New York Herald, May 3, 1886

LOCAL OPTION IN VIRGINIA.

Moral -- AlcoholAfrican-Americans -- Race relations

A CONTEST SETTLED BY THE AID OF NEGROES AND THE CLERGY.

[BY TELEGRAPH TO THE HERALD.]

Onancock, May 2, 1886. -- The local option contest, which has been raging in the Central district of Accomack county for the past month, ended yesterday in an overwhelming majority for the prohibitionists, who carried every precinct by large majorities. The Baptist and Methodist ministers assumed control of the contest, held meetings in their churches and thus gave the contest the appearance of a religious crusade against vice. The greatest excitement prevailed, here among all classes, and it is thought that but for the cold northeast wind storms which prevailed here all day many of the ladies of this town would have been out at the polls working for prohibition, as was done on Chincoteague Island a week ago.

The negroes, contrary to expectation, voted largely for prohibition. The white ministers of the Baptist and Northern and Southern churches accomplished this result by their assiduous attention to the colored voters, with whom they held meetings and fraternized on familiar terms. Many democrats here fear that the local option campaign now raging in various parts of Virginia will have a tendency to disrupt their party.