The Sentinel=record., 1914-01-16
BASIS OF CONTENTION OF THE LICENSE PETITIONERS TAKEN
 FROM CENSUS.
NOW 4l78 NAMES 0N PETITION
Case Is Adjourned Until This Morn ing to Give Attorneys an opportun- ity to Enter Into Stipulation to Shorten the Proceedings.

That there are 6,615 white adult citizens of Hot Springs a. this time is the estimate offered in county court, where the matter of passing on +he petitions for saloon licenses was again shifted yesterday morning when Judge Gotham ruled a dissolution of the temporary writ of prohibition that he had formerly granted to attorneys for he prohibitionists.
 A. T. Davies, who was on the stand for the petitioners, and who was sec. retary to the citizens committee which produced the petitions, stated that there were a. present on the petitions 4,17S names. He had taken there from all the names that had been sub mitted for withdrawal up to the time the petition had been filed.
 MT. Davies, testifying from the gov ernment census repor. of 1910, stated that the total male population of Hot Springs was 7429; the female popu- lation was 7,005: the white male pop- ulation was 5,56S, and the white fe- male population was 4,S91. Of vot- ing age the white males were 3,994. and on an estimate, the adult white women, past the age of IS years, was 2,621.
 Under this estimate the adult white population is 6,615, and thereby. should this be accepted by the county court as the figure from which the petitions shall be gauged, there must be at least 3,30S names on the peti- tion when it has passed the scrutiny of the court.
 The census of 1910 of course is some time back, and there will be taken into consideration the growth of the city, if it has grown. This will be point of contention. Attorneys Davies and Davies. for the petition CTS, claim that the removal of gam bling from the city and the big fire, have more than offset what might be expected as normal advance, and they contend that the white adult population is not what it was in 1910. l
 Of course the opposition will be heard later on this subject of the pop ulation This side will contend that l Hot Springs is a city of about 20G00 | total population, and that the esti | mate should he made from this gen eral figure, after reductions are made | for minors and negroes and others | from singing the petition. |
 We submit that the matter of the | population of the city is a matter of proof" said Judge Sumpter, and we will ask and demand that we be per mitted to present evidence along this | line"
 The next phase of the case was talk ing up the challenged names on the petitions. After devoting much time to this subject but II names had been challenged, and then no proof offered as to their disposition. The task was proving tedious, and it was evident that with something like 2,500 names to be gone through with, the Job would last all summer.
 After the noon recess of court NIT. Mcconnell, of counsel for the prohi- | bitionists, suggested that the court adjourn until 10 o'clock this morn ing to give the attorneys an oppor- tunity to try to agree on stipula- ton that would save time in the prog ress of the case He set forth tha- they might be able to agree to a number of things, which would thus help facilitate the work. After Judge Mooney granted the attorneys half an hour to hold a conference on Inc sub feet, both sides report that they be- lieved they could make progress by spending the remainder of the after noon in conference and could agree on stipulations. It was agreed that both sides would furnish stipulation, and shat both would be submitted to the court this morning.
 In sending the authority of passing on the petitions back to the county court after having taken 1t up on a writ of prohibition applied for by Judge Sumpter, Circui: Judge Gotham covered the case in detail. He said that he wanted to make it plain that:
 This is not a decision on the case of it's merits.
 "This is not a decision of the case on the petitions.
 This is not decision of the con stitutionality of the Going law. under which the court is acting.
 "Inl brief. it is merely decision