Waterbury evening Democrat., 1908-10-05
TOWNS VOTING
The Sale of Inioxlcaiing Liquors was ihe Biggest Bone oi
 Contention Today
LICENSEOR NO LICENSE

New Haven, Oct 5.-One great question confronted the voters in the towns of Connecticut to-day when on the occasion of little town elections they appeared to elect officers for the year, to appropriate money to run the government and do those other things called. for by the wa.- rant for the meeting. The question was whether or not licenses should be granted for the sale of intoxicat- ing liquors. Last year sixty town voted upon the question while this year the issue is up for settlement in about ninety towns. In some of these the liquor men have brought the issue while in most of the others the prohibitionists have brought the matter to. the front. There are many towns which do not bother about voting on the liquor questions. Some of these have been no license for q decade or more; others are as strong ly the other way and presumably could not be won over into the dry" column. Figuring out the real situ- alton in all the towns of the state the state register in this years issue makes the number of no licerse places 96 and the license towns 72, a gain of seven for no license over the previous year. The prohibitionists, however, claim one less for their side. This year the prohibition!sts are hoping to get ' per cent of all the towns as compared with 60 per cent last year.
 The activity of the prshibitionists in the towns is said to be prelude to even greater activity from now on in the representative and senatorial dis tricts where the nominees of the re- publican party decline to declare themselves on the matter of excise legislation. The hope of the prohi- bitionists is to secure preponderence of temperance members in both branches of the general assemgly next year and through this prepon- derence make strong fight for high license, limited licenses and other ex- else measures, including screen law, So well organized has been the pro- hibition propaganda that the temper ance agitation has been widely car ried on throughout the state since the field day of the Connecticut temper ance union at Lake Compounce, there having been a series of meetings in certain parts. of. the state where to- day the town meetings are developing hot contests. Winchester, New Mill ford, Milford, Manchester, Ansonia, Derby and Enfield are among the in teresting points.
 At Winchester (Winsted) at o'clock over 500 had voted. and there was long line of men waiting to reach the box. Torrington is to vote on the question, although it was thought last week that the matter had been side tracked through a technicality. This is the first time in twenty years that Derby has Lad the question up for settlement.
 The weather to-day was splendid and the first reports were that the voters were turning out in large numbers.
 The temperance question has en- tered into state politics in other d. rections. The German alliance met at Meriden yesterday and the under standing is that the discussion was upon the support of candidates for the general assembly. The German has declared its desire to support men for the general assembly who will look upon the temperance question with liberality. It is oppos- ed to extreme legislation in excise The meeting of the al lance was originally planned for late following the town elections when an idea of the drift of the vot CTS on the question of local option could be determined But Sunday be- Ing a good day for delegates to gath ar 1t was held yesterday there being l desire to get to work at once.
 Late in the month the prohibition sts will have a number of out of own speakers in the state to address allies in various senatorial districts, the fifth.