Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1909-03-11
s,e,,erd,tovn Goes Dry.

After a very spirited campaign. il
which the Anti.Saloon LEAGUE put
no a winning fight, Shepherdstowr
las; Saturday voted for no license to
sell liquor the ensuing year. The
odry' majority was SO, the vote being
lO5 for license and l44 for no license
A year ago the town voted "wet" BY
Is majority.
A month ago the Anti-Saloon
League began its active campaign.
The little band OF temperance workers
made their plans with prayerful CON
s;deration and went TO work with
great earnestness. Temperance work.
ers from nearby towns came and made
addresses and stirred up the enthusl-
asm. Last week Rev Ed. ]. Rich
ardson, field secretary of the Anti, ga
loon League, of Virginia, put in three
or four days of most effective work,
BE was not only logical and most
impressive speaker, but a clever car
toonist who with his crayons put the
issues before the people in The mo !:
prst,lcai way. His work was OF the
most telling sort and bis aid 10 the
cs,,se invaluable. A heart-to- heart
talk with the men of the town Friday
night was absolutely convincing IN Its
facts and arguments.
Another important factor IN the
campaign was Robert E Clay, the
we'll known colored orator and work.
er. of Bristol. Va. He spent five
DAYS here among the colored people,
and his labors had remarkable re-
cults. With few notable exceptions,
the colored voters here have been
practically solid for license. Fully
half of them voted dry last Saturday.
Full of life and fun and vivacity, and
vet intensely serious also, Clay soon
had the better class of cJlored people
with him. The meetings that he ad-
dressed were attended by large
crowds, including many white persons
who thoroughly enjoyed his speeches.
HIS closing meeting was held In the
colored Methodist church Friday
night. There was a procession from
the school house to the church, young
and old marching to the singing of
temperance songs. His powerful
speech aroused the greatest enthusi.
am, and when one heard the enthusi-
sm OF the colored voters as they
sang
"Glory, glory, hallelujah,
Our town is going dryV'
it was apparent that the battle was
won. We have never seen a more ef-
fective worker than Bob Clay or a
campaigner cleaner in his methods.
de was ably assisted by the co'oFed
ministers and school'eachers aud 9TH
err influential men OF his own race.
Bright and early Saturday morning
the temperance wor ers were at the
polls, and they stayed there all day.
The liquor people were on hand,
doing their best, but they were up
against the real thing, and they had
all they could do to hold their own
men in line, much lees gaining from
the temperance ranks. 1t was ap-
parent early in the day that the tenn.
psrance fight was won. The colored
people were not run in, as of old, IN
droves nv the liquor people on the
contrary, they had an earnest com.
mlttee, headed by Clay, that worked
busily all day for no license. Most
OF the business men were In sympathy
with the temperance workers, and
many persons who had heretofore
been wet now voted dry. The
result was easily anticipated before
the day was half over, and when the
voc was counted, and dry" ma
jority OF SO announced, the temper
ance peopls>were happy.