The Mena weekly star., 1921-07-28
TAXPAYERS FORM
 LEAGUE IN COUNTY
<>6osOlidaton of Local Organizations E Effected in Mena Saturday Officers Are Chosen and Prin-
 ciples Outlined.

Thru the organlzatlon of the Polk xounty Tax Payers League at the court house Saturday afternoon, a eonsolidation of the various local bo<lies was effected that means in the 3pinion of the leaders, more power fxI Force for the combating of good mad evils. The county league adopt eI declaration of principles and con- <fitution and elected it's first officers.
 The new organization declares it 15tors good roads but is opposed to <{tain methods used to obtain them 19d one of it's first efforts will be in oonosition to certain road and high :: - - projects that have been started in I6[k county. The cross county road 4t Grannis will most likely be the first object of attack.
 Despite the fact that many farm <fS and property owners who are f<her members of the tax payers iSefue or who support it's object were Hnsble to get to Mena for the county o<&anization, there was a good turn ouf. L. s. Van Lease of Grannis was chosen as temporary chairman and @58e Lewis as secretary.
 Former Judge A. k. Wear was 1e4rue, which he did. Mir. Wear 8t4ted that the county organization Wonld simply combine the local bodies and permit the larger organization to 6e more powerful in asserting and Eoaintaining the rights of property o#ners.
 Reports from different locals were H4d. P Frazer spoke for Holly Grove, Waiter Elliott for Cove, Joe Lewis for 1affelG, Will Herring for Ozark and 5l51ln Nunes for Grannis. Each of the I1eakers told of the increasing growth H the local bodies and of the interest xien by the different property own oz8 Mir. Elliott, the Cove delegate, z<6ted their local would soon have 100 m6mbers and announced the desire of fI5& members to be an equalization of <4xes. He said that the last visit of ffe assessor had opened many eyes, III it had been found that in the past 50|ne farms of only 40 acres had been 4E1fssed as much as other places con- t<Ining 40 acres. He recommended 114 publishing of all assessments so <at every tax payer could see how EfS Valuations would compare with his HeiPhbors
 fter draft of the preamble, dEclaration of principles and consti- t1<ion had been read, a discussion <oiIowed, during which w. R. Shinn 6aclared:
 The first thing to do is to resist <nrther collection of road taxes. If <He organization will do this, I'm with x0u.v
 After having been assured that the Executive committee soon to be chosen Exposed to do that very thing, Mir. &Efnn sat down and the articles read ' TIC adopted by unanimous vote. The G@Eiaration of principles adopted is as 18lIows
 We, taxpayers of the State of Ar
 bsas, believe that all political power
 Inherent in the people; and all x<1e governments are founded upon <6is authority and for their benefit; 4Td that all taxes exacted from them 1hould be levied, collected and dis 9ufsed by their authority and consent, rid all taxes should be expended Faithfully, honestly and for the pur- r18es for which they were levied and fa'Iected without favoritism and graft.
 We are irrevocably and unalterably E: Favor of good roads and other pub '}H Utilities for the benefit of the whole Ez4ple constructed and maintained nm their financial ability of the HHple people, constructed and main t<Ixed so that they will be an asset 1kead of liability upon the taxable E<&ources of the people.
 I{1rf xua ara mo tafohlu nnnocQd ta ing bonds for roads or other im- EN0vements unless the matter shall H4Ee been previously submitted to pop 4f4f vote of the people affected and h4s had their approval. We are in x&xor of an amendment to the state <0nztitution taxing personal property HI the same basis as real estate in all
 pTovement districts.
 In the disbursement of the taxes lived from the taxation upon the
 and personal property of the tax
 DTS of the state of Arkansas we
 !and 'pitiless publicity and an-
 accounting and public auditing
 III public expenditures.
 e demand that all commissioners
 other officers in improvement dis
 IS be elected by the people and
 tney De SuDJecL tO Juc Etcdi.
 here wasn't much of a contest over
 selection of officers, save for the
 ling of the executive committee.
 <his the meeting could not agree 5|--z4he quickest method and much l
 e was lost. Some of the
 gates wanted to defer the selec- 4& of the executive committee, but
 Grannis and Hatfield representa- E1s called attention to the need of |
 Mediate action and the motion to
 " was tabled.
 E &2ficers chosen were as follows:
 resident, A. E. Wear, Mena; Vice
 %ident, Walter Elliott, Cove; sec i.
 ", J. A. Hughes, Mena; treasur-
 N. J. Barton, Cove.
 kecutive committee, John Nunes, I-nnis: Sam Powell, Hatfield; H. T.
 1n, Mena; w. R. Shinn, Mena;
 Don Philpot, .Egger.
 ne next meeting of the county
 Ee is subject to the call of officers.
 Bred of Husks, Back to Mena.
 N. Cooper of Myton, Utah, ar- zzx1 in Mena Saturday to prospect lx<R location in Polk county and sur
 &ding counties. Mir. Cooper is @ <x< IL L-x