Bisbee daily review., 1909-07-13
|COCR|SE COUNTY
 GOING DRY? :
Possibility of No License En. tiuses Minister Who Says
 Hosts Are Prepared
WORK OF CIRCULATING
 PETITIONS PROGRESSES

| 'Cochise county will soon be dry There is no doub. in the minds O. the temperance people but what the
 local option project will be carrisl
 throughout the county. As to Bisbee i we expect fight, as in all othe.
 cities an towns throughout the county
 but we will not go into the battle
 without careful preparation and on,y
 when we are ready to carry the day While Rev. W. E. Spicer of the
 church of Christ was making the fore, going statement last evening he be.
 came decidedly enthused and launch. ed into a dissertation concerning the glowing possibilities of a dry Cochise
 county. But mind you" he continued
 we do not propose to go into the fight until we are fully prepared. We know that the saloon element has been expecting this move for some time and
 is already fully prepared to fight It." Rev. Spicer explained that the work throughout the county of circulating petitions for the necessary signatures
 was being carried on by a general ""eaf Ah ttA hao oCiSSt- ed committees in the various cities and towns. These petitions were placed in general circulation yesterday with the general understanding that a call for local option eiection,is not to be made until the desired number of signatures has been received and the pulse of the people demonstrates the fact that the support will be sut- ficient to carry the point
 h other words, the temperance ele- ment does not propose to engage in the fight until after assurances have been received that the demand for temperance is sufficient to defeat the already organzed body of saloon men. It is their belief that the local option movement can be made an unqualified success by careful managed cam paign to be conducted by argument apd- numbers rather than by public spirit
 Plan of Temperance Leaders.
 According to the plans of the tem- perance leaders. but $50 signatures are necessary in order to place the demand for an election before the commissioners and it is their belief that more than ths number will be secured within very short time. It is the general understanding that the call for a vote necessitates ten per cent of the entire voting strength shown at the last election, but the temperance element insists that 350 will be suficent
 They place their hopes and belief in victory in the fact that by a recent act of legislature. but a majority Of the entire vote cast is sufficient 70 carry their point instead of two thirds which was the law according to an enactment of 1901. The amendment including the majority clause was pass ed this year and is said to be the keynote through which the tempG.. ance element expects to accomplish their ends.
 In one other point. the temperance also disagrees with the saloon forces. They claim that the clause, making it necessary to segregate the various towns. cities and individual upon taking such vote, is void and that they secure such ;n- formation from the opinions of several supreme court decisions. In this measure also. they expect to briag about a vote throughout the entire county at the same time, believing, as they do. that their strength lies in vote upon the whole rather than by individual communities.
 Rev. Spicer admitted that the saloon forces throughout the county were well organized and had been for the past year but displayed no hesitancy in declaring that the temperance move was already a popular one and would receive the support of more than majority of the voting strength. We feel that we already have the fight won and if the papers will just print both sides of the fight, instead cf placing our side under cover" we will have no trouble in making Co chise county too, the dry line"