has been strength
ened. Drinking by the better classes, at
least, has steadily grown unpopular.
1.-THE question why this well-tested
and efficient law should now be cast
aside and a new one substituted that
at best is an experiment, has not been
and cannot be answered.
Voters are likely to think twice be-
fore they take this power from towns
and give it to the state. Centrahza-
ton of power in the states and in the
nation is already a menace to the fun
damental principles of our government.
The preamble to the federal constitu-
ton says, FWe, the people, in order to
form a more perfect Union, establish
justice. = promote the general wei
fare and secure the blessings of liberty
to ourselves and our posterity ordain
and establish this constitution. This
is the key note of freedom.