The Cape weekly tribune. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1914-1914, 1914-09-04
PrOhibitiOnists Make Poor
Showing In Contest for
Local Option.
DRY MAN IN KELSO
THREE HUNDRED VETS
Farmers Surprise Drys By Voting
Overwhelmingly In Favor
of Saloons.

the lacol option election. With two
precincts to be heard from, it was an
nounced last midnight that the vets
were more than 800 votes ahead.
William H. Heiserer, the Benton
banker, said that only three precincts
in the county were carried by the
Prohibitionists. The election yester-
day was participated in by every town
in the county except Sikeston and
Chaffee BY eliminating Chaffee from
the contests, the drys thought they
would carry the rural districts and
small towns by an overwhelming vote.
The contest became rather heated
during the past few weeks, and much
literature was circulated by both fac
tions. The anti-prohibitionists, made
their fight by showing whatit would
cost the people of that county to elm
mate the saloons. 7&2 >.
One strong argument advanced by
the vets was that by voting iR favor
of local option, it would permit liquor
to be shipped into the county, but
would take away from the county the
huge sums that are now being paid in
to the county treasury by the liquor
interests.
The fact that Sikcston voted out sa-
looms few months ago gave the drys
new hope and they made a hard and
determined fight to bar saloons from
every town except Chaifec, whirh is
regarded as being wet by both fac
tiOns.
Had local option carried fourteen
saloons would have gone out of bust
ness. These, It was shown, turned
u, into the county $4,000 each year
Had these been closed, it would have
forced the taxpayers to make up the
deficit.
The, election yesterday was a dis.
tinct surprise to both sides. The
drys contended throughout the cam
paign that the farmers were in favor
of voting out the saloons, and even
the vets were inclined to Believe that
the rural districts were about equally
divided upon the liquor. question : -,
A majority of the farmersm1Io vot-
ed yesterday cast their ballots in
favor Of the saloons. 1t was annOunc-
ed from Benton last night that the
county would have gone wet had the
rural precincts voted alone.
The town Of Kclso probably cast
the largest vote against local option,
according to ;ac number Of votes poll
ed According TO telephone commu-
tication to The Tribune from shat
city, there WAS but one dry vote poll
eel, in spite of. the fact that the pro
hibtionists predicted they would car
ry the town. kolso polIcd about 200
votes, The identity Of the lone pro-
hibtionist was not learned
The votes were received at Ben
ton which is in the county seat. The
early returns showed how the cIcr-
ti'Il Wa E'iliS' b'' nv VI - l'tIIHtN
they had fought Il losing fight af;cr
a few precincts were received went
home. The leaders of the auti-suloor
people had no statements To make
last night.
The vets made short campaign
but they were aided by some OF tn,
most influential men in the county
The business men were almost man
nous against local option, and they
welded great influence in FAVOR o
the vets.
William H. Heiserer, who is inter
ested in the mercantile business o
Benton as we'll as being president o
bank, was in charge of the cam
paign for the liquor people.
Harry Frissell returned yesterda
from Whitney, n. c., where he ha
been employed as civil engineer. II
will enter the service of the Littl
Drainage District in this city.
X. b. Oliver is in the southern par
of the state looking after his eNter
sive land interests.
Frederick Shivclbino and family O
st. Louis, are visiting friends and re-
atives in this city. Mr. Shivcbine i
a police sergeant in St. Louis and i
enjoying short furiough.
The passenger motor car has agai