Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-02-04
1923 MAJORITY
For Local Option in Vermont,
With 4 Towns Missing.
largerPlaces Decided Matter, SMALL
er Towns Sturdily Fighting It.
Fifty Years Ago Prohibition Was
Voted by 1900.

Wnlte River Junction, VI, req. o.
The advocates of local option carried
the state, today. and after more than
half a century of prohibition the vot-
ers in the cities and towns of Vermont
will after March LIST, be permitted to
decide whether or not Intoxicating
liquors shall be sold in those commune
ties.
The total vote with four small
towns missing was 30,671 in favor of
license and 29,068 opposed. a majority
of 1923 for local option. The missing
towns which are all in remote dis
tricts, gave total vote of less than
800 at the last election. 1t is a COIN
cidence that Vermont voted for pro-
hibition in 1853 by 1900 majority.
The question before the voters, to-
day, was whether high license local
option law passed by the last Legis-
lature should be accepted or rejected.
The law as passed set the time for it's
going into operation as March /, should
the people, today, accept as they did
and on Dec l, 1906. should it have been
rejected, today, giving two Legislatures
the opportunity of repeating it,
The vote. today, was much closer
than was anticipated and the 1900
margin in a total vote of about $4,000
surprised even the local optionists.
while, too, it brought chagrin to their
opponents, who saw many chances
where where it might have been over
come. The big cities and towns de-
cided the question, for the little hill
towns chung tenaciously to prohibi-
ton.
The cities of Burlington, Montpelier,
Rutland, st. Adams and Barre with the
village of Bennington, rolled up ma
jority of 6391 in favor of the bill, a to-
tai that 200 little communities were
entirely unable to overcome. As for
the counties, it is singular that only
six voted in favor of license, while
eight We're arrayed against it.
Although there was superb weather
all over the state during the entire day,
the vote fell below what had been an
ticipated, which was disappointing to
both sides, but especially to the op-
ponents of the bill. who counted on
such conditions to bring out the farm
ers in the hill towns.
1t was expected that the total vote
would equal if not exceed that cast at
the fall election, but instead it fell off
over 10000. Still it exceeded that
thrown for President in 1900, showing
that the strenuous efforts made by both
sides during the campaign had not gone
for naught.
The returns of the balloting came in
rapidly and the entire state with the
exception of 4 dozen small towns, was
tabulated by 10 o'clock From the
first it was seen that local option had
won. for although the first 20 towns,
small ones. all voted strongly for pro-
hibition. the majority was more than
offset by the vote of one city. Re-
turns from large communities sent the
majority for license up to 5000, but
it soon fell back again and finally held
at 1900.
AS for the ultimate result Of the
decision, today, it is expected that the
little towns will continue in their OPP
position to the sale of liquor. The
cities and larger communities where
the traffic has admittedly been carried
ON by stealth, will, however, vote to
grant licenses, although dealers will be
compelled to pay high price for the
privilege.
Hon. p. w. Clement said, tonight: The
vote on the local option bill today,
was not as large as we expected, it
fell below that at the general election,
but it is more difficult to get the peo-
pie out to vote on an abstract question
than 10 vote for a candidate represent
ing principle, consequently don't
believe the vote, today, represents the
entire sentiment of the state on this
question. We have had 50 years OF
prohibition and that has been the con-
dition under which the present genera
ton has grown up. / believe the feel
ing in favor of the system will increase
as license barrooms are instituted in
the different cities and towns and the
people see the effect of the law.
Burlington, VT, Feb. 3.--Interviews
l. L. -