The Mena weekly star., 1913-09-04
FOR ONE GOOD
 ROAD ID MENA
Petition to County Court to Declare Old Mcna & Eastern Grade a Pub lie ROad-COmmittee From
 Montgomery County.

The Good Roads meeting at the court house last Thursday night was only fairly well attended, but one action was begun that is expected to lead to a piece of road out of Mena for a distance of five miles 1 that will be a model-that over the | old Mena X Eastern railroad right of way A petition to the county court to declare this right of way a public road was being circulated today by committee appointed for the purpose.
 Primarily the meeting was called to meet a committee from Mont gomery county composed of M. (. Irumbull, Peter McWilliam and Ali Buerge, who droVer over in autos. ] Judge w. N. Martin presided at 1 the meeting, and Peter McWilliam opened the discussion with a strong plea for the improvement of the road from Mena to Womble and on to Hot Springs by the road now In use, by way of Big Fork and the Caddo valley. He claimed that this route would be inexpensive com | pared with that proposed by the way of Red Bird, and that beautiful scenery, grand springs, etc., would make it particularly attractive to | tourists, and with proper effort and these advantages he believed the IprOposed interstate highway could be brought over that route to Mena. He claimed that the old established route was little if any longer than the new one, and pointed to the fact that there were splendid pieces ot road along this line that never have been worked and have been in use from so to 100 years. His talk was reinforced by the statement that along the Caddo route between Big Fork and Womble the people had subscribed S6SS in work and cash lo the work.
 Benson Bates of Big Fork fol- lowed. His talk was to the point, all in nutshell of small size, but well filled with meat. He said: l"Big Fork is enthusiastic over the road. and here is the list on which the people have subscribed sSi0 to the work" He promised an even Si ,000 from Big Fork.
 | w. B. Barton presented the claims of the Red Bird route, fully stating that he had a selfish inter- est in that route because of land ln- terest. but aside from that believed it best.
 MT. Trumbull stated he would give S200 for the work in the Caddo route. which he preferred. He wanted to get at the work-wanted it done this fall-and did not think | it possible that the other road could be put in any shape by winter. This was received with applause.
 Father Gallagher then spoke of the beauty of the scenery along the road, saying nothing was prettler or grander than along the noun tains. streams and springs Of the lMena-Hot Springs route.
 Several others spoke, some of the strongest words of advice coming from ]. H. MuXen. who told the dis Iputants that if they had any diff | ferences they should keep them to themselves, and present a united face to the others; that even with lunanimity in thir own camp they would find their task would demand their best efforts.
 w. E. Watkins then proposed that the best thing. as he saw 1t, was to call in the state highway engineer and get his advice and place the road where if should be-now and g years hence.
 Judge Martin announced that the state highway engineer would be in Mena on September i and ?, and 1t was then agreed to hold another meeting at the court house on the night of September 1.
 Mena to Make Start.
 If then was suggested that Mena could make the best kind of a start for a piece of the Mena-Hot Springs road by utilizing the old Mena X | EdSItIH IISllb LII way iii SA"NS AS- a distance of five miles. It was sald that but comparatively small amount of money could put this in fine shape, together with rebuild | ing and finishing the bridges on Prairie creek, the old timbers being yet sound. Two citizens, R. Golf and w. F. Watkins announced most Liberal donations for the project. | It was suggested that the best way to proceed was to make appli- cation for the opening of this line as public road, and committee was appointed to circulate a peti- ton. This petition was prepared and was then circulated by w. B. Barton and w. S. MacLafferty and was signed by scorces of interested persons Friday. It will be published and then will be acted upon by the county court at the proper time.
 Jou0 Time in Office.