The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-02-08
ALLDRY ELEMENTS
ARE NOW UNITED
Ohio Vets Face Fight For Very
Existence.
STAGE SET For CAMPAIGN

Generally Admitted That Prohibition
Forces Have Advantage In Bes...-
ming Of Campaign az Many Aasn.
eies Are at Work In Their Favor.
Counties Are Being Organized as
Rapidly as Possible and Drys Do
Not Intend to Leave Undone Any-
thing That Will Help to Insure Vic
tory - Believe Hard Work and
UnanT.;y of Acticn Will Bring
Success.
Colureous, Ohio.-The2e are busy
days in the wet and dry camps in
Ohio. The Liberal League and the
Ohio Brewers Association have held
meetings, selected L. II. Gibson, long
connected with Cincinnati liquor head
quarters, to manage the campaign
have declared they will fight as never
before to defeat statewide Prohibi-
tlon at the November election.
The drys have united every ele-
ment antagonistic to the saloon, have
held the largest and most successful
convention in the states history
have agreed upon the form of amend
ment, have selected James A. White
State Superintendent of the Anti
Saloon League, to manage the cam
paign, and have given him a cam
paign committee of fifteen adroit
workers, representing different dry
organizations and federations.
The stage is set for furious cam
paign. The statewide battle this
year will make all previous contests
of the kind seem like mere skirm-
ishes. The entire country will be an
interesting spectacle. The liquor
men are fighting for longer lease
on life. The dry forces are expect
ing victory in Ohio to be quickly
followed by nationwide Prohibition.
The belief is general that the drys
start the campaign with better
chances of success than do the wetsl
and this in spite of the fact that two
years ago the wet majority was in
excess of $4,000. But that is not
wide margin in a total vote of a mil
lion and quarter. The trend of
sentiment all over the country and
the world is favorable to the drys.;,
The sweep of the movement towards
Prohibition is increasing, and in spite
of the millions poured into campaigns
hNr IA E0IJn1s
unable to check the drys at anyl
point.
The triumph in four states in No-E
vember, followed by easy victories inJ
other states since, as we'll as in thes
United States Senate have boosted
Prohibition stock and have brought Al
depressed feeling into the wet CAMPO
The decision of the United States Su-H
preme Court, holding valid the Webb
Kenyon anti-shipping law, was heart
breaking to the brewers and dStil-
lerj for it meant the loss of a graqtE
volume of business ard this meaasA
lessenGd snsws OF war.
Men who come up to Columbus7
from all parts of Ohio bring the sameN
reports to the effect that Ohio is 60
ing dry this year. Both old POLITICAL
parties are getting ready to bumpI
booze and the rotten election mess inA
Cincinnati which Uncle Sam is nowh
cleaning up is not going to make the
burden of the vets any lighter.
But the drys do not intend to be
lured into inaction by the rosy situa-S
ton. They realize the bigness Of thel
task. They know that in the cam-a
paign of 1914 and 1915 the marginsl
were against them. They do not inv
tend to underestimate the strengthI
and resources of the enemy, and theyI
are planning the campaign with all
kinds of trained and seasoned gen-J
erals.
The record of the liquor traffic in,
Ohio under license is serious handi- !
cap to the vets. During the past
year crime and drunkenness have in
creased at a frightful rate in wet
centers and, as usual, the licensed
saloons have had big share in max
ing this record breaking history. Lii
cense has failed to regulate the
traffic.
Already the drys are busy as bees
organizing the counties. They are
finding the people responsive. There
is little evidence of Indifference. Ohio
drys are on their mettle. They un-
derstand the country expects much
of them and they intend to deliver
the goods.