The Cairo bulletin., 1908-04-05
81 OF THE 102 COUNTIES IN iLLIr
NOiS WILL HOLD ELEC-
TiONS.
BOTH SIDES CONFIDENT
Most Spectacular Campaign Since
Civil War Formally Closed Yes
terday--Women and Chill
dren in Demonstration.

formal, but actual, closing Of one O
the most spectacular and yigorou
campaigns waged in this state sine
the Civil war. The sole issue ha
Ieen the licensed saloon and In s.
Of the l02 counties of Illinois tht
voters will be called upon Tuesday tt
decide whether the dram shops shal
continue their existence within tho
confines of various lical option dis
tricts as defined by the state Law
which became effective July /. 1907
About 1850 of 1,205 townships oi
the state and about 1900 cities and
villages are affected. In addition the
saloon question" has reached seven
other counties in one form or an
ether.
The closing days of the compaign
have been marked by many unusual
features. The Anti.Saloon league has
made most of it's fight with the
churches and schools and as a conse-
quence the women and children have
played the leading parts in many
communities. White Eowned school
children have marched in parade
wearing badges with the legend:
Vote yes for my sake"
Earnest women have held prayer
meetings in saloons and eanvassed
the towns from house to house be.
sides pleading with the voting mem.
bers of their families TO cast a ballot
against the saloons. In fact every re-
source of the politician and many ex-
pedients not heretofore brought into
play have been used In an effort to
win towns and districts to prohibition.
Against these tactics the saloon
and hsewery interests have worked
fFithS unfiagging energy. Speakers
haYe been imported and mass meet.
ings held nightly. The Personal Lib
erty" league has been organized to
combat church anf prohibition or
ganizations and the struggle has been
carried into the home of thousands of
citizens.
Some principal cities where the
fight has ragged the hottest are:
Joliet, Bloomington, Decatur, Gales |
burg, Monmouth. Centralia. Pekin, |
which is close to Peoria the great dis, |
tillery center; kankakee, Pontiac, AL |
ton, Lincoln, Canton. Vandalia, Dixon |
Rcck Island Moline, Freeport. Elgin,
Waukegan, Belvidere. A particularly |
hard campaign has been fought in
Danville and Aurora. The fight also /
has been brought to the outskirts of
Chicago md ten townships of Cook
county, lying along the eity's border,
will vote on the question Tuesday
Both sides are claiming the victory
tonight. Alonzo Il. Wilson. chairman
of the Illinois Prohibition committee,j
said in a formal statement:
ut Is probable that more than 1900
saloons will be put out of business and
that less than 5000 square miles in
this state will be territory where sa-
Icons will be licensed. Fifty counties
will be dry and the anti.saloon ma
jority in the popular vote will be
more than 100000
Daniel Loeb, president of the
d
an interview told of towns fearing
hat the result. of the adoption of L
laws would be the shutting
iown of factories, a.1d expressed con-
fdence In the result of the election L
An echo of the fight down state I
ias been heard in Chicago this win I
.er where the anti-saloon forces have S
made efforts to enforce the state law
that salons be closed on y
Sunday Thus far twelve trials have I
been held but in none has verdict I
IF guilty been returned. A few sa- S
Don keepers have been acquitted but
most cases resulted in disagreements,
his too despite the fact that the de-
ense has offered no evidence in any c
,ases, allowing the fact that the sa- a
oons had been open Sundays to go IN
N record. and contenting itself with t
to the juries. IS