The Dry Fight Comes to Stevens County

Tuesday, Nov. 9, the people of Stevens county, residing outside the limits of incorporated towns, will have an opportunity to say whether they want the sale of intoxicating liquors licensed in the county unit.

Stevens county is the first county unit to bring the matter to a vote under the new local option law. Three of the largest towns of the county have already put the saloons out of business, and it is now up to the ranchers to register their judgment on the matter.

There are 30 licensed saloons in the county outside the incorporated towns. Not one of these saloons has any regulation by municipal authorities, and dealing with them has cost the county more than those in the towns where local restrictions and police regulations have handled them in better shape.

C. B. Kegley, master of the Washington State Grange, has sent the following message to the ranchers of Stevens county: “The work of the saloon in the past, and more especially in the late lamented extra session of the legislature, should be enough to cause every patron to register a vow that the campaign should never close until the saloon is driven from the state. This is our opportunity. Let us make the best of it.”

On Tuesday the town of Camas, Lewis county, was voted dry, but Vancouver elected to stay in the ranks of the wets.

No news has been received as yet regarding the disposition of the case of the saloonmen against the Town of Newport contesting the validity of the local option election. The matter was scheduled to come up at Colville early this week but nothing has been heard from there regarding it.