Whiskey's Reign of Terror Ended

The county elections in the spring of 1881 were about as exciting as watching paint dry, and nearly as quiet—there being so little hard feeling among the candidates that one might have supposed they were all running on the same ticket. However, the anti-saloon license issue was heavily contested in each of the county’s towns. Bridgeport’s vote against taverns was carried by a large majority and the people in Sumner voted the same. The village election in St Francisville, where saloons had flourished with a thriving trade for fat least five years, resulted in a victory for the temperance ticket by a majority of eleven votes. Russellville also went strongly for anti-licenses. Thus, it appeared that Lawrence County would enjoy a full year without a saloon—an arrangement which would doubtless be pronounced a public blessing by some and a private calamity by others.