The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1922-10-19
Hooch and Honesty.

september, 1922. Very Dry Month
il Rut. and Newspaper headline
We dldn suppose there was any
such thing as a dry month-ln kut-
land. Brattleboro Reformer.
Depends good deal on what the
appetite Graves. II one is willing u
drink benzine blue vitr.ol, corrosive
sublimate and their derivatives when
sold under the guise OF bootleg wits.
key, Rutland is never dry. The con
nection between official life and the
imitation whiskey business seems u
. be closer IN Rutland than in other
! Vermont towns Perhaps Rutland got
the habit OF drinking carbo.ic acid
and the Juice Of tanbark previous to
1919 and finds 1t impossible to break
off the habit bennington Banner
Rutland differs from some com
muntes in that its citizens, male AMI
female, have habit of voting the WAY
they drink. Previous TO 1919. except
for oecas. Qna hyeaTs when for excel
lent reasons me city voted no.
there was as much liquor consumed
III Rutland as in other cit es, NJ
more, nor less when 1t gets down /.
per capita basis.
When Rutland went dry, L was
dry; because the Peep G. having chos
an the plan under wh ch they desired
the law administered, were bach
o. the enforcement OF law. Some
other cities and villages. being over
ruled by hypoCr ucai considerations
Systematically voted NO and ~
Mdruiy resolved t. consume as mucl
Aquor as was consumed IN Rutland
ana other Nes communities.
The worst OF il was that both sort
OF community got what they wanted
the difference being prime .pa,ly on,
OF public honesty,
AS for the quality Of the liquor. 4
was sold under law, inspected b.
puIe.food agents, late ed for its coz
tent and subject to condemnation ~
the license board What chang
today.
II would be idle to deny that 10
of hooch is imported. made and d.s
stead act. II Is mostly terrific STUFF. :
especially after 1t mas been success
siVe,y "doCtored' by several ffe,
ent bootleggers.
Practically no beer or light wine Il
sold and the result OF d''nking uniu
spected illegally sold hooch is re
ilected in the records OF our cit,
court. 1t is not a record for sobriel,
nor enc that leads to belief in Vol
stead as the apostle of good citizen
ship.
Inc Herald does not pretend L
Justify or pal.iate sub condition.
but head for head, they are no wors
here than in Bennington and vicin
ty; no worse than in Burlington o
st. Adams, probab Y not so bad a
they are in Newport and other bort
er cities.
Rutland people do not seem to car
much about having this law enforced
and the enforcement officers do no
overdo enforcement; probably If tn
most success slul bootlegsers were t
tel the truth. they might tell som
tales Of customers in high places tina
would astonish the high priests of pr
h b ton The Herald ventures to su
sest that the same conditions appl
elsewhere. Let any lover OF Vo
steadism arise ami say that the co:
trary is true; that Their communitie
are honestly dry; that the No,stea
law Is successful.
History is repeating itself and We
monters who predicted that nation,
prohibition would speedily become th
dead letter that state prob biton bl
came up to It's repeal In 1902. ar
= pointing net with pride but tn CHI
grin to the situation today lnciden
ally, too, the situation IS furnishn
our fir ends the democrats with IN
: first chance they have had in twent
years to menace our sold repub.ica
delegation in Congress.
Mr. Kennedy may net be elected {
: Congress- on an anti.Volstead platfou
| but he is making lot of good repul
Leans very nervous and unhapp,
Worse than that cold figures sho
that FIVE or six thousand republica
i votes will make him worse than dan
erous-possibe and impending. !