Pioneer press. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1882-19??, 1911-12-09
COUNTIES VOTE WET
SClOTO AND LAWRENCE COUN.
TIES IN OHIO REPUClATE PRO.
HlBiTiON AFTER THREE
YEARS TRIAL. -.
BOTH GIVE BIG MAJORlTIES
~ FiVc Chic Counties Voting on
mains Wet; Three Go Wet
ard One Stays Dry.

ard One Stays Dry.
Columbus, O.-Thrce counties in
Ohio which have voted on county on.
lion under the Rose county option law
nave determined that for the next
three years the "bCCtlcgger" aEd
'Dlind tiger keeper shall not wax fat
from the profits CT his Illicit business
within their county's borders.
SGloto county on October 18TH repu-
dated prohibition by a majority Of
LIZA votes. Three years ago the sa-
looms were voted out Of Scioto county
By Z31 majority. The total vote in the
recent election was over II 900 and
was the largest ever rolled in the
county. Portsmouth, the county seat,
gave a wet majority Of 1,431 as
against as its former wet majority OF
III.
Not only did the Grys lose heavily
IN the city, but expected gains in The
county failed to materialize Out Of
70 precincts outside the city but five
gave the drys small gains New Bos-
ton. which is the second largest cor
poratlon In the county, increased It's
former wet majority from 46 to 1877
votes. The vets lost but Of the 20
city precincts, and these by small ma.
jorities.
The drys adopted the usual election
tactics. Church bells were tolled all
day and women held hourly prayer
meetings. The precinct Of Judge
Blair, noted dry advocate, election
purifier and anti-saloon league speak
er, went wet Former Probate Judge
Skies, who handled the wet campaign,
although himself a teetotaler, reduced
the former dry majority in his pre-.
cilct an oven so votes. The wet cam
palGn was backed by business mems
organization consisting of over 200
members. They claimed that prohi-
billion has been a failure in Scioto
county.
The drys find their greatest surprise
in the failure of Evangelist Billy Sun
day to stem the tide after having been
brought to Portsmouth for his cele-
brated booze sermon" last Monday
night. Seven thousand voters, at this
meeting, pledged their ballots to keep
SCioto county in the dry column. At
the election the drys cast barely 5000
! votes in the entire county
After one Of the most strongly con-
tested campaigns in the history OF
Lawrence county, the business mems
association won over the local option
league in wet and dry fight by over
400 majority. Ironton, the county
seat, gave the vets q majority of 1856.
The county three years ago voted dry
by over 1900 and the city dry by GS.
Besides local speakers, the dTys i'm
ported speakers from other cities and
towns to bolster up their campaign.
Among the speakers were Wayne B.
Wheeler and p. A. Baker, of the Anti
Saloon League; Seaborn Wright, Of
Georgia, and Mrs. Lulu Shepard The
Women's Christian Temperance Union
took great interest in the fight and pa
raded the principal streets Of the city
on the morning Of election day leading
many school children and headed by
/, two brass bands.
Shelby county, which recently voted
wet under the Rose county option law,
retains saloons and completes the trio
of Ohio counties which this year have
voted on the liquor question. The re.
turn Of Scioto and Lawrence counties
to the wet column is taken as an eyi.
dence Of the reversal of opinion in
Ohio counties from county option to
local option.
Athens county went wet Oct. 2Sth
by one thousand majority and over sig
hundred dry majority in Meigs county
was wiped out.