Scioto County Goes Wet
Article taken from The Mansfield News, October 27, 1911
In Portsmouth the Business Men's League Macked Campaign and Openly Promises to Regulate the Liquor Traffic--Home Precincts of Judge Blair and George D. Selby, Both Ardent Anti-Saloonists, Return Heavy Liquor Majorities.
Portsmouth, O., Oct.27-- By the overwhelming majority of 1,274, Scioto country, which three years ago went dry by 231, became wet again. Portmouth was carried by the wets by 1, 425, as against 141 in 1908. The drys won in only six of the 23 precincts. Eighteen out of the 25 county precincts gave a dry majority of 151 against 372 in 1908.
The home precincts of Judge A. Z. Blair and George D. Selby, vice president of the Anti-Saloon league, both regarded as dry strongholds, went wet by decisive majorities. The wets cast 1,109 more voted in the city than in 1908 and the drys 185 less.
The Business Men's league, which successfully backed the wet campaign, openly promises to keep its organization intact to regulate the liquor traffic.
The campaign has been spectacular, with Judge Blair and Rev. Billy Sunday talking active part in all parts of the county.
Minor clashes were reported from some of the polling places, but no serious disorder marked the election. The wets celebrated their victory with a street parade.
Article taken from The Mansfield News, October 30, 1911
The overwhelming defeat of the drys on Thursday in Scioto and Lawrence counties, both of which went dry three years ago, ought to be a lesson to prohibitionists that public sentiment in Ohio is reacting. The experiment in too many counties has proven a failure, there is no use in denying the truth, that is testimony of thousands of reputable citizens who personally are opposed to liquor selling and would be glad to see saloons removed. The charge in the votes of these two counties is as significant as it was unexpected. Three years ago Ironton, the county seat of Lawrence, went dry by 57 majority. It gave a wet majority Thursday of 836. Here is a change of nearly 1,800 votes. Portsmouth, the county seat of Scioto made, made quite as great a reversal, for three years ago it went wet only 141, now it gives a majority of 1,425. Business men's organizations in trail finally took a band, as they are going to do in other counties which are to vote this fall. They made a conditions with which these counties have been afflicted, as opposed to license saloons, and promised the people that if the counties went wet they would be equally active in putting the saloons under rigid regulating the saloons under rigid regulation. Judge Blair's own precinct in Portsmouth went wet and the dry vote in all the county districts of both counties fell off unexpectedly. The result of these two elections ought to serve as a notice to candidates for the constitutional convention that the people are tired of out a of their hands the right to license and regulate the sale of liquor.
Liberal With Their Coin
Portsmouth, O., Nov. 7.-- The wets and drys filed accounts of their expenses in the recent local option election, as required under the Kimble corrupt practices act. The Wets spent $19, 187.07 and the drys $11,773.38.