The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1917-04-14
LIQUOR LEGISLATION
Summary Of Action Taken by Legisla-
ture on Temperance Question


the Vermont Anti-Saloon League
makes the following statement con.
corning liquor legislation In the recent
session of the Vermont legislature
The worldwide interest in the tenn
perance question was reflected in the
action of our legislator just adjourned,
for about thirty bills were introduced
bearing on the subject in one way or
another. Some of them OF little i'm.
portance, but there were several that
were the occasion OF sharp contest.
The first bill, introduced in the house
was 10 repeal the prohibitory referen-
dun law passed two years ago. II
simply provided for carrying out the
expressed will of the people and pass
! ed without opposition.
a law was passed regulating the use
Of automobiles. which provides heavy
penalties for n person who operates or
attempts to operate an automobile or
motor vehicle while under the infiu'
ence of intoxicating liquors or drugs.
The language of the statute follows
the Massachusetts law. and leaves II
to the courts to determine the meaning
OF being under the influence of liqu-
i o.
Three laws were passed dealing with
the case OF habitual drunkards. One
provides for the imprisonment OF such !
as have served sentence three times |
within twelve months, second pro-
vides for their treatment in an institu-
ton, and third provides detention |
farms to which they and other often |
ders may be committed.
An amendment to the existing law |
makes it unlawful for physician to |
prescribe more than half pint OF al |
cohol to a habitual drunkard within |
period of twenty-four hours, and an.
other law imposes penalty of $500 |
on person who drinks liquor as !
beverage on o common carrier.
Several bills were introduced in
tending to prevent the excessive fees
received by the secretaries of licen.
sing boards for posting the names of
those TO whom liquor must not be sold.
The one which prevailed put the bust
ness of posting these names in the
hands OF the state tax commissioner
and will save the state several thous-
and dollars year
Three bills were introduced TO
change the method OF appointing H.
cense commissioners, the object of
them all being to separate these APP
rointments from the courts. The
adopted makes the Governor appoint
county commissioners who take charge
of all the licenses in their counties.
One of the more important bills
passed was one making the license
fees fixed sum instead of their being
left to the decision of the commission.
ars within certain limits. This was
intended to break up the custom in
some towns Of payment to the town
treasures of bonus by the licensees.
As the sums fixed for licenses under
the new law are higher than those us
ually fxeTby the commissioners, they |
will theatnad ma reduction in the
number s6Y salooKs or considerably in
crease the amount of money received
by the state for licenses.
The last bill relating TO the subject
passed does away with second class
licenses while the United States is at
war. The law giving tax-paying wo-
men the vote in town meeting may al
so be considered as related to this sub.
feet, for it is generally conceded that
II large numbers OF the women of the
state avail themselves OF their new
right it will reduce the number of IL
cense towns
A few minor bills were passed with
reference to the management of H.
censed places that are not of special
interest.
Several bills were killed that should
be noted. One of these proposed the
division of licenses fees between the
state and the town. Another was for
the election Of license commissioners
by the town
The two bills which aroused most
interest were the so-called Hunt bill,
which would make a five mile dry
zone around an institution of higher
learning aided by the state. and the
Morse bill, which would have given us
a state vote on license annually The
Hunt bill was dropped after a spirited
discussion, but the Morse bill passed
the senate ty large majority and
was defeated in the house by the mar
row margin Of six votes.
Two bills relating to hotels were re.
jected One would give hotels the
preference in the granting OF licenses,
and the other attempted to define the
rights of licensed hotel keepers more
than is done by the present
law