The Forrest City times., 1900-05-11

we pcnned the above 10 provoke a
discussion of the license question.
We had no such desire and moth
ing was further from our thoughts,
because we had long since believed
that our readers generally under
stood our views upon this ques-
ton, and we think we know the
voters we'll enough alter living
among them for fourteen years to
say that We had no NERVOUS hand"
when we wrote ave do not think
tn ere is any likelihood of losing the
saloon revenue" and, on the ether
hand, there was nothing in that
item 20 create the impression even
upon Mr.. Davidson that we are I'M
aware of the great evil of whisky
drinking, of It's awful curse to
many homes, of the crimes that are
committed while under the infiu.
ence of liquor, or of the immense
expense these crimes are TO the
county. But while we admit
these and deprecate them, we deny
that the presence of the open sa-
loon is responsible for them, and
we deny that they have been
greater under the reign of license
than they were under the reign of
local option. Take ten years from
1879 to 1890 and compare the costs
of all criminal prosecutions in the
circuit court, with the costs for the
same during the years from 1889
to 1900, the former covering pc
riod when local option was at lis
height and the latter period when
the people, by expert ence, had
learned that it was preferable to
have the saloon and its revenue
than all the evils and none Of the
benefits, and we will probably find
that there is balance in favor of
the saloon period, leaving out of
the calculation, the expense Of thc
white cap cases.
Rev. Davidson has not been a
citizen of Forrest City quite two
years, and therefore it is not SUR
prising that he should say, without
giving the matter thorough inves-
tigation, that if it had not been for
whisky we would have a city hall,
and there would be no necessity to
consider the ways and means OF re-
building. When the writer came
TO Forrest City the only city
building consisted of an old dilap-
idated. filthy and dlsgraceiul one
room plank building, situated in
the rear of our present quarters,
and which was dignifed by the
name of calaboose. Had it not
been for the revenue from license,
the probability is that the town
would still be using the same
building or similar one for the
incarceration of its prisoners.
Helped by saloon revenue, to say
the least, the town hall was built.
We might follow the example of
Rev. Davidson and couch this ar
ticle in telling, sarcastic terms, and
we might stop to reply to the very
studied sarcasm which he saw fit
to launch at the editor Of THE
TINES, but we have long since
learned by association with the
best newspaper men and societies
of this nation, that there is abso-
lutely no profit in personal jour
nalism, and that that sort of argu.
ment proves absolutely nothing.
Therefore we shall not notIce Rev.
Davidson's efforts along this line,
and this disposes of the major por-
ton Of his argument.
To take out of his article other
subjects which are not german TO
the question under discussion, VIZ:
The calamity that would result to
Forrest City should license be
voted out, on account of the de-
creased revenues" we will not
challenge any of that part Of his
article which sets up the evils OF
whisky drinking. We do not pre-,
tend to say, and never have, that
it is a good thing to drink whisky.