The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-04-18
NATIONAL ISSUES WERE
ALMOST ELIMINATED.
Remarkable Fight in illinois Between Temper
ance People and Advocates of License.

Illinois municipal elections almost elimi-
mated national political parties for
the time being. The municipal prob
lem acutely canvassed was the local
| option law, over which the advo-
| Gates of the licensed saloon and the
temperance people had a fight that was
perhaps. the most remarkable in the his
tory OF the State. With the exception Of d
few towns the liquor question held full
! sway In the campaign. Preachers talked or
the subject from their pulpits. They did
| missionary work on election day. Party
lines were obliterated.
Summarized, the result of this biennial
campaign may be gathered from the re-
| turns of over 300 towns from which reports
were published in Wednesdays republic
! In l7S of the municipalities In which license
ana anti-license We're issues. 100 OF the
license. thus shutting out the saloons OF
the seventy-three towns not in this list
many voted for a very high license. thus
limiting the number Of saloons.
Wherever the fight was made on strict
party lines. the Democrats made gains. In
u number Of the cities, the Democratic VIC
| over the administration Of the Republicans.
both in the State and In local affairs. Ac-
cording to the dispatches to The Republic
| thirty Of fifty-f1ve towns where the tight
was made on national party lines were car
ried by the Democrats.
Some surprises occurred. Peoria. hither-
to stanch Republican city. elected Dem
ocratic ticket by majorites ranging near
5000. Mattoon. another Republican strong,
hold, after a hard-fousht campaign. placed
itself in the Democratic column. Blooming
ton, reelected Republican Mayor ny
ma iorty of 80 Two years ago the mayor
ity was 430. In other towns the same ratio
of Democratic gain was kept up. Through
out the State dissatisfaction over the work
OF the Legislature found vent in keeping
down Republican majorities, even where
victory did not come to the Democrats.
In many Of the towns the name Republic.
were placed in the field under. strictly mu-
nicipal heads. Law and Order. Peoples,
Citizens, Reform. Business Mems and sim.
the public welfare. Labor tickets were
nominated and successfully elected in some
municipalities.
Yelled under these names was the license
question. The question came up IN many
forms. Trenton, near Carlyle. had one of
the most curious propositions. Two licenses
are issued in that town-a low one for beer
saloons and high one for saloons where
other intoxicants are sold. Upon the issue
as to whether only the high license should
prevail, the voters decided to keep on in
In Okawville the Citizens ticket was sue
cessful. and the saloon license in that town
will he raised from $50 to $500 year. BY
the victory Of the anti-license forces in Law.
renceville every town In Lawrence County
will now be without q saloon.
Brocton. Metcalfe, Neoga and Monticello
all turned from the old path and hereafter
will have no saloons. On the other hand.
Milton. which has done without the saloon
for twenty years, has resolved to try 1t
again. Clay City, by voting for licenses,
breaks rule of fifteen years standing.
Bement and Lexington will also try the IL
cense SYSTEM;
No large town distinguished itself by. vot-
ing for anti-license. In a number of the
counties. thet larger cities voted for sa-
looms. while the small villages barred their
gates. Grouped by counties. Lawrence,
mentioned above. Edgar. De Witt. Saline
and Jackson showed victories for the anti.
license advocates. License won an apparent
victory in Clark. Montgomery. Marion and