The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1918-01-18
WESTERN LEAGUE DISTRICT SURVEY
SHOWS ADVANCE OF PROHIBITION
Only Three Counties Have Saloons One of These Expected
to Go Dry Soon
TOWNS PROSPER WITH SALOONS CLOSED
Business Men Who Voted Wet Praise the Good Results Of Prob
SUNDAY CLOSING BENEFITS PEORIA

The following article by G. W.
James describes the wet and dry situ-
alton in his territory:
The Western District is composed
of the following 10 counties; Bureau,
Fulton, Henderson, Henry, Knox,
Mercer, Peoria, Rock Island, Stark,
and Warren.
-Four years ago nine Of these coun-
ties were wet; now Bureau, Peoria
and Rock Island are the only wet
counties in the district; while Prince
ton, the county seat of Bureau county,
is one of the dricst cities in the state.
Three and half years ago about p
wet cities and towns came into the
dry column, including such cities as
Galesburg, Kewanee, Canton, Mon
mouth, Geneseo, Keithsburg, Elm
wood and Pennington. In the spring
of 1910 the liquor forces made desper-
ate efforts to win back territory they
had lost two years before. They filed
petitions and brought on vote in Is
towns and cities, but failed to win
back a single place. Our dry forces
not only held the ground formerly
gained, but added Moline, Coal Valley,
Atkinson and Colona to the dry col
umn; thus closing nearly 80 saloons
in one day Last spring Andalusia--
wet town in Rock Island county,
voted dry and several townships in
Bureau and Peoria counties became
Anti-Saloon territory.
Where Saloons Still Remain
In the three wet counties, Bureau
has 113 saloons, distributed as fol-
lows: Arlington 3, Bureau 4, Cherry
II, Dalzell 8, DePue p, Hollowayville
?, Ladd Is, Seatonville 3, Spring Val
ley 45. Peoria county has 80 saloons,
divided between the following places:
Averyville 10, Bartonvile 7, Chilli
cothe o Glasford 3, Kingston Mines
/, Mapleton /, North Chillicothe 2,
Peoria 273, Edwards s, Pottstown 4,
and Peoria Heights 4. Rock Island
coiinty has rs saloons located in the
cities of Rock Island and East Mo
line. Rock Island city has 95 and
East Moline 20.
The dry forces in Rock Island and
East Moline are organizing their
armies, systematizing their work and
gathering ammunition preparatory for
battle in the spring that will place
Rock Island county among the hon
ored saloonless counties.
Rock Island Gets Boozers
Since Davenport and Moline ban
ished their saloons, the thirstiest soaks
have drifted into Rock Island and
poisoned the very atmosphere OF the
city, The saloons have become
lounging places, where character and
habits OF industry are destroyed. The
moral forces of that populous city will
demand the abolition OF such debas-
ing traffic that paralyzes business
and debauchcs public morals.
The churches of Rock Island have
in their membership some OF the FIN
est Christian people God ever made,
and they are fully united against the
rum power.
1t is expected that several towns
in Bureau and Peoria counties will
come out OF wet tribulation in the
spring and free themselves from the
bondage of The open saloon. The
wide-awake people in the Western
District are determined to keep the
liquor traffic on the jump, till event
ually it will jump overheard.
Banks Now Get Earnings
Many patrons OF saloons in such
factory cities as Canton, Moline and
kewanee, who under the wet regime
deposited a large part of their earn
ings in the wet institutions, and who
received as interest, red eyes, foul
breath, befogged mind and ruined
health, now deposit their savings in
banks where the principle is safe and
per cent interest paid.
Merchants and bankers in all dry
cities speak enthusiastically of the
increase in bu iness since the saloons
were closed. Here is what the cash
ier of bank writes two years after
the saloons were driven from the
county: 81 do not know of any town
whose real business has not been inn
proved by the abolition of saloons.