The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1916-02-16
LETTERS TO THE
EDITOR
Vote for Prohibition.
Editor of the Barre Times:


Editor of the Barre Times:
At the March meetings Vermont is t
adopt or reject the proposed prohibitory
law. Let us adopt it by such decisive
ma joritv that no license law win ever
again be placed on our statute books and
place our state once more in the proud
position she held for so years as a pro.
hibition state.
| grew to manhood in this town and
never saw a drunken man or a liquor
sign till | was IA and visited a license
state. In my college days at Burlington,
along with other wild oat sowing boys,
visited some of the much Wanted "blind
tigers" which sold liquor in violation Of
law Nowhere did / ever see such de-
bauched, degraded and disgusting looking
harpies as now frequent the towns which
contain saloons. The very fact the keep
er of such "joint' was violator of the
law made him careful as to whom he had
hanging around. He was an outlaw. lie
knew it and everyone else knew it. who
knew anything about it, and it was kept
out of sight as much as possible. As il
is now not only the town voting IL
eense is afflicted with crop of "bums"
but all the surrounding towns, to some
extent. within radius of 25 miles. The
other towns may go dry" but they still
are afflicted with the criminals and pau
pers made by the town going "wet."
The leading merchant in one town de-
clared he would close his store and sell if
the town voted license and it was defeat
ed. He said he worked hard, paid his
taxes and he would not be imposed upon
by seeing what he had to see as long as
the town had a saloon with its visitors
coming 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 win he
consumed whether we have a license or
not and by adopting prohibition we shall
be pretending to the world we are some
thing which we are not In short. we
shall be hypocrites." II is truly touch |
ing the way the liquor interests have |
worked the hypocracy 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, vet a certain number |
N THESE crimes are committed. To ne !
consistent our wet" friends should be-
yin propaganda TO license these, as we
,annot entirely prevent murder, rape,
arson and burglary. IL is certain these
'rimes do not cause as much human mis-
nv as the licensed saloon.
I have watched the liquor question in
iigh license states and low license states
md I am confident that prohibition viii /
iandle il more satisfactorily than in any
,ther wsv.
] have no quarrel with those who sdvo-
ate local option because thew honestly
'elieve in IT, That is their right hut |
hould like 70 call their attention to the
act that in states where prohibition ~
pcal option are the issues. the liquor IN
erests are supporting local option, brit
b states where statewide license or 10
Al option are the questions. these same
lterests are fighting local option. Con
euueutly IN New Jersey. where the
uestion this week before the ierisla.
nre Be- local option or statewide license
hev are fighting local option. in Yer
iont. where We shah vote on nrohihtiou
: local option in March, they are sup :