The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-24
People Of North Carolina to
VoteNeXt Tuesday QueS-
ton of Prohibition.
VICTORY is CLAIMED
BY THE DRY FORCES
Anti-Prohibitionists Less Posi-.
tive in Claims, but Hopeful
Of Winning-Closing Of
Campaign That Will
Be Memorable in
State.
Especial to The Times -plspatch. ]

ESPECIAL to The Times -Dspatch.l
ALEIGH, N. c., May 23.-Next
Tuesday. May 2eth, the voters
TX Of North Carolina will ex-
press their preferenc for and
against State prohibition, and
the estimates as to the possible re-
suits are varied and widely apart. Sup
by anywhere from bare majority to
$4,000 or $4,000. The antipr ohibittons
will not give any figures. but claim
that they will carry the State.
A remarkable thing about the pend
ing contest Is that II the election car
ries the State will be prohibition
throughout but IL the majority is "for
the manufacture and sale OF liquors"
instead of against the manufacture and
sale OF liquors Gas the ballots read)
then the status in the State remains
just as 1t now is under the Watts and
Ward acts. For instance. no matter II
town now locally dry votes wet 1t
will remain dry until another local
election can be had. The most that
is hoped for by the antiprohibitionists
is a demonstration OF sufficiently strong
antiprohibition sentiment to impel
politicians and others to change the
State policy to a tolerance at least OF
a regulated liquor traffic.
Tho present election is really the
whole State voting on whether Will
mington. Salisbury. Winstons Salem and
the few other saloon and dispensary
towns shall continue to decide for
themselves whether to license the sale
OF liquor or not.
Governor Glenn's Figures.
State Chairman John A. Oates.
Of the State Anti-saloon League,
when asked as to what ma
jority he expected for prohibition made
reply that Governor Glenn had travel
| ed pretty much throughout the State
I and had declared In his recent speeches
that prohibition would win by $4,000
votes. He preferred to make no esti.
mate himself. On the other hand. a
| well-known State prohibi,ionfst, who
has had much to do with campaigns
| and campaign estimates and returns,
and has watched the progress Of the
present contest closely, declared that
1t would be the part Of wisdom for
the prohibition management to be
making no glowing presentation of the
situation or eXtravagant claims,
One reason for the uncertainty is that
the rural sections of the State have
had legislative prohibition for SO many
years that the attitude OF the country
people is largely an unknown quantity
One prominent official, who Is avowedly
opposed to State prohibition, when
asked as to his view OF the situation
on the approach of election day, said
he believed prohibition would be de-
feated iftthe people went to the polls.
He feared that there would be very
small country vote.
Claims of the Ants.
The antiprohibition campaign ha
| been directed principally from Sails
bury. the work in this immediate sec
| ton being largely in the hands of
William B. Jones and Charles [. .
Harris young attorneys OF Raleigh.
They are confident that Wake county
! VIII give majority against State pro-
hibition. Their view OF the situation
in the State is that If prohibition
comes at all 1t will be by a much
smaller majority than the prohibitions
lists claim. and will be due entirely to
the failure Of many who really oppose
prohibition to go to the polls. They
claim that II there is majority Of
| the vote cast for prohibition 1t will be
| OF SO indifferent character, compared
with the voting population as to, in
| effect. discount both enforcement and
permanancy OF prohibition In fact,
/ they really expect majority Of tho
| vote actually cast to be against pro-
hibition
Where Fight Is Warmest.
| The general campaign work for and
against prohibition has been pretty
evenly distributed throughout the State,
| the local managers in one and another
| OF the sections working up greater de-
grees OF activity. For instance. Will
mington, Salisbury. Winston-Salem and
other points where there are saloons
or dispensarles have become special
storm centres" And In some Others
including Raleigh, Charlotte. Asheville
and Greensboro. there will be unusual
activity a the polls.
State Chairman Oates is advised that
the prohibitionists will have process
sions refreshment booths and other
demonstrations by women and children
in Salisbury, Asheville, Charlotte and
some other points. In Raleigh the wo-
men workers have arranged to hold
prayer services during the day. Nearly
all the members OF a young mems pro-
hibition club propose to spend practi-
cally the whole day at the polls, work
ing for votes.
To Curry Every District.
Asked as to the situation to-day,
State Chairman Oates. of Fayetteville,
who has devoted practically four
months to the direction of the cam
palgn, without any compensation for
his services. said the State prohibition
campaign managers expect prohibition
majorities in every ono Of the ten con-
gressional districts of the State. and
that, remarkable as It might seem, the
most overwhelming majoritles We're
expected to come from the Ninth and
4 the Tenth (the mountain) Districts.
i He says that while the State Cam.
|patgn Committee has been distributing
the effort throughout the State pretty
evenly, local interests have klndled
] special contentious In a number OF the
towns, and the hardest contests are
/ probably Wilmington, Salisbury ana
/ Winston Salem. with some others In
jIlesser proportions, He claims that all
three OF these points Will be carried
| for prohibition, In that while certain
Of the Atowns may give a majority wet,