The Forrest City times., 1900-05-04

Wes unto him Shat Givsth bic ssighbsr drink, that pustsst thy bottls ts him. and mskest him dxuaksp also. that thou mayst iesk on uAeir asksdness. .sss Tks cup of the Lords right hand shsli bs turned unto tl,ss and shameful spswing shall bs O thy glory" (Sss Hsbakak II: s-l7.) appeal here ts al profssssd christians and among them the editor of TIE TINEs.
 But facts are sgsirut him. his argu. nent will nst iDid, ehs ''cslanity" is only saeeied one. Mark you. Ia this ''estimats" no account whatever is taken of the cost of the saloons ts the town and county, asd humanity at large. It has been repeatedly demon. strated that the liquor trxflic destroys far moro wealth than 1t creates. The official report of Carroll ID. Wright in the United States employ shows the ratio to b. 8 to ?. But tlis conpaIison includes tue manufacture of liquor. In the saloon businsss there is not the creation ef single vaius, aud there is not even claimed fer it any thing bs. ysnd ths concentration of money in . eo0nunity. Bat this is an . dsiusioR, and business men have mxds the dis. covery.
 l beard . 6no business man say: "Ths saioOa does not improve businsss. 1t simply creates excitement. 1t gets all the money, there is nothing in it." The saloon cost our own little city last year not less than $l20o in single instance, and the lives of at least six human bsings, and yet for xll this and other untold expense and evil. the sa- Icons yielded . revenue of only $36O0 to the town. lf ws had to pay damages for the injury our saloons have done hunxnity alone it would indeed "in. volvs the city in endisss dsbt." We never could pay 1t.
 But if the three saloons in Forrset City could and were doing for her what is here claimed for them, can't any man ses xt . glance tlist from xll the splsn- did business establishments in this place with the numerous small ones, and the fine property in the town, to. gethsr with other available hslp--cah't he see, l say. that from all thexs sour. ces of revenue can bs drawn sufficient funds to run this town quite xs we'll M what 1t is? You might as we'll try to persuade the stars to leave their places tn tho sky as to win tl,oughtful msu with such arguments as these.
 How is it that other towns are run without saloonsS Many large and pro. gressive towns in this and other states are running, and some of them far out strip our own, without this coveted revenue from the liquor traffic. The little city ef Arkxdelphia with her 5000 or more inhabitxntS has not had ' saloon for fifteen yeau. aud yet she has had . steady and snvisbls advance. msnt. She has better electric lght plant thsn Forrest City, finer system Of watsrwork:, better streets and side. walks, but . poorer country ts sustain her.
 could mention others, but this one serves to demonstrate the above esti- mate to be false and misleading, aud all our brothers fear and trsnbling tc be over only an imaginary calamity.
 Then when the ballot has announced the succsss 0f our cause. and rgnPER- ANCE has sent up the shout of victory. let no dread famine srown upon us and howl calamity" in our ssfs. The proud little city of ''Old Forrest" will mark the svsnt among her brxvsst bat. ties and her neblsst victories. and her heart will swell with ' noblsr priSs as she goes forth in honor Of confedsr ate hero who never knew what It wss to bs conquered by the most invstsrxte ( toe. Yes, the saloons with their horde of evils trOspinR after them, must 70. treat with the old year; and % tho bright morning of the twentieth cen. turv dAwns upou the world the proud "4O0." the royal "MsRnoiia," and the beautiful Pearl" will be fsund greet. ing vou. your wives and your children to a business moro worthy of these bsausi' ful nainss, and moro worthy of the men who bssr them.
 W. C. DAVIDSON.