Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1922-12-08
MISREPRESENTATION

Addison county pod through the clay with their little
thin legs Tapped by waves of rum, and a muCiIe of
lurid, misshapen statement the Burlington Free Press
the role of undertaken and lays poor old Ad
olson county out in a set of lavender pajamas. No
better example Of dryeng dotage could be found than
this garbled tumble of Misrepresentation as saffron as
any that ever besmrched journalism even as yellow
as Hearstism.
Cumbersome and gauche as the Free Press is it is
difficult to how it could so blunder as to lose all
sight of newspaper ethics and honor, or resort to a
clever twisting of frank statement given them by
frank man, into misleading impression, or to charge
that Addison county is helpless before the political
gang that is swapping the streets with BOOZE or to
the making of all sorts of charges, without substan-
tiatng of them with facts that can be called real
paper sinks into a pit of ndecency when it resorts
to such disrepuable methods.
The attack on Addison County and NIiddebury Col
lege to rise in blackened cloud like a smoke
screen, to camouhage home difficulties trials and tb-
ulations 1t is murky landscape the Free Press
paints, but where are the facts? 1t is a cunnngy
woven wool but where is the warp?
Leaving out the booze-apped mountain peaks, the
red-cheeked school children and the Kentucky mule,
will reproduce from the Free Press funeral Grafton
these few excerpts;
* the quantity of illicit booze being
made and consumed, and the prevalence of drunken
ness has reached point where it may well be con-
sidered menace
''Not only is this true but the bootIeggers and
moonshiners plying their trade among the students
of the larger educational institutions of the State The
arrest of student of the University of Vermont on an
intoXCatOn charge in Burlington Saturday night and
the riot that followed not the first outward and
visible evidence that Illicit liquor dealers have been
plying their trade among the young men of the insti-
tuition"
"In Middlebury College, President Paul d. Moody
frankly admits there have been instances of intoxi-
cation and in one instance student was partially
blinded for time with bootleggers' booze"
president Moody takes the courageous stand that
the truth should be made known regarding the activ-
tiles of the bootleggers at Mddlebury In his attitude
he stands out in striking contrast to Others who have
acted softpedal artists in attempting to hide un-
pleasant news in the past"
4
Inc StOlOl, IcHlOlSlDIe CltlZtnS say IS now ntlp-
less in the grasp of the Addison County political ring
alias the Addison County booze ring, organized and
conducted for purposes of plumber the protection of
pm-unners and the extending of the strong of non
enforcement of law around bootleggers."
y
"The whole State may well be aghast to learn that
during the months from May to November /, 1922,
the number of convictions for drunkenness recorded in
the municipal court in Middlebuy was 900 per cent
greater than during the same months in 1918"
Let it be understood that Addison County does
not presume to stand up and lay claim to a badge for
lily-whiteness. Let it be understood that we do not
deny that the bootegger has piled his trade He does
everywhere, and everybody knows it. But the respon-
sibe citizens of Addison county do emphatcally deny
that they are gaspng to keep heads ahoat Laundering
in sea of BOOZE" until the Free Press shows them
that they are.
Because are not in touch with the student body
of the University of Vermont we cannot answer for
their conduct We, however are in touch with the
students of Middebury College and we state fatty that
they not menaced by bootleggers and moonshners,
"cenered in NIiddebury and protected by political
ring" From personal knowledge we will say that
ntoxiCation does not give the administration of Middle
bury College minutes worry, that it is at an unden
able minimum. Only once has this administration ever
been obliged to consider case and that was away
back last year. In this particular case the offending
bootlegger, who came from neghboring county, was
brought to justice and the student in question has left
college. President Moody, who resents being mis-
quoted, nothing up because he knows there is
nothing to He attempted to be straightforward
and honest in a statement to a paper that he thought