The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-09-16
Anti Saloon League Official
Looks for Lead Of 5000 for
Prohibition Amendment.
,FINLANDERS STRONG
FOR A DRY STATE
Bessemer Is Stronghold for g.
loon Power-Enough Booze
Consumed There In One
Day To Build Neat Little
Church. (

ridiculous for serious considerations
said an upper peninsula editor In h19
paper. when an official of the Anti1ea-
loon League said he upper peningul8
would give dry majority Of S.0oe.
Which shows that some editors aSO
when the votes are counted Novesm-
Der T. \.
Bismarck was called the man s'of
blood and iron." This IL the land Of
blod and iron. Fascinating to the
tenderfoot, II appeals at once - Z
land OF magnificent distances. and
magnificent propectA commercially
and humanity. The strongest anti-sa-
loon factor here today Is a foreign els-
they have . largo. vigorous tenn
perance society. and our campaign
will DO waged by themselves, in their
ewn tongue.
Never before. even in tho Chicago
and New York slums. have I seem
such saloon conditions as are just
across the border in Hurley. Wis.
which Is practically q part Of Iron
wood. counted thirty-six saloons -
three city blocks. counting on both
sides Of tina street In two blocks. On
one side Of. one solid block were build.
ings for involve business places. with
out vacancy, and every place was 4
| saloon. You can't beat that In ChiCa.
go.
Fear Dry wnve.
Butfsaloon mon Of Hurley, which
is "tAst across the creek from Iron-
wood, are fearful Of the Michigan dry
waTe. One Of them said to a man rssa-
den in Hurley twenty-seven years, who
tcAd me what was said few days arc:
III Michigan goes dry It will mean
the lid for us-no sales Sundays or
! after hours, so I am making all the
money can now. for It looks ~ Il
the whole nation was going dry"
In this vast iron region, where mors
| iron IL in sight for mining now than
ever before in history. and more men
are beginning to line up against the
saloon They realize that II they want
Industrial peace. with a. little OF tho
strike problem ~ possible. they must
kill the saloon. which L. the consistent
breeder Of anarchy.
(, This summer there has been con.
siderable agitation by the kind Of
labor radicals who. when they break
loose. spell Anarchy" In q commune
ity. 1t IL discovered that this kind
Of social evil thrives best on the drink
habit. When q strike is begun the FIRST
order Is, close saloons. When this idoas
gets into tho minds Of the inteilteeutS
people in the upper peninsula: the
5000 majority" talk will not seem -
Wild.
sole Election In 1887.
Here in oosebic County the first
| thing I heard was that this county
helped keep Michigan wet when the
| vote on q dry constitutional amend
ment was taken in 1887. Here the
vets came, feeling secure, and cor
rupted tho ballot recklessly. They
reported more wet votes" said one
man. from Gogebic and Ononagon
counties than there are men. women
and children in both counties" But
| that u not going to happen this yeAr.
In Bessemer, close at hand. the
saloon power is strong 1t Ii said that
at one picnic, in one day, about 81, 400
worth of booze was consumed, enough
to build q neat little church. Both In
Ironwood and Bessemer a high grade
OF dry leaders are ready to take
charge OF tho campaign.
Following general meeting. :
special county committee, represent
ing all nationalities. religious groups
and townshipA met and chose the fol- 4
lowing executive committee: W. J.
Davies, Of Wakefield; Victor johnson.
OF Ironwood; Abram Abramson, OF
Ironwood township; Nicholas Matt I
son. of Erwin township: Josiah Bay
lies. Of Ironwood; John Kuivanen. Of
Wakefield; W. 8. Barr. Of Bessemer,
W. O. Trezise, Of Ironwood. and VAL
entine Sippola. OF Bessemer These
men have chosen campaign commit-
tees on finance. publicity. etc. ana
have in mind q good man a. campai9n
director.
Among ministers and laymen . list
Of forty others might be named who
are behind the movement with oil /
their strength. These include Rev. J. I
A. Melrose, Rev. Louis johnson, Rev.
Mr.. Healey Rev. 8. l. Wilson. and
several other Ironwood pastors; Rev.
&C. l. Harries. Of Hurley; Rev. Mr.
Fraser and Rev. J. H. Glidden. %
BeSemer. and among laymen Oscar
e. Olson, r. w. ShAnd, Charles
Healey. e. w. Westerman and twenty
others who are In the ranks a. leaders