The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-04-06
II Cass and Blackford Coun-
ties Go Dry They Will Have
But Little Left to Encour.
age Them.
SALOONS NOT LIKE
ONES IN RICHMOND
logansport l and Hartford City
Liquor Places Have Never
Been Conducted Upon an
Orderly Basis.
(soeeia, corre.oonden..)

Especial Corresoondent.)
indianapolis. April eff Cass and
Blackford counties vote dry" today
at their local option elections there
will be little in the result to encour-
age the liquor people in other counties
of the state. IL is admitted that the
local option movement will get the
most severe thrust in these two coun-
ties that II has had anywhere else in
the state. or course. Wayne county
gave the movement a temporary jolt.
but 1t was a foregone conclusion in
that county for some time before the
election was held that the county
would vote wet People who came to
this city from Richmond were almost
unanimous in the declaration that
Wayne county would go wet. although
at home they kept their opinions and
views to themselves.
Not Like Richmond.
But it is different in Cass and
Blackford counties The saloons in
those counties are different from
there is not much antipathy toward
the saloons, so it is pointed out, be-
cause the saloons in that city are con-
Quoted on a higher plane than those
of most places. You don't hear much
| complaint about the saloons in Rich
mond. But Logansport and Hartford
City have about as wide open and mo-
toriously law-breaking saloons Do
could be found In the state. In both
places the saloons and the liquor peso-
pie run everything that has to be run.
They control politics. officers. elec-
tions. nominations. ordinances, law
enforcement or the lack of 1t and they
have their thumbs on the business In
terests Of both places. So the power
that is behind the wet interests in
both of these places IL tremendous.
A Manufacturing City.
Hartford City is manufacturing
city. II has a large number Of glass
factories. all employing many men.
and 1t is said that these glassworkers
are largely in favor of a wet town.
This is giving the vets q great
amount of hope as to the outcome OF
the election. The glassworkers are
tightly organized, and when they
take q notion to make their power felt
In place the size OF Hartford City
they can do 1t. This is largely the
reason why SO many of the business
men of Hartford City are working
with the vets. They can not afford to
tight the wishes of the glass workers.
1t also accounts for the reason Why
both OF the Hartford City newspapers
took sides with the vets, and left the
drys without an organ, resulting in
the drys starting paper of their own
few days ago In order to have .
chance to place their side of the con-
troversy before the people.
Besides all of this. the vets In
Blackford county have the undivided
support and assistance of the Berg
hoff brewery of Fort Wayne. This is
the brewery that Is owned by Steve
Fleming. and II sells nearly ali the
beer that Is sold in Blackford county.
Fleming has Blackford county by the
throat about as effectively as he has
Allen county. and when he says the
word Blackford county usually has to
jump through" just like Allen coun-
ty. This means much to the vets OF
Blackford county. and II they win to-
days election the victory will be due
as much to the influence Of Fleming
and his brewery as to any other one
thing.
| 10 Big City Vote.
There is . larger proportion of city
vote In Blacford county than In any
other county that has yet voted at q
local option election. and this is also
counted on by the vets to help them
to win. They say that Hartford
City and Montpelier win go vet by
such large majority that the coun-
try districts can not overcome Il.
Thousands Of dollars have been wa
gered on the result OF the election.
Even money is the best that any one
can get, and last night there was $500
on one of the boards at Hartford City
offered at even money that the county
would go vet. There were no takers
The light In Cass county which cul.
inmates today in the local option elec-
ton has been the bitterest fought of
any yet held In the state. Business In
Logansport has been demoraIfxed: !:
the town has been split into factions:
enmities have been engendered that
viii last for years: quArrels have been
numerous on the streets and in busl-
ness places: there have been flst
lights over the subject ~ Wst - dry.
Both sides hare organised to de limit
and II was the intentioa this morn