The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1920-06-17
ROADS AND POLITICS.

prosperous country than Good Roads.
With Good Roads, good people,
good schools, good churches, good
markets and corresponding prosperity
! are assured.
This is why-and the only reason
why The Star advocates Good Roads.
Viewing Polk county, the Star be-
lieves that an East and West road
across the county thru Mena viii BEN
eft-aetually serve-as many Of our
own people as any other road Of like
length in our county.
The Star believes. in this road, none
will receive as great benefit as those
near the east and west extremes.
The Star believes-almost knows
that when these east and west pro-
jects were first advocated very
large portion of the people in the pro-
posed districts favored the roads if it
was found possible, within reason, to
build them. This did not mean, eth
er, that these people expected the
roads to be given to them. They did
not ask it. In the main. what they
DID ask was that they be HONEST
LY BUILT-THEIR MONEY HON
ESTLY SPENT.
But here's where politics came in.
The roads meant taxes. They meant
someone had to be chosen to handle
the peoples monev--fa DO the nen-
Piles work.
This was THE opportunity for the
Office seeking politician.
From the day Of the first organized
government, taxes have been buga-
boo. Say "taxes" and all the people
of the civilized world prick up their
ears.
1t gets immediate attention.
1t hits the nerve that keys folks up
to listen to any sort of suggestion of
wrong. or abuse. or oppression.
And in due course. when some
one is chosen to use these taxes to
buy or build something for those who
pay them, the 2arsonal element comes
in. with chance for differences of dis
honesty. favoritism, grating and
misuse of power.
o. it's pie" for the cheap politician.
It's too good chanee-far too good
to be overlooked. And. if, perchance.
the particular seekers for office hap
pen to have lost standing in the party
and with the people that have previ-
ously given them support and Office.
and have been denied further favors,
it naturally follows that a new party
becomes the only salvation-for the
office seekers.
Proposed improvements - taxes
men to handle the husinessI Misrep-
resentation, exaggeration. appeals to
those to whom facts are not avail
able, to prejudice. to envy and even
TO viciousnessi Detestable, all; but
what an opportunity
And an opportunity rarely over
looked when an effort is made in good
faith TO bring about an improvement
of a public nature.
Let il be repeated: The Star. know
ing well the need Of an East and West
road, believes that, in the beginning,
the people in large part favored the
projects.
And il believes those men who 50
quickly got busy and put in days and
weeks in developing opposition BY
magnifying the actual burdens, en-
eouraging suspicion by insinuations,
BY actual violation of truth, did so for
selfish ends. and not for public sss;ss.
And so thoroly has this been done.
that today. great prejudice has been
built up, where at first the roads were
looked upon with actual and sincere
favor.
And another thing The Star would
by far have preferred to have seen
these districts formed on actual legal
petitions as provided by the Alexan-
der law. Had it the power. it would
have had it shus-and would now.
! Yet had this been done. it believes
the same opposition by the same peo-
pie would have resulted. Then it
would have been the lawful Alexan-
der law" instead of the special acts.
As a final proof:
When the opponents of the Mena-
Big Fork road first insisted on the res
ignation Of the men chosen to handle
the project. these men submitted a
definite proposal to resubmit the en-
tire matter to a referendum Of the
property owners of the district. II
doing this many felt that so much
/ poisonous propaganda had beer
spread that the result of the referen.
DUN would be the definite defeat Of
the road. but the commissioners wers
just as sure the POLITICAL LEAD
Frs WOULD REJECT THE OFFEF
because they knew that these Office
seeking leaders knew that the stop
ping of the road would also stop tn,
agitation and would take the wind ou
Of their political sails.
The commissioners did not beliey,
those men leading the fight en- III,