Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1915-11-06
Sorrells, Nixon and Kerwin Tell of 'tContract' for
 Railroad.
PHILPOT, CHEEK
 IN NEAR CLASH"
Practically Every Candidate for Office in County Has Something to Say About the Bridge
 Question.

That the candidates are unanimous l in the desire to take the management of thJ free bridge from the bridge commission, and place it in the hands |of the county officials, was demon- strated clearly at the political meet ling at the courthouse last night, where a big crowd of men and wom- en remained nearly three hours to hear all he speeches on the program. According tc w. B. isorrells, it was the biggest political meeting ever |hsld in Pine Bluff, the crowd break ing all previous local records for size Representative T. M. Hooker acted as chairman, and kept the crowd in good humor by his witty references to the Beveral candidates, as he introduced hem.
 The bridge proposition occupied the breater part of the time and the at- ention of the speakers and the rowd. There had been rumors that he speakers would make sensational harges, and these charges, it was vident, the crowd wanted to hear. Nhe speakers were expected to fur ish certain "prOof." The speakers elated the history of the formation the bridge district and it's commits lon, and told the story of the build- lg of the bridge.
 The speakers. particularly MT. sor- Ills, T. Havis Nixon and E. J. Ker- In, drew deductions and inferences; pd publicly stated these. They read ktracts from The Graphic of 1912 nd 1913, wherein it was promised officers and members Of the com asslon that the bridge would not be lllt until trunk line railroad was cured to use the structure as :. cans Of entering Pine Bluff.
 As basis for deductions ami ferences which were made to appeal indicating improper actions by one more members of the Commission, Sorrells read "contract," the lglnal Of which he stated was given Alex Rowell by B. B. Bloom, and nlch he said is now in the safe at RoWell's office. The "contract" an agreement between MT. well as trustee and five Little Pck men, for the formation of a mpany for the construction of a lroad into Pine Bluff from a point run of the river. The "agreement' ther stipulated that upon the sale of
 road, af.er it was built, certain leotedness should be paid, and 'the pilts thereafter from the sale of the au '1 would be divided. three-fifths .hs Little Rock men and two-fifths RoWell as trustee.
 Sorrel!s Speaks First.
 afs Sorrells was the first speaker
 sald a word or two about the e Bluff papers, and gradually rmed into his argument, which was o.ed almost exclusively to the dis slon of the bridge proposition. He
 agaln the speech he has been might.
 r. Scrrells related at length the ory Of the movement for the an,zatlon an,. of ',he bridge district. 'oid Of the constant and hard fight as against the measure. He tcld of unsuccessful effort to repeal the
 sure sure after it had passed. Then
 .oid or the passage of the Brock
 s,all olll at the last session of the
 ',oture, and the veto of this meas
 ,oy governor Hays. MT. Sorrells
 tea again the charges he had
 in his announcement for the
 ''e, these including the statement
 tue attorneys had collected fees,
 promising not to do so; that the
 ee mad been built without a rail-
 aitnough the commission had
 .'s.d the railroad should come l., lnat the bridge tax would be d, Iy me voters, thair children and l ..aslidren; .as that the commission aelused and fought against the
 eut tc turn over control of tn }
 ,. 'o the county authorities, even
 eu unese officers had expressed
 willingness to do this extra r e. Sorrells then recalled the cir nees surrounding his an
 ls.nent .s..nt for the senate, and the $ rsa .auon of petitions asking that ' .aia other local attorney make