Bisbee daily review., 1914-04-03
STATE WIDE FIGHT
 TO MAKE ILLINOIS
 ABSOLUTELY DRY
LIQUOR QUESTION WILL BE PUT TO sEvEREsr TEST AT GEN.
 ERAL ELECTION TUESDAY

tHlCAGO, April 2.-ln the city and township elections to be held through. out Illinois next Tuesday the liuuor question will be put to the severest test to which 1t has ever been sub jected in this State With the possibil. ity that 2.000 saloons may be voted out of existence. the liquor interests are fighting with the desperation that comes of a knowledge that defeat means death to their business. The anti-saloon forces, on the other hand, are supported in their battle by a feel ing of confidence that they are on the eve of the greatest victory they have ever won in this state. On both sides the struggle is being conducted with as much vigor as ever attended political contest in Illinois.
 Thirty-one out of the 1O2 counties Of | Illinois are now entirely dry" That numerous counties will be added to this list as result of the coming cleo tions is generally regarded as a fore gone conclusion. The liquor interests are plainly on the defensive and are
 
 losses at the lowest minimum.
 The "drys" have filed petitions in about 200 townships and cities which vote next Tuesday. These voting units . include a total of more than 300 viii lages and cities. Under the local op. ton law the unit may be a township city or village. Inasmuch as most town ships include some rural territory, be sides one or more villages. towns or cities, the "drys" in most instances prefer to have the vote based on th township as a unit.
 In addition to the. ltpwnships ant some of the larger cities that vote neX Tuesday about thirty additional cities and villages now with saloons will vot on the saloon question April 21. Chi cago. Peoria and East St. Louis arc virtually the only large cities of the State in which the saloon issue vii not be voted on before the end of tho month. No great attempt Was made to force the issue in Chicago this year though small group of indiyidual' did make an unsuccesspul endeavor ( obtain the 75,O00 signatures necessar' before the question could be brought tc a vote Peoria is the largest center of the distilling industry in the countr' and for the time being any attemp to swing it into the 1dry' column is considered hopeless. The proximity of East St Louis to the great Missouri metropolis initiates against the sue cess of the dry" movement there andcsused anti-saloon league to defer any attempt to make the quesion ar issue at the coming election. The most important fthe down state battles is being fought in Spring field, which has been considered hope less by the "drys" in former years Other leading cities where the ques ten is to be put to the test of the bal lot include Bloomington. Rock Island Decatur. Freeport. Aurora. Mattoon Moline. Danville, Galena, Monmouth l Alton. Dixon and Mount Sterling.
 That the "wets" are on the defensiy' throughout the State is evidenced b the fac, that they have filed petition in only a dozen cities and towns whic' are already dry" In eighteen coun ties the saloons are making their las stand.
 The 'drys" have been aided fin thel campaign throughout the State b' numerous prohibition leaders of wid Traininence. Among those who havf toured tue State in the interest of th movement are John G. Woolsey wh was the Prohibition candidate for Pres ident fthe United States in 1900 an Dr. Howard Russell. founder of th National Anti-Saloon league.
 Alarmed by the vigorous campaigr of the "drys." the liquor interests, as represented by the Illinois State Brew CTS Association. the Distillers and Job hers Association and the Liquor Deal ere' Protective Association, planned two weeks ago to mako a spectacular campaign in all doubtful districts In special train. with a brass band an an army of orators. The plan wa abandoned, ohoweyer, on the adVic of some of the liquor dealers who be- lieyed that such demonstration would only serve to make the ant saloon people more determined m then fght.
 The most disquieting feature Of the struggle from the viewpoint Of the sa : loon element Is the fact that Tn mos places the women will vote for the hrsi time in the local option contests lt is renembered that several small town' witch voted on the saloon qucsiio'l last November were made "dry' by tho women's votes. For the cominf elections the registration of women . in the small cities and towns has been , unusually heavy and ne "drys' arc confident that with the aid Of the women they are certain to win sweep , ing victories
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