Mexico weekly ledger., 1918-10-17

4
erty in the state at go million dollars.
More Than Half in st. Louis.
Meantime, the number Of saloons is
decreasing all over the State. The
number has dropped in st. Louis,
where more than half of the saloons
are located, to about seventeen hun
dred. The excise commissioner says
that at least two hundred more sa-
looms will go out of business before
the close Of the year, and after that
they will diminish more rapidly.
Twice constitutional prohibition has
been submitted to the voters Of Mis-
souri, and it was defeated each time.
The first election was in 1910. Pro-
hibitiOn was defeated then by a ma
jority of 21S,127. Of this majority |
St. Louis supplied 116,Os9; Jackson |
county and Kansas City 21,497 and
Buchanan county $3.50, a total Of |
155,946.
The second election occurred in
1916. Prohibition was defeated by a
majority of 122,53S, a loss to the
vets of $3.50 votes. At the last
election Jackson county switched
from wet to dry and gave prohibition
a lead of 3,946 votes. st. Louis re-
mained loyal to the liquor interests,
or at least the returns indicated as
much, for the city returned ma
jority of 1851 against prohibition,
gain over the vote of 1910 of H.
442.
! Only 10 Wet Counties.
At the first election only twenty
eight counties in the state voted for
prohibition. Eighty-six counties and
the city of st. Louis voted wet. In
1916 the number of dry counties
reached seventy-one, while but forty
three and the city of st. Louis voted
wet; twenty-four Of the counties that
rejected prohibition in 1916 are dry
today. Here they ale. Andrew, Ben
g ton, Bollinger, Boone, Galloway, Car
ter, Clark, Crawford, Dent, Iron
: Knox, Lawrence, Lincoln, Maries
: Miller, Moniteau, Montgomery, Nor
gan, Phelps, Reynolds, st. Francois
Saline, Vernon, Washington.
Conditions with reference to tn
z sale of liquor in Missouri have chang
f ed very much since the last election
n The government has placed its dis
S approval upon the traffic as a wa
/ measure and public sentiment in tn
e State is believed to have undergon
great change since 1916.
it May Contest Election Now.
,e The last legislature passed tw
re laws regarded as of consequence
the approaching election on the !
quor traffic question. One authors
es the dry organizations to hay
s. challeng rs at the polling places ar
I'd the other. provides for contests il
j. volving the vote cast for and again
er constitutional amendments Follow
,y ing the last election the dry leade
er charged the grossest of frauds we
in Committed in st. Louis to roll up
or enormous vote against prohibitio
in There was no law then under viii
he the ballot boxes could be opened.
In 1910 the dry forces were poor
organized and they were run oV
ruthlessly in the wet localities. II
cd time they are well organized. VIII
90, they opened their campaign last Au
ust they had more than eighty-tl
counties well organized. They had
organization two years ago in
OF Louis, while they now have an
re- ganization in every one of the 4
lza hundred voting precincts of the toy
ng and they will have a challenger at
1er ery voting place in the city. Th'
ion who vote for prohibition in st. Lo
will be asked to make note OF tn
ballot number and the time when u
voted and return these facts to
M s.u ward organizations, so that If II
u" votes are not counted, ground VIII
created for contest and a cha
l. afforded to send some election Gro
,r,s to the penitentiary. Six tempera
LEO LEO organizations are affiliated with
oiI Missouri Anti-Saloou Alliance,
VI all are working together. The d
'ai were never so we'll organized, Il
was leaders say, as they are at this tt
III Dealers Out of Patienle.
- There is much evidence to indi'
the st. Louis brewers have themse
piven up the fight. They have
creased prices so much to the Or
shop keepers the latter are IN
mood for helping them, since
Ill 1.
will have to go out Of business IN
selves by the close Of next Jim
oThe brewers Of St. Louis vii
ont of business millionaires,"
1obn pensa of St. Louis, dram'
keeper and president of the MISS
, Retail Liquor Dealers Associa
owhile we will go out Of business
. pers." ,,,., %
This indicates the feeling OF
Of the dramshOp men, very ley
whom have been making more
: oxnenses for months past. lndlVl'
t " saloon men who have EXPIRE
l themselves say there is nothing Il
business for them any longer an
thew have made fortunes Tor tn'
liouor interests, it is up to the
10 spend some Of their millions
figbt against state prohibition II