The Forrest City times., 1912-02-23
WILL ST. FRANCIS
 BE REPRESENTED?
Wants St. Francis County Citizens to Attend Mass Convention to he Held in Memphis, Feb-
 ruary 27.

been received by various citizens of Forrest City, and St Francis county, 1 relative 10 mass convention to be held at the Business Mems Cut Building in Memphis on February 27, to consider methods of securing federal legislation looking to the pro vision of adequate interurban and wagon way facilities on the proposed new bridge to be built across the Mississippi river at Memphis. It is to be hoped that St. Francis county and Forrest City will send large and representative delegation to the Bluf City, as the matter to be discussed is one that is of vital import to the people of the whole of Eastern Arkan. cas- The letter is self-explanatory and is as follows:
 Marion, Ark, Feb. lGth, 1912. | MT. Arthur D. Boyle,
 Forrest City, Ark.
 Dear Sr;-We the undersigned, a committee appointed by the citizens Of CrittendOn county, and those from Memphis, Tenn, interested in the development of Eastern Arkansas, have decided to call mass eonven- tion to be held on the sixth floor of the Business Mems Club Building, at Memphis, Tenn. on the 27th day of February, 1912, ? p. m. The object of this convention is to secure the ac- tive cooperation of the citizens of Eastern Arkansas, to the end that if new bridge is built across the Mis- sissippi river, at or near Memphis. Tenn, the same will be built with an adequate wagon-way of sufficient strength and capacity to accommo- date interurban street railway traf- fic
 We believe that the construction of railway bridge without these add ed facilities will monopolize bridge traffic over the Mississippi river for the next fifty years, and thereby de- lay the development of the great St. Francis Basin and all that territory tributary to Memphis for that period.
 The cost of constructing an inde- pendent wagon-Way and street car bridge across the Mississippi liver is prohibitiye. The added cost of con- structing wagon-Way and street car bridge along with d double track rail- way bridge is so small that the cost may hardly be taken into computa- tion. The franchise value Of an inde. pendent railway bridge would be something like five or six million dol lars, aside from the cost of constl uc tion This franchise value belongs to the states of Arkansas and Ten nessee. If only part of this fran chise value be added to the cost of g railway bridge, it will give us an ade quate separate wagon-way and faoili ties for interurban street railway trat1ic
 We believe that the opportunity o securing interuI ban trat1ic without the cost of constructing an inde den dent bridge therefore, has presented itself, and We earnestly solicit you active cooperation and assistance il procuring the same We are of th' opinion that nothing will contribut, as much 10 the development of tn, St. Francis Basin and of Eastern Ark  ansas. as an adequate system of in terurban street railways. To thi , end, we request that you not onl attend, but that you use your in fiuence to procure the attendance o all others interested in the develop ment of our country, at the meetin 10 be held at the Business Men Club in Memphis Tenn, on the dat above mentioned.
 SIGNED
 l. E. Thompson, Chairman; J. F Smith, II. A. Morrison, Dolph Smith Lem Banks, x. A. Gordon, l.. II Carruth, Guy Blaun, A. E. Shefer
 Hugh Hadem, Otto Seyppel, T K Riddick, Jno. Milan. $. K. Davis, B C Coyington, L. r Berry Jno. F Rhodes, II. F. Avery, $. Y. Nicely, R i S. Morris, c l.. Campbell, T H. Ham nett. Louis Barton, NJ. C. Pearee, F N. Reisingger, c. C. Bird, R. L. Dil ard, Frank Smith, Geo. W. Patter- son Committee