The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1912-05-02
ARKANSAS HAS
YOUNGEST MAYOR
doe y. Sullivan of imboden, Not Yet
Grown, Cannot Use One Arm
Nor Eeithcr Leg-Editor
ImbOdcn Gazette.

Little Rock, April.-"For my
self, I'm going to use three essen 4
lials TO success. faith, prayer and
perseverance. They never fail if
you are in the right and you are
already a failure If you are in the
wrong"
This is the nutshell philosophy
of Hon. Joe +. Sullivan, recently
elected mayor of Imboden, the
youngest mayor in the United
States. His election was most
exciting one, and more votes were
polled than in any previous contest
in the progressive village OF 500
population. Joe is not quite II
years old, and is a cripple but this
did not deter him.
"Misfortune?H he repeated, when
asked if that was not a handicap.
There's not such word as that to
me. What you call misfortune is
what | call fortune. My Affections
make me what | am, and will help
to make me what am to be. I'm
perfectly reconciled to my condi-
ton, and never think of being blue
or worrying over what can't be
helped. Really, haven't time to
waste in that manner: there is. too
much for me to do. No whimper-
ing in mine"
The boy mayor Of Arkansas, the
boy editor, and known at home as
''the boy with the billy goats is
not yet grown, and is paralytic.
AT the age of four he was stricken
with paralysis, which deprived him
of the use of his left arm and both
legs. In all these years he has
never stood on his feet or taken a
step. His only way of getting about
| is by driving team of trained An
CORA goats, which have been to him
for five years what feet are to those
who walk. They follow him about
like dogs, lie on the porch by his
chair till he is ready to move. Bill
and Jim are as we'll known in the
little city as their master
Became an Editor
Joe was ambitious. Five years
ago be decided upon journalism as
| his life's work and after frequent
disappointment, finally made
good, is now correspondent for nu-
merous papers. is editor of the Inn
boden Gazette and writer OF short
stories that have been widely pub
lshed. He took up politics, and
his articles on the political situa-
ton in his county attracted atten-
ton. The most prominent men OF
| the county advised him to offer for
some county office two years ago,
and he would have done so had he
not been attacked with typhoid fe-
yer last winter. After recovery it
was too late to enter county poll
| itics, and upon The advice Of his
friends, although two prominent
and aged business men had already
announced, Joe decided to make the
Trace for mayor.
He drove his goat cart down the
| main street and told the business
/ men that he was a candidate. Many
believed him in. earnest, but the
majority only laughed at him.
knowing he lacked three months Of
being q years old. When he saw
that his candidacy was being taken
as huge joke, Joe's Irish blood
boiled in his veins, and he deter
mined to convince them of his
earnesiness.
Novel Campaign.
| He appointed twelve school girls,
| less than i6 years old with whom
| he had attended school, as his cam
paign managers, and they tackled
lup posters and distributed circu-
lars announcing date on which
he would address the voters. On
| Wednesday night preceding the
election a large crowd assembled at
| the city hall. largely through cu-
riosity and for an hour he held
their attention by his foreeful adj
dress. The tide was changed, his
candidacy was no longer q joke. He
was a real candidate. although not
lfuil grown. The following day
friends Of his opponents tried to
persuade him to withdraw from
/ The race, but he resolutely refused.
Then they tried to frighten him.
| but failed. Then they set about
defeating him al the polls But
when the election day came Joe and
his friends and his girl campaign
managers We're still busy. When
the polls cloesd that night the boy
with the billy goats had defeated
both opponents, having received
more votes than the other two
combned, and Imhoden was placed
on the map as the only city in the
world with legally elected mayor
under u years of age. A school,
innate, too. only Il years old, was
elected city treasurer. Every can
didate for any Office who opposed
lSullivan was defeated.
This intrepid young American
has achieved wonders during his
short but eyentful career. Six
years ago his father died, and Joe,
helpless. was left in the care of on
aged and feeble mother. At that
time he had advanced to only the
fourth grade in school. and the fu-
lture would have been dark and for
bidding 10 one less optimistic. Re-
lalizing that he mus be prepared 90
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