Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-04-09
.STATEMEN! OF
 ]. ]. COLLIER President of Taxpayers Fro tectjve Association Writes
 of It's Meeting.
DEF ENDS HIS ACTION
Says He Invited Bridge Commission CTS Out "For the Sake
 of Peacc."
Althe mer, Ark, April 84h, 1912

. To the Editor of The Graphic,
 p ne Bluffs Ark.
 Dear Sir:
 As there has been 50 much said n your paper within the last faW. W.day5 &Dout the meeting held by the Fax Payera Protective Association on the 2rj inst, and about the Bridge C@m- missioucrs having been ordered cut of the nee ing, l wish to make a statement, which I think is go mors than fair that yau should publ F!h Withou. east 10 me, but if you are not willing to do this, then publish it ass d paid advertisement over my S gna- ture and mark it advertisement.
 At this meeting of the TaX-Payers Protective Association iShene were 300 chars in the Bluff City Club Hall. by actual count in round numbers there were three hundred representative white cit zens presen5 and 200 colored property holders. Thess 300 white men were representative citizens and the largest property holders from each township in Jaffegson County and iho city of P ne Blaff
 Until l wallzsd irtn the hall Tues-. dsy morning at 1o::3o lfad nc per sonal knowledge. that thsrg.e. would be a colorcd citizen present, and thI'' colored property hloldews who were there were from ta'e south side of 'ie eourty. Tirase clcgad people were property holders and came this meeting .o try to help ITote tn property rights and, I say frank to you that I was glsd to see ths colored property holders take this in tereet in trying to pretect what they considered their rights
 On the dav of the meeting, after a few enthusiastic speeches had been made, Mf. J. VI, Oracle made lnntion that the Bridge Commissioners be invited to be present so that they might know how strong WAS the oppo- sition againat the form ng of a Free Bridge District.
 When I saw the Commissioners enter the room by our invitation, immed ately began to arrange chairs on the platform for their reception: at this time MT. J. c. Taylor, rep rosentative citizen of Pine Bluff, was mak ng a speech and, heard MT. Byrd say in loud tone of voice That's a lie" or "You are liar,' which was repeated three times.
 There were quite number of lady property ownersl in the hall and I saw several of them start out when Mr. Byrd interrupted the meeting.
 I immediately told MT. Taylor to sit down and told MT. Byrd that this hall was rented and paid for by the Tax-Payers Protective Association and that such ungen lemanly language would not 1es' prm tied; at the time it seemed to me thar, MT, Byrd had come to the meeting of the Tax Pay CTS Protective Association with 2. chip on his shoulder and I did not know. buy that all the Commiss oners felt just aa he did and, in ordering them to leave the room I did what thought best for the sake of peace and I must say that I am surprised that Mr. Byrd was not arrested for dis turbing the peace; if a small property holder, what would commonly be cal- led poor man had done the same tn ng at any public gathering, at which there were ladies present, he would have been arrested and fined very quickly.
 A lady who was present at thlS meeting and who owns several Ellous- and acres of land told me before the meeting that she did not know
 whether she was for or against Ehe bridge but had cl3me to hear our s oe of the question. After the Byrd in cident she told me that if MT. Byrd
 was a fair representative of the per- sonnel of the commission that she was heartily with us and would be from then on. x | have known Mr. Byrd for many < r, t,..,,sxs a .,n Da<vn < Eal,a.