Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 41, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1909 — FIVE MORE COUNTIES JOIN THE DRY LIST [ARTICLE]

FIVE MORE COUNTIES JOIN THE DRY LIST

Thickly Settled Sections Including Large Cities Put Stamp of Disapproval on the Liquor Traffic.

HU 1 '- '—V ■ vl’-S y One hundred and forty-three saloons in five counties will go out Of. business as 4 result of the county option elections held Tuesday, it was the first test in large cities, both Kokomo and Marion being in counites that used the polls to dispose of the rum evil. Of 19 counties that voted on this question in this state up to Tuesday night, all but 1 voted dry, and as 23 counties were dry by remonstrance the total dry counties in this The city of Marion voted dry and the city of Kokomo went wet by only a small margin. The temperance vote in the country was sufficient to make all counties dry. The vote in the cities was very encouraging to the temperance people, and leads them to believe that practically every county in the statp can be made dry by diligent campaigning. The success of county option as a means of getting rid of the saloons is now so consclusively proven that no one could contend that the relief could possibly come through the township and ward plan, when the saloon wards in the cities always

vote wet Sincere temperance democrats should appeal to their senators not to repeal the county option law, in order that they may go on record as favoring the advance of temperance. There Is small chance of the repeal any way, but the more democrats that show where they stand the less chance there will be of the repeal. The Republican said following the session which was convened by Governor Hanly that the passing of the county option bill entirely justified the session, and the wiping out of. the saloons would never been accomplished by but the fearlessness of J. Frank Hanly. If his session was the cause, as many claim, of the failure of the republicans to carry Indiana, it was a sacrifice worthy the result. Former Governor Hanly may have faults and we may freely criticise him for them, but to him alone belongs the credit of the enactment of the county option bill, the beneficient effects of which should Immortalize the name of Hanly and cause the good people of the state to declare that the county option law shall never be withdrawn from the statute books of Indiana.