The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-01-23
Nobody Else Spoke Either
For or Against Prohi-
bition Amendment
IN PUBLIC HEARING
AT STATE HOUSE
The Question of Ratification
Should Be Submitted to the
People, Clement Said

Before an audience which filled repre-
sentatives' hall at Montpelier in spite of
the fact that many of the representa-
tiyes themselves were not present, Gov
ernor Perciyal w. Clement spoke last
evening in opposition to the ratification
of the proposed Sheppard amendment,
the occasion being meeting of the joint
committee composed of the committees
on federal relations of both the House
and the Senate, into whose hands the
consideration of this proposed amend
ment had been placed.
1t was expected there would be several
other speakers on both sides of this ques
tion, and there was long wait after
Senator Hill of Washington county,
chairman of the meeting, had called the
session to order and asked any who had
anything to say on the subject TO ex-
press their views, When the wait had
heightened to nearly 90 minutes, Chair
man Hill appointed a committee com
posed of Senator Daniels of Windham
county and Mr. Howe of Readsboro to
wait upon the governor and escort him
to the hall.
When Governor Clement appeared, he
stated that it had been agreed that he
was to wind up the hearing following
any other speakers that might desire to
express their views, and that he had been
waiting for Others TO appear. The chair.
man then gave another invitation for
anybody who cared to do so to speak at
that time, but when another five minutes
wait failed to bring any response, he in
trodueed the governor.
Governor Clements message dealt with
the constitutional side of the argument
and brought out the points which have
always been the groundwork of the local
option platform, namely the inherent
right of the people to govern themselves,
and the right OF sovereign state TO de-
eide upon its own laws aud to run its af-
fairs according to its constitution. In
opening his message, the governor asked
the question: "Shal the state Of Yer
mont continue to exercise its internal
right as a state, or shall it submit 10
have its internal affairs regulated from
outside the state ?"
The bin Of rights Of the state of Yer.
mont came in for liberal quotation, also
article V of the constitution of Vermont
which provides that the people have
sole, inherent and exclusive right of
regulating the internal police Of the
state" And, the governor maintained
the question Of the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors is a question of
internal police.
Governor Clement went on to explain
the method Of amending the constitution
of the state, as provided by the statutes,
and showing that it was the wish OF the
people that no amendment should be
adopted which had not been thoroughly
considered and submitted to them for the
expression Of their win in the matter.
Arguing from this premise, the govern
or said THAT the question Of the ratifca-
tion of the proposed federal amendment
should be submitted to the qualified vot-
ers of the state, as provided by House
bill No. 80. Otherwise, he said, we would
only have an amendment which the peo-
pie Of the state were not behind.
The governor went on to say that
endless litigation" and strife over the
proposed amendment would undoubtedly
follow the attempt to enforce it, and he
then proceeded to quote Elihu Root eX-
Pres Taft, Cardinal Gibbons and Others
on the constitutionality and PRACTICABLE
ity of the proposed amendment, attempt
ing to show THAI the amendment is not
constitutional.
A review of the history of prohibition
and local option in Vermont was intro
duced to show that such questions al
WAYS have been referred to the people
of the state for solution, that the people
desired to change from prohibition to
local option in 1902, and that they had
not desired to adopt the Perry law The
old argument that prohibition does not
prohibit unless backed by the will of the
people" was introduced, and the governor
maintained that Vermont had steadily
advanced toward prohibition under the
local option law, and that real prohibi-
tion would come only through education
of the popular mind.
A smile passed through the assembly
when the governor said; you know and
/ know that in town which has voted