The log cabin Democrat., 1921-04-02
MEMPHIS JOURNAL
 NAILS PROP PACANDA ARKANSAS CREDIT HURT
Unfair Criticism of Arkansas High ways by New York Times Ans
 wered by Commercial Appeal.

In lengthy article appearing Friday in the Memphis Commercial Appeal ab1y replies to unfair and dis torted propaganda being published in the New York Times and other news papers regarding highway improve ment districts in Arkansas.
 The Times recently sent corres- pendent to Arkansas to investigate the road situation iii this state, fol- lowing the disclosures and charges of the Pulaski county grand jury, re- garding certain roads in that county. Statements issued almost daily by the grand jury were played up" sensa- tionally by the Little Rock news papers. These stories reaching Wash ington were seized upon by members of congress and were used as the principal weapon to defeat the ap- propriation of a federal appropria- tion of $1OO,0OO,000 for highways, of which it was estimated at least S6,- 000,000 would be apportioned to Ar kansas.
 That the New York papers cor respondent was producing propaganda for some unknown purpose is indi- cated by the general tenor of all his articles. His interview with Governor McRae, who though an opponent of the improvement district system is disposed to be fair, were so garbled and highly colored that the governor had to endeavor to correct them in a telegram to the Times, in which he denied the imputation that there was any probability of any Arkansas dis trict repudiating it's indebtedness. All of the interviews seem to have been with persons opposed to the road inn provement district system and none with anyone who favored them, de- spite the fact that the latter element constitutes a large majority. The correspondent, for instance, stated in one article that he had visited Faulk- ner county and quotes from Judge r. H. Prince and from no one else in this county. Judge Prince, who has al ways opposed improvement districts of every character, is attorney for about 25 taxpayers who are contesting the road districts in the courts. As there are between 5000 and 4,000 tax payers in the districts who are not making any fight on the roads, and as the 15 commissioners are leading bus mess men of the county, none of whom appear to have been visited by the New York correspondent, it is evident that he was not making a fair effort to learn both sides of the situation.
 Every article sets forth the road program of this state in it's worst possible light and never is there mention made of the incalculable bene- fits that will follow the completion of the program. Instances of inequali- ties and excessive assessments, such as inevitably occur in any system of taxation, are given as typical instead of as exceptional. There are in Faulkner cases where the road as- sessments are excessive and unduly burdensome, on account of inequalities in the general property assessment upon which the road taxes are based. The recent legislature passed an act which will enable the county judge to correct such injustices. But the aver age taxation for roads in Faulkner county is only 35 cents per acre per year. Surely there is nothing con- fiscatory in that.
 Is the tremendous slump which car ried the price of cotton from 45 cents last July, when the Faulkner road contracts were let, to cents now,