The Sentinel=record., 1912-03-21
SCORES WOOD
 ATTITUDE HERE
HIS POLICIES HAVE BEEN OVER. COME THROUGH ExPENpr.
 TURF OF LARGE SUMS.
"J. w." Believes That the Advertis Ing Work Has Offset Wood Poli- cies, Else the City Would
 Be In Bad Way.
Editor sent4nel-Record

Editor Sent4nel-Record:
 have read the long drawn out prosperity" article published tas paid adv.) by the New Era. desig- mated as a campaign boost for J B. Wood, and can only conclude that the writer of it was suffering from a diarrhoea of verbosity and con. stipation of logic
 That there has been some gradual growth in Hot Springs during the past lew years, no one seeks to deny. but We all know that it is not due to the Wood brand of "Refawm' nor to any thing Wood has done, but in spite of them. No artful juggling of figures nor the bare-faced sophistry of at tflbuting what development we have had to the policies pursued by Wood can deceive practical thinking busi- ness men or mechanics.
 The figures employed in that ar ticle are the results of heroic efforts put forth by a plucky people to avert business disaster. The writer omit ted to mention the fact that our citi- zens have put up out of their pock- cts during the past five five years $50.000 to advertise Hot Springs through the medium of the state fair. and that more than twice that sum has been expended in outside adver- tising through the Business Mems league.
 Very little had been spent for pub licity prior to the advent of the past five years of local strife and dissen- sions. But, of course. according to the logic Of this Wood worshiper these and various other community efforts cut no ice in whatever development the city has had. It all comes by the grace and marvellous virtues Of "J. B.
 That sort of soothing syrup will have but little effect on the rank and file of our business men, our professional men and our wage earn CTS who know what their experiences have been and are yet as compared with the time before Wood as lead CT of the extremists inaugurated and has kept up an era of blighting strife and fanatical follies.
 If Hot Springs has, by extraordi-
 nary efforts of her citizens, had some growth in spite of Woodism. no rational man can deny that but for it, and with the same efforts, that growth and development would have
 been ten fold greater.
 When you can count citizens by the score about the city, out of business,
 sad faced and disheartened. Who a few years ago were in business and | prospering g-when you can count
 scores of others battling for life to
 avert bankruptcy, and laboring men | drifting from one short job to seek | another. you know there has been, and is not now, any general local prosperity.
 l It is the spirit of puritanical des- | potism to class all who want to see 1 Wood defeated as being "in league with gamblers, thugs and thieves. | Yet this is the narrow caliber of l the fanatic Many as good people as live in Hot Springs or anywhere
 else believe he is an extremist whose i administr ation is fraulIht with mis- | chief, and, in reality defeats the high
 est aims and purposes Of the law. They are not gamblers, either, nor the patrons of gamblers. They do not want what Wood means by wide open town" They favor law enforce
 ment as it is done in most other cities, in 9 rational dignified, com | nonsense way, having regard, as the l law contemplates. for the general
 public welfare.
 They are tired and dsgusted with l an eternal grandstand play for po- 1 ltical purposes. Give us a change. | l, for one, believe the people are go- l ing to bring about a change on March 1 27, and I believe they have centered l on the honest, broad-gauged GiD Witt as the man through whom to do it.e J. w.