The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1908-04-10
FATE OF SALOON
IN THE Balance
LOCAL OPTION BATTLE WILL BE
FOUGHT IN MANY PLACES
IN ILLINOIS. .7-
Chicago Like an oasis-Whole State
Outside Metropolis May Go Dry
Tuesday and April 21-Contest in
Michigan Counties.

| Chicago, Apr. 6.-"Shall this town
become anti-saloon territory?
In more than 1000 cities, villages
and townships in Illinois outside OF
| Chicago this question will be answered
at the polls next Tuesday and on April
81. The voting on this question OF
public policy will be the elimination
of hard fought battle between the
anti-saloon organizations and the Ii
quor interests.
| Upon the answer to the question
given by the people will depend the
extent to which Illinois will be pro-
| hibition state for the next two years.
If the question should carry over
whelmingly in the affirmative more
than 80 out of the 102 counties in the
state will become "dry" territory.
With only moderate degree of sue
cess the reform forces will wrest more
| than half the state from the hold of
| the saloon interests.
On the eve of the battle of ballots
the prevailing opinion is that the
anti-saloon people have the best of
the situation.
Dry Belt Around Chicago.
If the drys carry the day there will
be revolution in civic conditions
throughout the state. To the citizens
of Chicago it will be particularly no
ticeable Chicago in that event not
only will be the only large city con-
tanning saloons, but it will be sur
rounded in all probability by wide
belt of dry territory closing in upon
the city limits on all sides.
In II Cook county townships con-
tiguous to Chicago and containing the
nearest suburbs the citizens will vote
on the saloon question. The townships
are Darlington, New Trier, Hanover,
Maine, Proviso, Palos, Calumet, Lyons,
Orland, Thornton and Bloom. If these
townships go dry Chicago will be
girdled by a score Of prohibition sub
urbs, while the summer gardens and
| road houses on the outskirts of the
| city either will have to become tenn
perance resorts or close their doors.
Large Cities to Vote Tuesday.
There are only eight large cities
| within the state where the question
will not be settled. These are Chica-
go, Peoria, Quincy, East st. Louis,
| Streator, Ottawa, La Sale and Galena.
In the remainder of the larger munich
| palfties and the townships the battle
will end with a decision at the polls
| on Tuesday. The smaller cities and
the villages will remain in the throes
Of the campaign until April Fl.
The smaller city will have an oppor-
tunity to vote again on April Fl, if the
township within which it lies goes
wet in the election on Tuesday next,
providing its petition has been on file
80 days.
The anti-saloon people are confident
| of winning in Rockford, Waukegan,
Elgin, Rock Island, Galesburg, Bloom
ington, Danville and Decatur. Even
in Springfield, Joliet and Aurora the
rising wave of their movement in the
last ten days has given them strong
hope of success. Then there are
scores of smaller cities that they
assert they will carry without doubt.
The women and children have
played a prominent part in the battle,
and in many places the victory looked
| for by the anti-saloon forces will be di-
rectly due to their efforts. In scores
of cities they have paraded daily,
pleading with the men to protect them
| and their homes.
Battle in Michigan Counties.
Detroit, Mich, Apr. 6.-Fourteen
counties in Michigan vote on the
| question of local option Monday. They
are as follows: Cass, st. Joseph, Kala-
mazoo, Oakland, Clinton, Barry, Ora
tiot, Midland, Gladwin, Osceola, Wex-
ford, Missaukee, Grand Traverse and
| Oceana The anti-saloon forces picked
these counties to make the fight in
this spring, owing to the fact that all
are largely agricultural centers, where
prohibition sentiment is generally con-
sidered to be stronger than in cities.
| Kalamazoo in Kalamazoo county,
and Pontiac, in Oakland county, are
the largest cities in the IA counties.
In Kalamazoo betting is strongly in
favor of the "wets," and wet" senti-
ment is said to be responsible for the
heaviest registration for years at Pom.
tiac. Regulation of saloons was also
the dominant feature of the campaign
at Jackson, party lines being obliter.
ated.