The Mena weekly star., 1920-10-21

It is common talk that in his cam paign, in districts where sentiment seems against tick eradication, A. E. Wear seeks to throw the blame for the movement on the shoulders of his opponent, leaving the idea that but for Judge Fingers attitude there would have been no cattle dipping, and that such is and was opposed by Wear when he was county judge, elected by the Democratic party he now seeks to de- feat.
 Everybody conversant with affairs at the time Wear was judge knows he not only, favored it, but conspired with certain members of the Quorum court to put it over" at special ses- sion of the court after it had been voted down at the regular session. He proposed, if at this time, the result should be a tie vote, he would break the tie by voting for the proposed ap- propriation.
 At first an effort was made to vote a $3000 appropriation. This failed, and after further caucusing the confer ences, 1t again was brought up, this time for $2900, and this was carried. Here are the words of an affidavit made on the matter by ". M. Tomlin- son of Board Camp, member of the Quorum court, thru an appointment, at the time:
 q do solemnly swear that I was
 a member of said Quorum court
 which convened during Judge Wears last term of office, that Judge Wear was in favor of an ap-
 propriation for tick eradication;
 that 1t was understood by those who
 were in favor of said appropriation
 after it did not carry at the regular
 session that it would be brought up
 and reconsidered at the adjourned
 session; that it was understood that
 if it was a tie vote Judge Wear would unite the vote by voting in l favor of the appropriation; that
 Judge Wear was in favor of said appropriation and that he worked to
 put said appropriation over. | "I make this statement because 1 understand Judge Wear denies be.
 ing in favor of dipping, and the gen.
 eral public may know the truth as tc his attitude in the matter. 1 "W. M. Tomlinson.' [ When almost an identical situation came up following the last term oi Quorum court and certain persons ap. preached Judge Finger to take up at $ special session the tick eradication ap. propriation voted down at the regular session, he refused to allow it to cont up, declaring that as it had been voted down by majority of the justices ai the regular session, he did not thirl 1t right to undertake to annul that ac. tion at special session.
 WEAR BOUGHT MUCH DIP
 AT VERY HIGH PRICE 1 And in 1918, to make sure that ticI eradication would be carried on, Judge Near ordered enough tick dip materia before he went out of office to con. sume most of the $2,900 appropriatef at the special session of the court. The first shipment of this dip ar, rived In January, 1919, and this ship ment, the first of three ordered amounted to S1092.50, with $134.75 if freight added total of $f,22725. With two more shipments to come Judge Finger quickly realized that i was too expensive, and out of season fand called on Inspector Hand to hell get the other two shipments cancelled MT. Hand called on a district agent tt help, an together succeeded in getting the balance of Wears order annulled
 THE MATTER OF PRICE.
 The price at which Judge Wear con tracted to buy this dip was more thar double what it was worth at the time according to statements of tick eradi cation officials. This price was S1 2f per gallon. When more was needed Judge Finger, with the advice and hell of the government officials, purchased dip of the same quality at 55 cents per gallon.
 To summarize:
 Wear allowed the regular acton ot the Quorum court to be overridder by special session called for another purpose, because he approved tick eradication.
 Judge Finger refused to allow the same thing to be done because he be. lieved in majority rule and that the action of the regular Quorum court should stand, and that this action was what the people wanted.
 DEMOCRATIC COUNTY GEN. TRAIL COMMITTEE,
 By John W. Thompson ". N, Martin, Secy. Adv,