The Mena weekly star. (Mena, Ark.) 1904-1977, 1920-07-08
THE JEFFERSON HIGHWAY
AND SOME REAL HISTORY

Like almost every controversy, the
matter Of Polk county's Oldest and
biggest road enterprise, best known
as the jefferson Highway, has several
sides-it has good points, and bad
ones. And it has history.
The Star is going to undertake, IN
this article to give review that It
believes will, in every detail, bear the
test Of the most careful investigation
for utter truth.
Some six years or so ago, after the
passage of the Alexander law, It
seemed that Arkansas bade fair to do
the thing most obviously needed to
develop the state, and that was TO
build some substantial roads and stop
wasting money on roads. In south
west Arkansas Little River county
was first to complete such project.
Sewer county then took up larger
one, touching Polk county at its
southern border. AS this progressed,
public spirited citizens Of Polk coun-
ty, desiring to share in the progress
and hoped-for prosperity, and to be
on a great highway from Canada to
the Gulf Of Mexico, began to plan and
to organize a district with those ends
in view.
Mena, being the county seat and
largest city, very naturally took the
lead. at all times, however, inviting
and soliciting the cooperation of all
citizens in the territory to be affected.
In order to take advantage of state
and federal aid, this work had to be
done Systematically, and under the
direction to some degree, of the state
highway commission.
This required that funds be provid-
ed to pay for the preliminary sur
veys, estimates. maps, etc, that could
only be made by skilled engineers. At
big public meeting these funds were
provided by donations of citizens, and
so far as memory serves, by Mena
citizens alone.
OF necessity some means had to be
provided to carry on such an enter
prise, and committee of responsible
business men was chosen for the
task
The Alexander law provided four
ways by which an Improvement dis
trict mcould be created.
BY petition signed by the owners
of the majority in value of the prop
erty to be taxed.
BY petition of majority in num-
Der of the land owners.
BY petition of the majority of the
legal voters.
BY petition carrying the major
ity in acreage.
Desiring to work in cooperation
with the then county Judge, Al E.
Wear, this committee of business men
called him in conference and asked
him which method he preferred they
should proceed.
Judge Wear told them he preferred
they get the majority in number of
the land owners, and that when this
was done he would give his judicial
sanction to the organization of the
district.
This was by all conceded to be the
hardest of the methods provided bv
law. but was also considered the most
fair, and was approved.
Then there were, as always, some
persons who felt they wanted to know
what sort of men would handle the
big enterprise before they signed the
petition, and when the committee had
eanvassed the matter, the names of
two successful business men of Mena
and one of Cove were tentatively Sc
lected, and again Judge Wear was
consulted, and it is definitely stated
he gave his approval to the men
whose names were placed on the petit
lions for commissioners.
The legal petitions, based on the
preliminary surveys, and the approval
Of the highway commission, were then
placed in circulation. They were very
generally signed, and as the work ap-
preached the end, when it appeared
quite certain majority Of the land
owners was going to be obtained
Judge Wear entirely forgot his Judi
ciai position, his duty as arbiter be-
fore whom the matter must be laid
and by whom the verdict must be
handed down, and with a few Others
made precinct to precinct campaign
against the proposed formation of the
district.
Despite this campaign, however. a
checking of the tax books and the
petitions showed a majority had asked
for the district.
With. this ascertained. there was
every reason to feel that Judge Wear.
having worked so actively against the
enterprise, would not be in a proper
state of mind to hear the case.
But there were in Mena goodly
number of men who had been staunch
supporters of Judoa Waa,. !, a, ~.