Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-04-04
VETS IN CLEAN SWEEP
OF EVERY PRECINCT
OF TOWNSHIP
WOMEN WITH THEM
FEMININE VOTERS ALIGN WITH
LIQUOR FORCEs--YESTERDAYs
LEAD EXCEEDS WET VICTORY
TWO YEARS AGO IN iClTY.

With majority for wet town ex
ccedng the pro-saloon vote two years
ago in the city. Ottawa deAslvely al
ligned itself with the liquor forces
in manner that left no room to doubt
but thai her people largely favored
anti-local-option legislation. The ma
jority was 1882 yesterday In 1919
the city was carried 1913 by the 81
loon forces.
The saloon organization with its
concentration and unity CT purpose
overwhelmed the unorgani2ed forces
of the "drys" in every precinct. The
closest to lost precinct was the sec
ond, comprising East Ottawa and the
loop" Here the drys tore into the
saloon lead by holding them down to
bare 32 majority. The third pre-
cinct. OF Fourth ward, as it used to be
known, was the strongest wet section.
Only IS dry votes were cast in that
precinct as against 46l vets, leaving
a majority to the credit of the saloon
forces. of 1913,
In the seventh ward, or sixth pre-
cinct, hot fight was conducted and
the 463 majority OF two years ago
was reduced 10 3SS. There were 749
wet" votes in this precinct in 1915 as
against sos yesterday 2S6 voted
dry" two years ago and 2s1 yester.
day. The sixth ward or fifth precinct
was carried by 222 In 1876 and by l2t
In the town election. The fourth pre-
cinct, or fifth ward, ran to form and
its ma ,ritics for the vets showed
only a. fifty.vote variance. In 1918
the vote was 3S4 and yesterday 1t
went to the "wets" by $50.
The second precinct or third ward
varied only two votes cover 1918.
There was wet majority yesterday
of 1876, while In 1915 the saloons car.
ried the ward by 1893.
IN 1915 there were 1915 women
voting in favor Of the saloon. This
vote included those who were in the
first ward, or South Ottawa. Yester-
day 913 women voted 10 retain the
saloon, while f53 were against the IL
quor interests, leaving q feminine ma
jority OF 2G0. The men yesterday
voted e53 against the saloons to 1926
in favor of dram shops, majority
better than three to one, or 112O
votes.
In the second ward the vets were
successful in increasing their majority
of two years ago. when they barely
'sneaked" thru with Is votes to the
good Yesterday they came out OF
the contest with 80. In 1918 there
were 353 "drys" in the ward as
against $50 "drys' yesterday The
wet" vote compared favorably with
1915, there being then 81 standing
with the saloons and yesterday there
were 312.
In the city election of 1915 the sa
looms lost South Ottawa by 265, but
as this section of the city is not in
cluded in the Ottawa township fight
ii was not permitted to participate
in Tuesdays conflict
Contrary to general expectations
there was fairly large vote gotter
out during the day. 1t was predicted
early In the afternoon that interes
was not showing itself in a manaci
that 1t should, and for this reason
there would be light turnout. Whel
the totals were compiled, however
the results show much more than tn
average interest in town election
and that 1866 women and 2l32 mel
had exercised their right of franchls
during the day, The total number o
voting was 369s.