The Drys Won Newport. Then They Built a Machine to Keep It.
A new Municipal League aims to protect the local-option victory—and the city hires counsel as opponents challenge the election in court.
The men who have been interested in the recent local option campaign met at the M. E. church Monday evening and organized the Newport Municipal League. The object of this organization, which is to be permanent, is to perpetuate the work thus far accomplished and to help in every way to make the results of the recent election beneficial to the city. The league also plans to do all it can to help the Commercial Club in boosting for the city. The league also plans to do all it can to gather the majority of the dry voters into the body and make it effective in future service.
Town Clerk Britton and Rev. Margetts went to Spokane today to retain an attorney to represent the city in the suit brought to contest the validity of the local option election.
“The object of this organization, which is to be permanent, is to perpetuate the work thus far accomplished and to help in every way to make the results of the recent election beneficial to the city.”
In 1909, local option was a town-by-town dry experiment years before Washington went statewide dry in 1916. The fight over whether the election would stand—and how organized dry voters would stay—is a reminder that ballot measures are often just the beginning of a longer civic contest.
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