The Forrest City times., 1900-05-11

be so time and again. That 1t does
not prohibit. That we have near
ly if not quite every evil of whisky
drinking just the same under the
no license term that we have when
the sale of whisky is licensed, and
that we get no revenue from it,anG
its sale is not regulated as it should
be and is when license is issued,
and that therefore having TO bear
the evils of whisky drinking any
way, we should license the saloon
and thus receive the only benefit
which it is possible TO get from its
consumption.
The fact that two or more lives
were lost in Forrest City last year
as result of whisky drinking or
that the town lost $1,000 building
from the same cause, does not ia
anywlse prove that the open sa-
loon is responsible for it. 1t might
have occurred just the same under
local option, and if we were to be-
lieve the doctrine that "what is to
be will be" or predestination, etc,
then we could safely assert that it
would have been under any cir
eumstanees.
We deny that voting out license
will be a victory of the temperance
cause. Temperance" does not ap.
ply to whisky selling. 1t applys
to whisky drinking, and those
who drink whisky will drink just
as much, in many cases more, when
they have the handy jug, than they
do now. There are others, who,
when a thing is denied them, will
crave it the more, and thoy too
will have their whisky. If the
mere voting ono license" would
stop whisky drinking, then there
would be no discussion Of this
question. We, too, would vote
against license. But it wont, it
cannot, it never has and it never
will, and the evil will go on to tn
end of the world, and men will be
talking and writing about 1t thous.
ands of years from now, and the
end will never be. So this dis
cussion is proftless.
We deny that the saloons have
caused the Gloss of life" referred
to by Mr.. Davidson. Whisky drink
ing may have done so, and NIGH
have done so without the saloor
being present.
1t is all very we'll to ask in re
ferring to the scrip question, "bur
is this estimate true? and leave
the reader to think it out for him
self, intimating that 1t is or may
not be true, but offering no testi
mony to the contrary. If Rev
Davidson had taken the trouble &c
investigate, he could easily hav,
learned that all the revenue that
comes from the splendid business
establishments in this place, witt
the numerous small ones, and The
fine property in the town, togethe 1
with other available help, amounts
to less than three thousand dollars
per annum, and that the average
allowances Of the city council ar'
about $500 per month, and tina
therefore deficit so great woulC
soon be created that there is little
reason TO believe otherwise thar
lH~I INV tSliihatO VI LNu GCH
scrip is not overdrawn and woulC
be the result 1t is a wcll-knowl
fact that as soon as deficit is il
sight, scrip begins TO go down, an'
falls rapidly when the deficit il
shown, and its purchasing powe
is decreased accordingly, so tina
what the city now receives 70
$500 she could not buy with he
deprecated scrip for five times fv
hundred dollars.
We do not know whether or no
a maj ority OF the patronage of The
saloon is furnished by those VIII
live outside the city, and we doub
whether Mr.. Davidson kno VS., bu
without accusing him of being in
cipoara ar aourfipO ia -ar will h