The Forrest City times., 1912-09-06
Attacks Statewide Prohibition in Sermon and Recites
 Experiences.
RESIGNATION IS FORGED
Deacon Shakes Fist in Face of Pastor Who Finishes Sermon, Then
 Resigns.

Argenta.-Rev. K. R. Durham, pas tor of the First Baptist church of this city, precipitated an exciting scene Sunday night when in the course of his sermon he scored statewide pro- hibition, defending the principle of local option. The pastor had devoted an hour and half to his subject, re. citing experiences and arguing that prohibition would 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, 23:21, For drunkard and glutton shall come to poverty The sermon was in part as follows:
 II am going to talk to you tonight on the subject of statewide prohibi. tion. I have been asked to state my views on this subject, and am going to do so. l have a message to deliver to you tonight on this subject that I 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 1t will help the churches to obtain more members and awaken renewed interest in religious work, that it will be the greatest bless ing to the churches that could hap pen. I 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 ditions as if the state were completely dry.
 T have spent quite number of years in Kansas and Oklahoma and know exactly the conditions which ex. ist there, where everything is SUD- posed to be dry. I was engaged in newspaper work in those states and know what I am talking about. Okla Of you know. Go at the present time into any first class city in Oklahoma, and If you are stranger, without any baggage. you will be at once regard cd with suspicious glances. You will be followed everywhere. in your busi. ness, to your hotel. What for? On suspicion that you are 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, is a sam pie of the larger towns in Oklahoma today
 q have stood in saloons frcm Buff falo to Phoenix, Ariz,. and have wit messed more disgusting scenes in Okla homa than anywhere else in the coun- try. All these things l am describing are occurring under statewide prohi- bition. In Wichita, Kan, another dry state, I have been in houses in the residence district. where 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. bition In Oklahoma Is the great and increasing burden of taxation, which the peopls of that state are staggering under. Wien a person becomes a tax payer, he is surprised to find how many taxes are levied. road taxes. chool taxes, improvement taxes, etc. and 1t keeps the people poor paying them,
 Prohibition in Oklahoma represents politics rather than the wishes of the people as a rule. In fact there are many people in Kansas who would prefer the open sale of liquor than things as they now exist in that state Should statewide carry Arkansas, the game conditions I have describal would exist here as well.
 Now. between the two evils of an open saloon or statewide. I prefer to have that which can see and know something about, rather than to know that here and there, on streets, up alleys. in cellars and many other places, there are to be found men and women debased and degraded. l pr6 fer the open saloon, under the license system, operated by local option, by which it can be rightly handled ans regulated.