The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1917-10-12
POLO NO LICENSE FOR 81 YEARS
HOW IT CAME ABOUT AND SOME OF THE RESULTS

Every town is, in large measure,
what its past has made it. In this
respect Buffalo Grove, and Polo, her
successor. were particularly fortunate
in the character of their founders.
The very frsts white woman who
settled here in 1880, smashed the
whisky jugs the stage drivers brought
to her door. AS early as 1888 Buffalo
Grove had temperance lodge. In
1852, when distillery was started in
Buffalo village the argument that it
would furnish a home market for
grain did not win, but the temperance
society held meetings of remonstrance
and the ditsillery was changed to a
Touring mill and no licensed saloon
was ever allowed in Buffalo village.
The first settlers believed in
churches and schools. This proved
by the fact that the Methodists had
an organization at the Grove in 1885,
the Congregationalists in 1887 and the
Baptists in 1885, AS for schools, the
first were held in the homes of the
settlers as early as 1884 The first
settlers were from New York and
Canada. The former were of New
England and the latter were Scotch or
New England Canadians who had
been more or less closely identified in
the Canadian rebellion, men who were
lovers of liberty and learning.
With the arrival of the railroad in
1855, Polo was established mile from
Buffalo Grove, and with the new
town came period of rapid growth
and the saloon. Before the railroad
station was erected came a consign-
ment of liquors for some of the sa-
looms or stores, but the women
promptly assembled at the railroad
land with axes smashed the barrels.
!, From 1854 to 1857 the new town
had no charter and the saloons were
without control. The good people
were comparatively helpless and the
saloons Aourished until 1859 with lit
tie control when the second charter of
the town was granted by the Legisla-
ture which gave the town more power,
and from that time until 1865 there
was continued fight with the sa-
looms. In 1859 the town had five
police, and on public days there was
need of them all. Now for years we
have only one, and his principal duty
seems to be to go round to business
houses and see if they are locked
after business hours.
In 1859 the women had temper
ance socity of 14o members that Wis
tied the saloons to urge them to close
their saloons. This was many years
before the w. c. T. u. had an exist
ence. From 1859 to 1865 the women,
the Good Templars and the Temper
/, 'ancc Alliance were active in opposi-
ton to the saloon. The fight went
on with varying success. Once or
twice, no-licenses board would win
an election and then public sentiment
would fail to enforce the law and
then license would be granted again.
But the fight went on until Febru-
airy Is, 1865, when fire started in a
saloon, burned IA places of business,
and the next day when a fight began
in the only saloon left, the indignant
citizens raided the place and de-
stroyed its contents.
Following the fire the Temperance
Alliance held temperance meetings
every night with DR.. Ross as speaker.
These meetings resulted in the forma-
ton of the Law and Order Associa-
ton. This association was to furnish
financial backing to the town council
sn prosecuting violations OF the no.
license laws that the town council had
passed. Membership in this organiza-
ton required each person to subscribe
some sum not less than SIS on which
they agreed to pay a pro-rata assess
ment whenever made. To this asso-
citation 100 members pledged them
selves in sums varying from SIS to
$4,000, and the association had
pledged over 100000.
At the town election following, the
no-license ticket was chosen by ma
jority of 81 and no license ticket has