Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1907-07-14
Selection Was Unanimous $ After a Number of Ballots Yesterday Morning State House Crowded.
WAS THE LARGEST BID
Selection Depends Upon Arrangements by Conway for Lights, Water and a SeWer-Number of Points En. tered into Il Lively Contest.

got the State Normal school. This
 statement made by Prof. J. I. Dovne
 superintenent of public instruction,
 and president of the State Normal
 school board directly after the ad- Journment of the board at noon today.
 settled the contest which has been
 waged since June z, when the board met and organized, for the purpose O. selecting a site for the school and fos other purposes. At a called meeting
 on June 24, the board received bids from various places, taking uo all forenoon in hearing the presen- tatlons of the claims Of the various towns. Ill the afternoon of the same day the board started On a trip of
 inspection, which included all the towns on the railroad, and it was then announced that the board would meet today, to act finally upon the proposi tions offered. There were four bids so close together that it was hard indeed to forecast the action of the board. Benton offered s50,000 cash, with any one of three lots of land. Fort Smith offered the same amount of cash, and 20 acres of land to be se- lected from any of three lots, Rus sellvile offered s36.000 and all the land needed, while Quitman offere ] the Quitman College and any needed amount of land. Conway's bid was $51,753, and any one of a number of tracts. This morning the board got together to discuss the bids and final- ly act upon the matter. After num- Der of ballots, during which each of the towns received some votes, the board voted solidly for Conway. Then it was announced that the school will go to that point.
 This selection is dependent, how ever, upon arrangements to be made by the city of Conway, with refer ence to furnishing the school with water, lights and a sewer. The board will go there the early part of the week to discuss the matter with the citizens, and there is no doubt that these arrangements can be made sat isfactory to the board.
 The contest just ended was one Of friendly rivalry. Each town desiring the school presented it's claims to the board. and when it's members ap- peared upon the scene the advan- tages and opportunities were exhib- ited in the best possible manner. Members of the board were shown every courtesy possible to enable them to arrive at fair and impar- tial adiudication of the matter, and each realized the responsibility upon his shoulders, and that norma! school is not located in Arkansas every week in the year. The cities desiring the school each maintained enthusiastic and energetic boosters clubs. and the members of these or put forward the merits Of it's respective town until the last moment, and those which failed to get the school are not through boost ing, and never will be.
 Representative of other cities were quick to congratulate Hon. George w. Donaghey, the leader of the dele- gation from Conway, upon the victory won.
 The board assembled this morning at 10 o'clock with every member in his place. President Doyne was pre- siding and Secretary Torreyson was at the desk. The matter was gone over and the balloting begun. Each town received votes until after five
 ..o's had been taken, when it was Ccnat eaat general sentiment favored ,ot " ~ and on the succeeding bal
 - entire membership of the