The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1920-04-01
THE PROHIBITION ISSUE

The wet and dry cause ia dis
cussed rather clearly by the Burling
ton News in a recent issue in con
nection with the opposition to Con
gresham Porter Dale in the other dis
trict. In this connection the News
says:
Suggested opposition to Congress
man Porter Dale by some opponents
of prohibition Is good enough but
does not so far enough. Why not
try out the sentiments of the consti-
tuents of Congressman Greene as
well and Of the amiable Senator Dill
lingham Right here we have
method Of determining the exact WEI
and dry sentiment Of We mont in a
far more effective manner than the
political Lochinyar now coming out
Of the west to his home in Ludlow
can possibly achieve
Doubtless the next Congress will
attempt to deal with the prohibit
ton question: it is a reasonable ex-
pectation that the question will
figure largely in the Congressional
elections throughout the country and
what more reasonable than chat
the three representatives of ours at
Washington who come up for re.
election this fall should be passed
upon from a wet or dry" stand
point.
True, ii is suspected that the dry
advocates would have little difficulty
in seating their candidates. In the
last gubernato.ial campaign the
dry" vote far exceeded the wet" If
the combined vote of the two candi-
dates standing for prohibition IS con
sidered as we'll as the incidental con
sideration of the vote of the wet
candidate having been sweliod a bit
by Democratic accessions and again
there is the fact that the legislature
very promptly ratified the prohibition
amendment, rejecting to the best
knowledge of its members, the
wishes Of its constituents.
By all means let us. have a
straight, clean cut, political fight on
the matter of where Vermont stands
on the prohibition question but in.
stead OF wasting our efforts on the
ELECTION of a governor who win be
powerless to achieve anything let us
center the fight upon our two Con.
Igressmen and the one Senate. to be
elected this fall.
Being national issue its injection
into the Congressional campaign is
fit and proper more than that with
the prospects of the reopening of the
question, or at least, the attempted
reopening 1t is essential for our rep
resentatives at Washington to ac.
curately represent the preponderance
of public sentiment in the state on
prohibition.
Naturally one side of the state
alone is not concerned over the
stand of its Congressman and It Is
no more fitting that Mr.. Dale should
have opposition than that Congress.
man Greene should fare in the same
manner.
True this solution of the case may
not appeal to some newspaper s
which seize with avidity any hint of
opposition 10 Mr.. Dale but 1t is a
poor rule that wont work out both
wayc.
If Mr.. Agan wants to serve the
cause of anti.prohibition why
doesn't he run for Congress- instead
Of for Governor and thus place him.
self of being in a position to help
'esurrect the languishing Industries
# st. Louis, Milwaukee and Clncin-
natl and help many deserving brew
ers recoup in the matter of those
large contributions to the lamented
German-American alliance.
Far be 1t from us not to wish to
see Vermont put on record in the
matter of its prohibition proclivi.
ties but let the test come where it
is fitting it should come, in the ma
tlonal rather than in the state Flee.
tons.