Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1920-08-27
AGAIN WELCOME BIG
MONDAY EVENING
CONTINUED from page one)

SldICtS lldl lCu up " NlN NllHN'i'
of the local option law, The prohi-
bition laws of a quarter of a century
ago had not been properly enforced
because they lacked the support Of
sympathetic public The new
statute made the local communities
the arbiters of their own liquor ques-
ton and had proven the best possible
arrangement of the difficulty
Certain papers of the state not news
papers he FASTENED to say, but mere
" papers, had said that he was a
"rummv', that he wanted saloons on
every corner and would like to have
rum flowing in the cutters. This
Mr.. Agan termed grossly unjust. In
stead of the wholesalE convivialtty
that his enemies said he desired to
place in our communities he said
that he merely wanted the working
man to regain his glass of beer, the
sick to be able to secure the liquor
necessary for medicinal purposes in
a pure state,
He went on to describe the impossi-
bility of the present Volstead enforce
ment act. 1t had taken away the
laborer's beer and offered him jamai-
ca ginger and rat poison And he
emphasized the fact that the Vermont
/ legislature had no reason to become
panicky and ratiiy the amendment
so quickly, under the impulse of war
emotions. 1t was to combat the
hasty and unconstitutional act of the
1875 men of the last legislature that
he had entered the fight for the gov
ernorship 1t was for the mainten-
ance of the principle of government
by the people directly that he fought,
he said. He declared that the cause
of prohibition had been set back %
years by the Nolstead Act 1t has
proven wholly incompetent and its
enforcement has been despaired of by
the officials entrusted with its eXecu-
ton, he said. He told how he had
been approached some time ago with
an offer to deliver % cases of liquor
in his cellar during the summer for
$3.50, or $ll0 per case. But he had
refused it because he did not need it
he said. He threatened certain in
terests in Burlington inimical to him
with exposure of facts that would be
unwelcome to them if they continued
their foul tactics against him. There
is nasty business going on in Burling-
ton. may tell the citizens of that
city something they do not know whei
| get there have it from railroad
men among others, that many OF the
politicians are engaged in liquor run
ming in motorboats Go up there
early some morning and you Will inc
them"
The Volstead Act is the despair O
Congress and the ratification Of tn,
amendment came as a big surprise Il
the legislature, he said He ventureC
the prophecy of its repeal in the neA'
session 1t had been perpctrate1 I
a period that was not normal Il an
opposed to the Eighteenth Amend
ment not on account Of the liquor
proposition but because Of the in
fringement upon personal liberty. w
have got to call halt on this losin9
of our birthright'.
Candidate Agan then turned to ;
discussion of our road policy. "'Fho
roads of Vermont are not good enough
for the money spent, he said Nv,
secure only 30 per cent efficiency
That town voters elect a road comm
issioner and then serve under the maj
who is obligated to them is not les
than Sovietism. There is too mucl
politics mixed with the gravel on on
roads Trained men and improv
ed machinery are our dire need
An entirely new method OF roadbuild
ing is his wish according to the plai
ne laid out in considerable detail
After describing the ineficisncy of tn
present method he argued for the ed
option of the French system OF roa)
making "We've got to adopt ston
roads Their cost is not higher thar
the present extravaganza OF putting
$4,000 into gravel roads that must b.
renewed in six years" His deman,
for increased taxes he explained a
not burdensome . the toll from tn
automobile is standardized a littl
differently from the present unfai
method That a rich man pay onl,
twice more for his $1,000 auto regis
tration than the owner Of httl
Ford is not right The heavier car
; tear up the road much more Quickl,
and should be taxed accordingly, h
said He assuaged the sting of hi
stand for higher taxes on automobile
bv explaining the depreciation of
car to depend greatly upon the condi
ton of the roads. Better roads meal
less upkeep expense for the aut
owner
Mr.. Agan took issue with Nj
Hartness in speaking OF an industria
= Vermont as desirable. Agrjcultur,
is the prime industry in this stat
and manufacturing should not be en-
couraged to its detriment The rea
son that the young men are dissatis
fed with farm life is not because tn
labor is distasteful to them but for tn
, reason that our roads being poor the
could not get to the towns in the
automobiles in the evening. Hen
good roads meant good farms, plapt
of help and general prosperity.
The speaker ridiculed the three q
four Princeton professors who casua
ly took a survey of Vermont schoC
= conditions and recommended Centra
ization of the schools, He sal
6 that he considered the little re
schoolhouse out of which have com