Jasper County Democrat, Volume 8, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 September 1905 — LACKED BUT TWO. [ARTICLE]

LACKED BUT TWO.

Saloon Applicants Given a Close Finish Race. TWO NAMES SHORT OF A MAJORITY Next Hitch Will Be Successful, and In a Year's Time There Will Be No Saloons In Rensselaer.* Those having charge of the remonstrance against the licensing of the liquor traffic in Rensselaer mado a “whirlwind finish” last Friday night, and but for the heavy wind and rain storm that came up about 11 o’clock, which compelled them to seek shelter, would, possibly, .have succeeded in securing the nbcessary names to have made Rensselaer a “dry” town for two years to come, at least. As it was, they gave up the fight at 11:30 p. m., and went to their homes’ but two names short of the required number. Wm. Pierce and George Platt, two of the four who had withdrawn their names, were induced to re-sign. The reasons for defeat are numerous. Under the old law it was necessary to secure only a majority of the votes cast for the bead of the ticket, which would have been 85, but now it is necessary to have a majority of the votes cast for the highest candidate on the ticket, which would be 97, and several who had declined to vote for the head of the ticket in the last city election in order to cut down the number of votes necessary to successfully remonstrate, found that that their efforts in that line were unavailing. Added to this was the fact that the ward was filled at the time of the election and therefore a full vote was polled, while at the time this remonstrance was circulated: there were several vacant houses and numerous removals and additions where the new arrivals bad not resided in the ward long enough to entitle them to a vote. There were also some residents of the ward who had promised to sign if their names were needed at the last who declined to do so, and a few who had promised were out of the oity when the time came to get their names. The great number of signers, however, was a surprise to most everyone, and the temperance people feel elated even though they are temporarilly defeated, for they are assured of an easy victory next time, and it is safe to predict that in another twelve months there will not be a saloon in Rensselaer.