Chapter 18

HOW CHICAGO BREWERS HAVE TRIED TO PREVENT A "DRY" VOTE

In Chicago, heretofore considered by the brewers one of their greatest strongholds, in order to enable the people to vote whether the city shall remain "wet" or become "dry," the law requires the filing of a petition with a certain number of signatures, but the brewers opposed even the right of the people to vote upon this important question and in glaring advertisements boldly advised them to withhold their signatures.

Attempts were also made to intimidate the circulators of the petitions by threatening them with prosecution for perjury unless they personally knew that all the signers were registered voters.

In spite of these methods, 148,802 signatures were obtained, 42,302 more than the 106,500 names required under the law.

Attempts made by politicians to defer the election for a year on the plea of "economy" were also unsuccessful. In many quarters same was branded as another ruse on the part of the brewers to prevent a "dry" vote.

"_The beer traffic does not recognize the sanctity of the home_"