Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1914-09-23
Total MAJORITY
MAY BE 10000
Drys Garry All But Four.
Cities and Sixteen of
the Counties.
HEAVY VOTE POLLED.
Cities Spring Surprise by Going Wet
by Small majorities-Eighth Dis
trict is Reported Close.

Richmond, Sept. % State
to-day by majority of from 3d.
600 to 10000 votes. carrying all buv
four cities and sixteen counties. The
result is decisive. and will set at
rest for some time to come the Stat
e's policy on question that has beer
! q prominent factor in Virginia poll
tics for many years, and which has
time Of the last three sessions OF the
taken up the major portion of the
General Assembly.
. Returns today show a complete
victory for the advocates of State
wide prohibition, both in the cities
and country districts, the complete
returns for the twenty cities in the
State giving the prohibition side a
majority of 1,315. The four cities
opposing Statewide prohibition were
Richmond, @Sorfolk, Alexandria and
Williamsburg.
Returns from the counties were
received with remarkable promptnesS
and accuracy. Complete returns are
given from forty-one counties, mai.
critics only, but with practically
complete figures from twenty-seve1
sixteen report with only one precinct
missing and thirteen sent only scat
@tering returns.
The total majority for Statewide
prohibition is now 30,3S4. This Will
almost certainly be increased by The
later returns from the missing pre-
cincts. The total vote probably
ran to from 145,000 to 10000,
though exact figures are not yet av-
ailable.
The surprises of the campaign
were the comparatively small ma
jorities piled up by the local option
forces in Richmond and Norfolk and
the overwhelming dry sentiment i'll
the Ninth2 Congressional District.
Notwithstanding Governor
Stuart's announcement that he would
vote against Statewide prohibition,
his home county, of Russell went
dry by 672. Lee, Scott, washington
Wythe, and other Ninth District
counties followed with heavy ma
jorities for Statewide prohibition.
Norfolk County. which has enjoy
ed "wide-open" reputation for
some years. fell into the dry column
by more than 500 votes. The dry
lead on the Eastern Shore was ovei-
whelming. and in Rockingham. where
it had been reported that faction
al fight on former Senator Keezell
might have some effect, as he had
announced his intention of voting
dry, the county piled up dry ma
jority of more than 1000.
Reports from all sections of the
State indicate that the election was
orderly and without the emotional
features which were so notable a
part of the voting in North Carolina
and other States on this issue.
Among the city returns the VIC
! tory of the Statewide forces in Roam
oke and Petersburg, caused greatest
comment. Only few years ago. IN
a local option election, Petersburg
returned a good majority against
prohibition. Danyille and Lynchburg
have both been dry at times by tn
vote of their own people.
Until complete returns are COM
piled from the various counties it
will not be practicable to tabulate
the congressional districts. 1t is ev;-
dent, however, that the. dry forces
have carried all except possibly two
or three. the Third and Fifth being
apparently in the local option column
on the face of incomplete returns
from Pittsylvania and other counties
EIGHTH DISTRICT.