LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: GAMING WILL SPELL TROUBLE

To the Editor:

As one of the oldest ministers in Cape Girardeau, who is still active in the work of the Lord, I would like to bear my heart and speak out concerning riverboat gambling.

I came to Cape in August 1938 to a poorly built basement church on Park and Merriwether Streets. My salary was $15 a week and the cheap parsonage was full of termites. That was 55 years ago. Today I am closing my 85th year of life, so I shall speak as one that has work to build the city of Cape Girardeau.

I am sick and tired and broken hearted that we have allowed the Boyd Group from Las Vegas to come to Cape with their bags of money to buy our city, the banks of our river, our downtown and the soul of our people. All they talk about is money, money, money. We don't need them and all the serious problems they will cause our city. They are ashamed to tell the truth.

Thank God there are still thousands of honest, God-loving souls in Cape that will not sell out and will vote "no" on Nov. 2.

From God's word: "For the love of money is the root of all evil."

In all our large cities there are evil men that operate a business known as "contract killing." They kill for a price and care not where they will spend eternity.

"America is in trouble," Dr. Billy Graham recently wrote. "If America doesn't have a true spirit-filled revival soon it is on its way to Hell."

As a minister of the gospel for 61 years and I have been a true born-again, spirit-filled Christian for over 77 years, I must say, "The churches are mostly to blame for the sinful condition of our nation.. Compromise is the trend of all churches and money is more important than the salvation of souls. In Cape we have three empty church buildings. They went under because they had nothing to offer a needy world."

I doubt the spiritual status of any man that would grace the pulpit and yet be for sin and gambling. Some ministers I know must have a backbone made of a wet cotton string. They stand for nothing and will fill for anything. Thank God we do have some faithful ministers that are crying out from their pulpits against riverboat gambling.

If riverboat gambling is voted in, within five years we will have many more on our police force. There will be hundreds of prostitutes, crime, murders, dope, drunkenness will soar and the downtown will be the hellhole of the city.

The Rev. C.E. Fleshman

Cape Girardeau