Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1916-11-02


Vermont Endorse Local Option.
lngs Banks Deposits Under Local Option Have Grown in
as Fast as They Did in 50 Years Of State
Prohibition
ITE:WIDE PROHIBITION DAYS WERE DAYS OF
HYPOCRISY, DECEIT, LAW EVASION. PERJURY, BLACK
(This article is from the pen of Mr. Charles T. Fair
field Rutland VT and written at the suggestion Of
his brother, Mr.. E. M. Fairfield, on1aha)
The dispatches from Lincoln dated October IL. sent
broadcast over the country stated that Charles Evans
Hughes went to church in the Nebraska capital that day
aud heard Temperance sermon" and that the preacher
exhorted his congregation mot to forget while voting for
MIR Hughes to also for the prohibition amendment"
As former Nebraskan resident of Lincoln. regret
that temperance and prohibition statutes should be so
confused They are absolutely different The refusal Of
some good people to recognize the difference is amazing
Vermont had statewide prohibition for fifty years,
but 1t never had in all that hacentury the temperance
has had in the past thirteen since has had local
option on the liquor selling question which simply means
prohibition i the sentiment Of the community fayors pro
hbiton and license II the sentiment Of the community
favors the sale of liquors under regulation.
Until the writer saw how local option by towns and
cities operated in Vermont he thought state prohibition
the most effective method Of solving the word-od prob
lem Of real temperance. But he has become convinced
YES. PROHIBITION METHOD AND THE GREAT MA
JoRITY OF vERMoNTERs HAVE THE SAME CONvIC-
TON In this they in accord with the we'll known
convictions Of ex-Presdent Taft, Cardinal Gibbons and
thousands Of other statesmen and cergymen who have
been close students of the subject It is
provincial view of the subject that the writer takes be-
besides his knowledge and pride the splendid
achievements Of Nebraska since he first the
1875 he has had rst-hand knowledge Of THE operation
of liquor selling restrictive in Michigan and
Massachusetts both local option states through
paper publishing experience in those states of twenty
years. That much for introduction and preface.
VERM0NTS REPUDIATIONS OF PROHIBITION
Now for Vermont, pioneer prohibition state, and its
Reputation of prohibition, its adoption Of local option
majority fifteen times larger than that by which it was
adopted Here some facts that ought to appeal
intelligent electorate like that of Nebraska composed in
such large part of New England stock.
In 1899, when Vermont had state prohibition. the
United States government issued S0s licenses to sell liquor
In the state besides which being constantly
covered Of Illegal sellers who had not paid the fed
eral tax.
In 1916 under local option the federal government
issued only 2S6 liquor licenses in Vermont
Temperance people were in 70 doubt Of what they
preferred-sOs places, and more, where liquor sold
in defiance Of the law, or 2S6 places where it sold
under strict regulation and police restraint So they
voted last March when the state prohibition law
submitted to them, to retain the local option law They
than $1,000. ~
jory Of less than thousand their 1916 reafrmaton
after thirteen years trial. of local option by ma
1ory fifteen times larger than that by which
adopted They did not want to to the days Of all
forms Of law evasion scandaous bribeakng by sherffs
and general axy that prevailed under state prohibition
IN the communities where the sentiment did not back up
VERMONTs GREAT PROSPERITY UNDER LOCAL
VERMONT HAS pRosPERED SINCE IT HAD LOCAL,
OPTION, IN 1908. AS SHE HAD NEVER DONE BEFoRN
OF THE 246 UNITS (T0WNs AND Cities IN THE
STATE ONLY II HAVE TIE LICENSED SALOON
TODAY.
Local option has been effective temperance meas
The vast majority of Vermonters do not want the
saloon but they that way to reduce the num-
Der of saloons is to let every community the cues
on annually or at least at frequent intervals according
to- public sentiment knowing full well that you cannot
stop liquor selling in community that liquor sold
The slogan of the Vermont local-option campaign,
ALONE! w. o''n
why not? Liquor selling had been yearly reduced
80 that was permitted in only seventeen towns Of
246 In the state,
SAVINGS DEPOSITS HAVE DOUBLED
The savings banks deposits since 1903 have increased
900 savings bank depositors in this state in 1916 have
drawing interest nearly twice much money as they
had thirteen years agoafter halfcentury of pro-
hbon, indeed since savings banks established
Why not say: LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!
The value Of property Of all kinds, real estate town
the past thirteen years than did in the fifty
years Of state prohibition with its hypocrisy deceit per-
non-assertve. WHY NOT LET WELL ENOUGH ALoNEI
LOCAL OPTION EFFECTIVE TEMPERANCE MEASURE
The local option system as temperance measure is
clergmen, judges lawyers DOCTORS manufacturers and
business The vote Of March; 1916 of to 10000
"a practically full vote for this commonwealth 100000
people, ample proof Of the assertion that bulk Of
vermonts Of conscience for option as against
state prohibition The fight for the retention Of local
option this headed by James M Tyler former
supreme justice of Vermont
LOCAL OPTION IS EFFECTIVE IN VERMONT NO
ONE GAINsAYs 1T. ONE WHO DOES so WOULD Be
REGARDED AS HAVING MENTAL SLANT THE
LAW is RESPECTED BECAUSE ITS FOUNDATION
STONE is PUBLIC SENTIMENT.
Vermont has done great things In this republic II
pointed the way 1t has furnished pioneers in many
lines Of endeavor. In the revolutionary war its Green
Mountain Boys turned the tide in the civil war it fur
nished soldiers than other state in the union in
proportion to size: its admirals OF the navy and gen.
erals the army have been heroic figures In statecra
in the professions, in business. its have taken the
peaks. And probably all for the reason: THEY
HAVE HAD THE COURAGE OF THEIR CONVICTIONS.
they have discarded the shadow for the substance they
* gotten at the thing itself rather than the name.
~LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE
Then why shouldn't Vermont say to Nebraska. LET
WE'LL ENOUGH ALONE
Nebraska has doomed large and constantly larger in
the passing the last forty years Nebraska has repn
taon being substantial than some of its neigh
bors notably Kansas Because Kansas has chased rain
bows Of various kinds, thinking they looked like halos
Ia no reason Nebraska should do it.
LET WELL ENOUGH ALONE!
will To chnse shade