The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1926-03-23

cities, the largest being Winston
Salem, N. c.. with a population of
$4,000. They gained pluralities in
thirty more. But in seventy-nine
cities of less than $4,000 population
the prohibition vote was exceeded
either by the modification vote or
the vop for straight repeal.
Interest Great
3. Interest was great throughout
the country. The prohibitionists
voted, despite oft-repeated assertions
to the contrary. The fact that they
scored majorities in so cities and
plurahties in 80 more is proof of it.
4. Only two States turned in pro
hibition majorities - Kansas and
South Carolina. In six others the
drys had pluraIties, but not ma
Observation-Disclosures, Kentucky, Maine,
North Carolina, Oklahoma and West
Virginia. In Arizona, Florida,
Georgia, Michigan. Tennessee and
Texas the wet majority was two to
one or less. In all other States the
wet majority was greater than two
to one.
Small Towns Vote
s. Tho small cities and towns,
supposed homes OF prohibition
strength, generally voted heavier, In
proportion to population, than the
big cities In scores of cases the
vote cast was as heavy as at a reg
ular election
New York State cast the heav-
lest vote-not far from 300, 000-and
California, Colorado, Indiana, Ohio
and Pennsylvania cast well over
100000 votes each.
g. The figures indicate that there
has been, during the past four years
a definite trend IN sentiment toward
modification of the prohibition law
This is borne out by comparison Of
the present figures with those gained
by the Literary Digest in its poll of
1922, when upwards Of 50 per cent
of a total vote of 922- 1888 favored re
tention of strict prohibiion3 repeal
scored only POS per cent, and modi-
fication got 40,S per cent
Saloon Passe
:. 1t is, on the other hand easily
apparent that the people of this coun-
try do not want the old saloon
brought back The eighteenth amend
ment is in no danger of being re-
pealed~ If an election were held If
is probable that the great majority
OF those who voted for modification
in this poll would vote dry rather
than vote for repeal of the amend
ment. Thirteen States can block re-
peal Of the amendment
It is evident that the chief signif1-
canoe Of the poll lies in the vote
from the towns and smaller cities
The metropolitan centers all voted
wet, but that was expected; they
have always been wet But the
vote from the smaller places is diff
ferent. No one knew Just how they
felt. And, fortunately, most OF the
smaller towns voting in this poll
cast such heavy votes that their
verdicts can justly be said to come
close to representing their actual
small cities makes the NEA poll
the only truly representative one
uI,oov~- nirnrDx-o1
Again, the theory that rural dis
tricts are always dry is disproved-
The majority are, perhaps; but many
editors have sent word that farmers
in their territories voted wet as
strongly as city folk.
Also, it is not quite certain any
more that women can be counted on
to vote en- bloc for prohibition. Many
editors kept track of the women's
votes; in the majority Of cases the
women voted as the men did, with
possibly more Of a dry trend
Here, then, are the final figures
It is for the reader to take the re-
turns in this, the largest newspaper
referendum ever held in America,
and decide for himself their true
meaning And, in making up his
mind, he may rest assured that each
vote cast represents one citizen; that
the poll was conducted in absolute
fairness and with all the accuracy
possible. and that neither MA Sery-
ice, which began 1t, nor the S26 news
\
had any Interior motive in conduct