Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1909-03-31
Saloon League of Virginia. last


phhed the situation" said Mr..
McAllister. The decision dis
poses of all the cities in which
elections have recently been held.
except Roanoke, where ether
points in connection with the pay
ment of poll taxes are involved,
and the legality of that result is
still in question.
Several Roanoke policemen
who voted wet have gone on the
stand and testified that they were
not qualified voters. Lynchburg
is already dry, and Fredericks-
burg, where the contest was made.
will close it's saloons as soon as a
court order to this effect is entered,
following the opinion OF the Su-
preme Court.
We had been holding back in
Petersburg and Rocky Mount for
the decision of the court. but in
both cases the lists of - per cent
of the qualified voters petitioning
an election are about ready for
presentation the court. If such
lists are properly made up. the
court has no option but to order
the election within a reasonable
time, the minimum being thirty
days.
Steps will also be taken in the
msgisterial district of Blue Ridge,
AZ the people of that district want
the section tn go dry before the
summer resorts open for the sea-
son. There is practically no doubt
of the result in any of these cases.
We are at work now paving
the way for local option elections
In Harrisonburg, Stanton and
Norfolk. In Staunton the election
cannot be held until two wears
after the last local option fight. in
which the town went wet. There
is no doubt of it's going dry tins
time, as sufficient votes are already
pledged. Norfolk is "a larger propo-
siti"n, and the election there will
probably not he called for until
after the State primary. possibly
not until next fall We wish To
prepare our case thoroughly before
going into the fight.
This will leave Manchester.
Richmond. Alexandria. New port
News and Portsmouth, as the wet
cities of the State, and elections
will be called in at least three out
of the five within the year. In
Portsmouth the fight may be made
at the same time as in Norfolk.
There has been no preliminary
canvassing for all election i'm Rich
mOnd as yet. In most Of the re-
cent local option contests i'm this
State careful poll has been made
IN advance, which has assured the
result even before the ballots were
counted, and in some of the cities
we have been able tn forecast the
result with almost exact precision.
In the Roanoke fight there was
more element of uncertainty than
In any other held recently. In one
ward there we missed our estimate
by a large figure. In Luxembourg
and DanviIle, however, we knew
almost to a certainty before cleo
ton day how many voters we
could poll.
While no definite action has
been taken as yet, it is reasonable
to suppose that the fight in Rich
mond and Manchester will come at
or about the same time for the
same reason that the Portsmouth
election may be called about the
same time as that in Norfolk. 1t
would not be wise TO have the town
at one end of the bridge dry and
that at the other end wet.
The league has no reason for
any secrecy about its work. We
propose to keep up the fight
against the open saloon until each
district now licensing the sale of
liquor shall have had an oppor
tunity of submitting the question
To the popular vote.
The league has been somewhat
criticised for the plan in some cleo
tons Of using women and children
as an appeal to the voters at the
polls and on the streets. The in
fiuence of the women and children
and OF temperance organization is
most valuable when it is spontane-
Gus and genuine. When il has to
W. II