The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-07-09
After Two Years Of Dgness
Sentiment Turns Against
Local Option /
TURN OF TIDE AGAINST
STATEWIDE MOVEMENT
Half of the Business Houses in Bristol
Have Been Optioned for Sale
for Cash and New Firms
viii Come In.

Briston, Va. July 8.--By the narrow ma
jority of 80 out of total of S44 votes polled,
the anti-prohibitionists VOL the local op-
ton election held here today following
one of the most hotly contested campaigns
of its kind known in the south.
Pandemonium reigns here tonight in that
part of Bristol which lies in Tennessee
we'll as in the half of the city which
has declared for the sale of liquor after
dryness of two years. Preparations are
already being made for opening up sa-
looms and wholesale houses for supplying
not only the immediate territory but the
half dozen nearby states which are In the
prohibition column.
The ''wets" declare that the victory here,
following the recent one against prohbi-
tion at Petersburg, Va, will have the
effect of checking the statewide prohibi-
tion movement in Virginia and will have
some influence toward preventing further
inroads of the prohibitionists in the south.
They say too that the winning of to-
days fight is but the opening of the great
Ell fight for reclamation of lost territory
In the south.
Great Interest Shown.
Locally the contest was intensely ex-
citing, but it was more than a local con-
test With the liquor interests of the
entire country it was pivotal fight The
return of BrZtol to the sale of liquor
meant the capture of the main outpost of
the prohibitionists in the campaign of the
distillers and brewers for rewinning of
the south, now held almost exclusively by
urfi rih I0rfu n1it nf hq
surrounding southern states, the whisky
people fought tenaciously for foothold
here, from where they planned to ship
liquor into Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama,
North Carolina and the dry portions of
Virginia and South Carolina.
Against the influence of the prohibit
tionists and their unwavering allies,
the women and children, the leaders of
the opposing forces spent thousands of
dollars in printers ink and otherwise.
Nearly 100 representatives of distil
ley and brewey interests were here to
witness the election and lend what as
sistance they might to corrolling votes.
Many came with a view to starting in
business if the result was what most
of them anticipated. Half of the busi-
ness houses In the city mad been op-
toned for sale or lease pending to-
day's election. These options were
paid for in cash, too.
Petition for Election.
The campaign was begun a little
over a month ago when Judge John w.
Price of the corporation court ordered
the election on petition of one fourth
the qualified voters Both sides have
stubbornly contested every inch of
ground and tremendous influence was
brought to bear on the electorate by
both sides. The people were thoroughly
educated on the issues of the campaign.
The temperance people brought many
outside speakers and for two weeks
meetings have been held nightly on
the streets. In the churches and in
halls. Hundreds of women and child
rem were around the main polling place
today, singing and praying for the sue
cess of the temperance cause The
women served lunches and hot coffee
near the polls and stood through
drenching rain and continued their
work from early this morning till the
polls closed.
The i-prohibitionists conducted a
"still hunt" campaign and worked un-
der cover until within the past week
when they suddenly burst into print
and flooded the city with literature op-
posing prohibition and seeking to show
Its ill-effects on Bristol The AbinE-
don dispensary, 13 miles east of Bristol.
doing an immense business, largely
from local trade, was used as a chief
argument by them.
Today's result is certain to have it's
effect upon the statewide prohibition
movement in Virginia.