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ending his decades-long tenure as Moderator. He would close this meeting with poetic, loving remembrances. Carroll Brown, a village icon, would soon be leaving for Wyoming. He was honored with a dedication in the town’s Annual Report, and both men would be presented a bouquet of flowers. Unlike the serious matters that were taken up at the end of the 18th cen- tury, this year’s meeting began with the consideration (of what this writer thought was a some- what inconsequential matter, the creation of “social districts” in Bristol.
So what is a “social district”? Quite frankly, the term is a eu- phemism for places outdoors where people over 21 can “sip and stroll” with alcoholic bev- erages purchased at local es- tablishments. I knew that there would be some debate about this issue, even though it was unanimously recommended by the Select Board and was meant only to effectuate a new state law that had passed the
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April 2026
state House of Representatives by an overwhelming vote. The discussion, however, became almost interminable. As much time was spent on this article (#12) as all the other Articles combined. After a full hour of debate, attendees formed lines in an adjacent hall to cast “daf- fodil yellow ballots”. For most, this was a welcome activity, a change of scenery, and a time to stretch sleepy legs. More on the result later.
Unlike most contemporary Western societies, alcohol con- sumption has consumed (no pun intended) a great deal of political energy in the United States. After the first World War, a charismatic politician (he had an extraordinary mustache and piercing eyes) convinced Con- gress to pass a law named after him (the Volstead Act). This law led to 14 years of alcohol prohi- bition. The unsurprising effect was an era of
speakeasies and criminality. There had been earlier attempts to eliminate demon alcohol. Most dramatic of these was the hatchet-wielding attacks of an often maligned woman with the
memorable name Carrie Na- tion. (A more subdued Carrie Nation was an early advocate for women’s voting rights.) In spite of the efforts of temperance warriors like Andrew Volstead and Carrie Nation, Americans could once again imbibe legally with the repeal of Prohibition by the adoption of the 21st Amendment in 1933. After the repeal, alcohol consumption grew until the mid 1970’s. Since that decade, a greater percent- age of Americans, especially young adults, have forsworn the “bottle” primarily because of health concerns.
However, last year, perhaps unaware (or concerned about)
this trend, the New Hamp- shire legislature, prodded by the House Majority Leader Jason Osborne, passed on to local communities the responsibility of acting on a law (HB467) that made possible “social districts” to encourage public drinking. He argued passionately that passing this law would help local communities “join the civ- ilized world”. Perhaps he made this bizarre argument, being mindful that public drinking is not an issue in most Euro- pean Countries. Unconvinced by Osborne’s rhetoric, “so- cial districts” were rejected by Bristol residents. This writer was pleased with the result, as
I felt the notion of “sipping and strolling” was a “frivolous want”.
Unfortunately, there was another rejection in March of what was not a “frivolous want” but what could be considered an “urgent need”. This was the rejection of the Regional District’s proposed school bud- get. (Although passed by Bristol residents, it was rejected by the school region as a whole.)
One of America’s found- ers and greatest statesmen, Thomas Jefferson, would have considered the rejection of ed- ucational programs for children and not the disavowal of a so- cial policy that coddled adults as a most pernicious setback for a nation seeking to be “civilized”. His great concern about the fra- gility of America’s new enter- prise in democratic government was the need to have a well-ed- ucated citizenry.
Consequently, as a Virginia Legislator and later as Gov- ernor, Jefferson championed public education. (I remember
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