Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-02-04
1,446 SEEKING
SCALP OF SALOON
Local Option Petition With Re-
CURED Number of Sigma
lures Is Filed.
HOPE FOR INCREASED VOTE
Will Hold Public Meetings and Con-
duct House-to-House Canvass
for Support at Polls.
HOPE FOR INCREASED VOTE

The petition requesting that the
proposition to make Rock Island local
option territory be placed on the ballot
at the city-township election next
April was filed late yesterday after
noon with City Clerk Martin T Rud-
gren. 1t was signed by LAG legal
voters. Rev. w. S. Marquis. pastor of
Broadway Presbyterian church, and
president of the local option league;
Rev. F. q. Shut, pastor of Spencer
Memorial Methodist church, and H. A.
Weld, attorney for the league, filed the
petition with the clerk.
The number Of names required to
get the proposition on the ballot was
1925, representing one-fourth of the
total vote polled at the last city cleo
ton. The local option question was
on the ballot at the election in April,
1908, and was defeated by a vote Of
1886 to LAB. The petition fled with
the city clerk yesterday contains three
names more than the total vote polled
by the local option forces at the cleo
ton two years ago.
HOuse-to-House Canvass.
The local option league, under whose
direction the campaign against the sa-
loon next spring will be conducted,
has not yet announced any defined
plan Of vote-getting, but 1t is under
stood there will be a number of public
meetings held and that a personal
house-to-house canvass of the city will
be made by committees representing
the league. The women will partici-
pate, as they did two years ago, in in
f1uencing votes for local option.
The liquor interests thus far have
apparently viewed with Indifference
the efforts of the local optionists, but
it is said they will be organized early
enough in advance of the election to
show results at the polls.
Do Not Expect to Win.
One of the more active of the local
option workers. who requested that
his name be not used, made the follow
ing statement: 1--WE do not expect to
win our fight in the spring, but we con-
fidently believe that we will receive
between 500 and 1000 more votes than
we got two years ago. That will show
Roadway, and will encourage us to
greater effort In the future. We pretty
well understand the sentiment of our
city with reference to the saloon ques-
ton. The liquor interests have the
money to fight us, and they are going
to spend it. There is a state slush
fund to wage warfare on local option
in Illinois. If we laid down here, the
money that would be apportioned to
this territory would go to some other
point where the local option PROPOSE
ton was on the ballot We at least
will have the satisfaction of forcing
them to waste some of their ammuni-
ton on the home heath. We are stand
ing for principle, and know that our
cause is gaining sympathizers daily"
Say They VIII Hold Old Vote.
Prominent liquor men of the city do
not underestimate the strength of the
local option forces, despite that they
endeavor to create the impression that
they are not disturbed over the cam
paign they are conducting against their
business. The liquor men say they
will show vote at least equal to that
of two years ago, If not greater.