The Harrison times., 1912-09-07
Attacks Statewide Prohibition
In Sermon and ReClteS
Experiences.
RESIGNATION Is FORCE D
Deacon Shakes Fist In Face OF Pastor
Who Finishes Sermon, Then
Resigns.

tor Of the First Baptist church OF THIS
city, preciptated an exciting scene
Sunday night when in the course OF
his sermon he scored statewide pro.
hibition, defending the principle OK
local option. The pastor had devoted
an hour and half to his subject, re-
citing experiences and arguing that
prohibition you'd be curse to the
state, when Deacon George NJ, Wood
al arose, and walking toward the pull
pit, shook his fist In the pastors face
and demanded his resignation, which
Rev. Durham Immediately rendered.
The pastor took his text from Prov
erbs, 1921, For drunkard and
glutton shall come to poverty" The
sermon was In part as follows;
81 am going to talk to you tonight
on the subject Of statewide prohibi'
ton. | have been asked to state my
views on this subject, and ! am going
.I |
to you tonight on this subject that |
did not learn from books, but from
hard, practical experience,
"Our temperance friends come to us
and say to the people OF Arkansas
and say we must have statewide pro
hibition. They say It will help the
churches TO obtain more members and
awaken renewed interest in religious
work, that II will be the greatest bless
Ing 10 the churches that could hap
pen, | don't agree with my friends In
this matter, The churches can do as
well and do Just as good religious
work under the present existing con
dltlons as II the state we're completely
dry,
II have spent quite n number OF
years In Kansas and Oklahoma and
know exactly the conditions which eI'
lot there, where everything 10 sup
posed to be dry. was engaged In
newspaper work In those states and
know what | am talking about, Okla
homa Is supposed to be dry, as many
OF you know. Go at the present time
into any first class city In oklahoma,
and II you are stranger, without any
baggage, you will be at once regard
cd with suspicious glances, You VIII
be followed everywhere In your bust
ness, to your hotel What forY On
suspicion that you are a bootlegger,
United states marshals, deputies, To-
cal secret service agents and others
will be continually on your track,
"They carry pistols In their hip
pockets and follow the stranger every
where That my, friends, Ia q sam
pie OF the larger towns in Oklahoma
today,
oI have stood In saloons from Buf'
fRlo to Phoenix, ArIZr and have wit
hesed more disgusting scenes In Okla
homa than anywhere else In the eoun'
try An these things am describing
are occurring under statewide prohI'
kItIon, In Wichita, Kan, another dry
state, | have been In houses In the
residence district whore women and
children witness daily the Illegal sale
Of beer and whiskey all over the two
states,
Talks Of Taxation,
Another result Of statewide prohI'
billion In oklahoma Ia the great ana
Increasing burden Of taxation, which
the people Of that state are Staggering
under when person becomes tax
payer ne II surprised to find how
many tNyeR are levied, roOd taxes,
school taxes, improvement taSea, etc.
and It keeps the rooplo poor paying
them,
prohibition IN Oklahoma represents
politics rather than the Wishes Of the
people M n rule, In fact there are
many people In Kansas who would
pFefor the open sale OF liQuor than
thIngs AZ they now exist In that state,
Should statewide carry Arkhhhae, the
same conditions I have described
would exist here aB we'll
Now, between the two evils Of nm
open saloon or statewide ! prefer 20
have that which ! can SOC and know
something about, rather Than TO know
that hero and there, on streets up
alleys, In cellars and many olhet
places there are 10 be found men ana
women debaeed and degraded, pro-
fer The open saloon, under the license
aystem, operated by local option, by
which II can be rightly handled and
regulated
Talks Of Public Sentiment,
~ have been In MemphIs and other
pertions OF TehheFse and know from
personal observation that the enforce
msht Of the law is farce there, In
the large cities the sentiment OF the
people IL against such enforce
ment"
The pastor said he feared statewide
prohibition would carry IN Arkansas,
and that tho conditions he had out
lined would come TO pabs In all the
~s, ccunue. Of tho state and perhAps