The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1917-10-30
bARlEYcORN NEAR
END IN DELAWARE
Ballot to BE Taken I'm Two Remain
ing Wet Spots NO.
fember d.
WAR PLANTS INVOLVED
Great Munition Factories Are GSeatly
Interested In Outcome of Campaign.

Wilmington, Del. Oct. 2e.--Shall
Wilmington. headquarters of one Of
the greatest. If not the greatest. mu-
nitions districts In the world, abolish
the liquor traffic. or shall It continue
as a wet" subdivision OF the state?
This question will be decided by the
voters at special election November
6, and the voters of rural New Castle
county will be called upon to decide
similarly. The city of Wilmington
and rural New Castle county are the
only "oases" in the state, Kent and
Sussex counties heing dry"
Aside from the possible acquisition
of additional territory by the no Ii
cense forces, the matter Of mutations
adds interest to the coming election.
In the Delaware valley. of which
this district is q part. II is estimated
that from 10000 TO $4,000 men and
women are employed directly or in
directly in the manufacture of articles
necessary to successful prosecution
of the war.
Contention of Both Sides.
Directly across the Delaware river
from this city, at Carney's Point, n.
J.. is the war plant" of the DUPONT
company. where all the smokeless
powder is manufactured for this coun-
try and it's allies. Intoxicants have
been banished from that immediate
section, due to disorder among the
army Of powder makers, and now
the fight against ire licensed saloon
has been taken up here.
The argument advanced by the IL
cense forces Is to the effect that booze
and munitions making do not mix;
that increased efficiency is shown
where the workers abstain from in
toxicants. On the other hand, the
license opponents are asserting that a
dry victory will play havoc with
the local supply Of labor; that large
mum bers of workmen in the large
plants in wet" territory will remove
their families and that workmen en-
ployed at local shipbuilding and other
plants will seek other cities for en-
ployment.
With the cities of Chester and Phil
adelphia near by, the further argu-
ment is advanced by the ''wets" that
the merchants of Wilmington will lose
large amounts in the way of drink
expenditure diverted to these cities
and that this city will teen with
speakeasies.
Fight vigorously Waged.
! The campaign Is growing in tntens-
| ity as the election approaches both
Eitss are purchasing large amounts Of
advertising space in the newspapers
/ to present their arguments, there are
almost continuous street meetings and
| the fight is the most vigorous of its
| kind ever fought in Delaware.
| The no license fores already have
! caused arrests for Illegal registration
and for conspiracy In connection with
the registration, and many more are
promised. Even the war Is being In
| tected into the fight aside from the
moral side, for the assertion is now
made by the "drys" that British hat
ing" form of seditious activity, Is
being practiced by many OF those in
terested in wet" victory and that
| the only un-America utterances are
! to be heard in certain saloons of the
city whose propretors were very much
| pro German before this country en-
tered the war and now content them
selves with chant of hate directed
at the British.
/ In the event of dry victory, the
anti-license law working In conJuuc'
ition with the federal "bone-dry'
| measure will make 1t impossible foI
a resident 10 bring in as much as G
bottle OF beer from outside the state
4 and the peace jofficers under the
measure are given power to search
/ ones home in case II is suspected
that there are intoxicants on the
premises.