The Mena weekly star., 1913-01-23
POLK COUNTY BOY
 WAS DISAPPOINTED
Robert COnnally Was Entitled to Trip to Washington as Victor in Corn Contest Blame
 Not Definitely Placed.

over AFkdHSdS TOT WHICH JIle IHefn- bers of the Boys Corn and .Cotton Clubs were to contest during last season, was a trip for two to the National Corn Show at Columbia, S. C., and to Washington, D. c., where the winners were to be re- ceived at the White House by the President, and to receive a diploma from the United States Department of Agriculture. One of these was for the grower of cotton, and one for corn.
 The expenses of these trips, so the premium lists read, were to be borne by the Board of Trade of our capital city, Little Rock.
 After the state fair, it was found that Horace Calhoun of Scotts had won the cotton prize and Robert Connally of Mena the corn prize, and each was so notified by w. J. Jernigan, assistant state agent of Arkansas, working under the United States Department of Agri- culture.
 All went smoothly until the Board of Trade was asked to make good" and then that body of Little Rock business men denied all re- sponsbility in the matter.
 The people of Scotts raised Si00 end sent young Calhoun at their own expense, and Mr. Jernigan wrote Mena parties about the cir cumstaDces, suggesting Mena do likewise for it's boy, Robert Con nally.
 The injustice done the Mena boy was recognized very clearly, and under some circumstances the money doubtless would have been contributed freely, but as the busi- ness men of the city already had given in premiums for the Corn and Cotton Club and the fair con siderably more than $i,000, 1t did not seem right to ask them to as sume this other burden, apparently thrown down by the Little Rock Board of Trade:
 Mir. Jernigan's letter to Robert Connally follows:
 Little Rock, Jan. 8, 1913. Mir. Robert Connally, Mena, Ark.
 Dear Robert:II am very, very sorry that I am forced to tell you what I will have to tell you this morning. When graded the re- ports of the boys so that could award the prizes, went by the
 Cf and published by MT. Jeffords. Among the prizes that were offered in this list were two prizes offered by the Board of Trade of Little Rock. One to the boys in the Corn Club. which was a trip to Wash ington and South Carolina, and the other to the boys in the Cotton Club. which was also trip to Washington and South Carolina. | have announced all of the prizes and notified each boy according to this premium list, but the Board of Trade informed me yesterday that they did not offer these two prizes that they knew nothing about them-so you see what kind of a fix it placed us in, for l have told you that you won the Washington trip in the Corn Club. have also told another boy that he won the trip in the Cotton Club. I do not feel that I am responsible for this mistake. I thought the prizes were correct, and everybody connected with the office thought so all the year. Mir. Jeffords is responsible for having this list of premiums published. I have written him ask ing him to explain why he stated that these two prizes were offered. hardly know what else to tell you. Of course you won the prize, but the Board of Tarde refuses to pay it. and if Mir. JeifOrds refuses < to make any explanations 1 guess that we will be at our rows end and # you will have to miss the trip. You & do not know how sorry we all are # that this has occurred, and If l # thought that we could raise the # money for you in your home town, we would send you anyhow l am # therefore writing some of the busl- ness men of that town today to see what can be done.
 "I hope, Robert, that you will not blame any of us in connection with the work with this mistake. It was due to other peoples actions. Write me by return mail if you can Y go to Washington provided we raise this money, and tell me anything FX ptcp vni, xrra nj fn
 Your friend,
 w. J. Jernigan.
 Recently the Arkansas Gazette, telling of the starting on the prom ised trip of Horace Calhoun of E Scotts, said:
 "A third Git should be second) lad, of Mena, who won the first prize in the corn division, also should have made the trip, but ef- Forts to locate him by the planters Furnishing the funds have been of < no avail"
 What a state of affairsl And Mena is in Arkansas, tool And has 3 postofflce, a telegraph office and even telephone right to Robert Connally's home, a few miles west of townl But that probably was I an error.
 In this connection why~>should the question not be asked;... Is il M n l. -y .sI -- A.