The Sentinel=record., 1914-06-24
AGAIN PROVES ITS POPULARITY HERE AT THE DOLLAR DIN
 NER AT ESSEX PARK.
ATTENDANCE LARGEST YET
Former Attorney General Hal Nor wood Was the Guest of Honor, and Made Happy Speech, Which Was Weii ReceiVed-Cotham Talks.

The fourth Dollar Dinner" that held at Essex Park last night, was the most successful of all it's prede- cessors, the attendance was larger. and the personnel was changed sui ficently to justify the commendation of the change made by the last com mittee in which instead of this din ner being by invitation, the dinner party doors were opened to all citi- zens who volunteered to buy a ticket
 There were more than 120 guests seated about the long tables that oc- cupied the whole of the first floor of the handsome Essex Park club house and extended out to the broad front verandah, where more than forty guests were provided for, and where later the speaking took place.
 Mine Host Simon Cooper well maintained his reputation as a ca terer, and. assisted by Mir. c. 0. Eve land, he prepared a menu that re- ceiyed it's most splendid compliment from Mir. Norwood, the guest Of honor, who declared it was better than one that had been served in Little Rock at $7 per plate
 Chairman Dr. Ellsworth of the committee and Toastmaster Judge c. Floyd Huff also received many com pliments on the manner in which they had perfected the arrangements for this occasion. The entire attend ance came in autos, and they kept sufficiently far apart on the road to minimize the dust evil and make the trip most enjoyable.
 After the dinner had been served those seated in the main dining room removed their chairs to the long poItico, where Judge Huff, acting as toastmaster, called the program to order with the introduction of Mir. Thayer of Cleveland, Ohio, who is promoting the railroad from this city to Mena. Mir. Thayer discussed the splendid possibilities of the road, and could recite where the road would have resources to deliver to the world for the next forty years at a guaran- teed paying basis. The road would cost about two and one-half million dollars. and after s500,000 had been actually spent on the improvement. they knew where they could get the other necessary two million. They had spent about S15000 on the pre- liminaries, and would need about that sum more, $5,90O of which Mir. Thayer thought Hot Springs should furnish to the enterprise on a stock basis.
 The main subject of the evening had been outlined as a discussion of the commission form of government. Judge Huff introduced Leo McLaugh- in, who had taken the negative side of the question. Mir. Mcl.aughlin's speech was short. and for the most part given to a vein of humor. He said that the Fort Smith plan would be more costly than the present form of government used in Hot Springs,
  form. after the experiences the peo- pie had with it, was good enough for the situation, He thought that the only thing necessary to perfect the present municipal government was more revenue, and he was certain that the change to the commission form would not add to the revenue of the city.
 Judge Gotham took the affirmative, and made one of the most forceful speeches he has ever delivered in this city. He first recalled that there had been so little offered in opposi- tion to the commission form of gov ernment by MT. Mclaughlin that he felt there was little to defend, and then he outlined some of the splendid advantages of the proposed change. He first spoke of the splendid trib- utes of worth that were unanimously paid to our national constitution, and to our state governments, and to our every other form of government, and with the only criticism falling to our disastrous failure in municipal gov ernment. Those failures were being corrected in the adoption of business administrations to city affairs just as were applied to business affairs, and were proving successes. He spoke of