The Mena weekly star., 1919-05-22
CROWDED THE COURTHOUSE AND CHEERED WHEN PLANS
 WERE OUTLINED.
WHEN FUNDS CALLED FOR GRAND RUSH BEGAN
Less Than Thirty Minutes Elapsed When s9 Live Citizens Had Signed Notes for $60O0, and Halt Was
 Called-Good Schools. Too.

The Jefferson Highway will be built
 The meeting Monday night at the courthouse was attended by the busi- ness men of Mena and Polk county.
 They were all there -Vandervoort, Cove, Wickes, Hatfield Grannis--all the communities along the line were represented by their leading citizens. The courthouse was over crowded.
 It was not Meua Good Roads meeting-it was Polk county meet ing. The pig crowd was composed of Polk county men determined that their county should keep step with progress-h Good Roads.
 Judge Finger opened the meeting shortly before 9 o'clock, the opening being delayed in order that parties from down the line might arrive. The judge said so many had asked how the road proposition stood, that he and the commissioners had thought it best to call meeting and give the road boosters line on the conditions, He then introduced Judge J. I. Alley to explain the situation.
 How the Work Went Forward.
 Judge Alley began his talk by the statement that the highway would be built. Of that he was certain. He sketched the fight from the beginning to the present status. How the pe- titions had been signed, then the dis trict formed by the county court; the appeal by the antis to the Circuit court; the appointment by the court of commission of three men accept able to both sides to investigate the petitions and report to the court. The finding of these men that there was majority of 92 on the petitions, and the decision of the Circuit court affirming the action of the County court.
 The Cost of Delay.
 Judge Alley pointed out that the fight all the way had been in favor of the Good Road people, and that the fight to the Supreme court, as he saw it, could only be based on the facts as shown in the Circuit court, and that there could be no decision but for the roads. But, since there is aI- ways two sides to a question, the anti road workers have the right to ap- peal, which they expect 70 do, and this would necessarily delay the building of the road. The bond buyers would not buy the bonds while there is a fight on. Since t1e Supreme court, should the case be appealed could hardly act at this term, the work would necessarily be postponed until after the decision could be reached at the next term, which would be in De- tober. Besides the loss of the entire summers work on the project, the State Highway Commission now has s37 .536.07 that would be used in this district on the road. but there is a time limit to this money, and October would be too late for Polk county to receive the full share. If was to de- eide this question that ths meeting was called.
 Make 1t County Project.
 It had been thought by some that the best way would be to start the Highway north in the district already formed then let the south end of the county form district. leaving the Hatfield district. where the big fight has been made, out of the read But this would break the highway. would leave Hatfield t. later build to con- meet with the roads, at greater ex- pense; then too, i. wou De an in- justice to the heavy taxpayers in Hatfield, who really wanted the road. At this time the Hatfield delegatioa arrived, and was applauded, the feel ing being that Hatfield was for the road, but had fallen into the i'll luck of having the few knockers among it's residents. Judge Alley said that the work must proceed at once, and not wait for the delay, should the fight be carried to the Supreme court. That the plan was to raise the money at this meeting. The amount needed by the engineers for the preliminary work would total $6,000, and this money would be advanced by the three Mena banks in notes of S2,000 each, men who believed in and wanted the road to be the signers.
 When the Rush Started.
 And then the great rush started.
 It seemed that every man in tl,e house wanted to sign the notes. Every banker in the county, every tawvrr present, the commissioners, W M. El- kins of Sheridan, Ark, who will buys
 (Continued on Page Five.)