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Published In The famous white River Country. Where Alfalfa Is kino
$1 Per Annum
Newark, Independence County, Arkansas, Friday, November 24, 1911
Vol. 11, No. 33
CONGRESSMEN SPEAK
Oldfield and Campbell Present
Their Claims Before Voters
of This Community
Congressman W. A. Oldfield and
Hon. Tom Campbell, candidates
for congress, addressed a fair-sized
crowd of voters here Saturday af
ternoon.
Mr. Campbell was introduced by
Mayor Williamson and spoke for
about an hour, during which time
he severely arraigned Mr.Oldfield’s
record in congress, dwelling at
length upon what he termed the
attempted land steal bill introduc
ed in congress by Mr. Oldfield. He
declared that if the bill had passed
it would have deprived many set
tlers of their homes in the St.
Francis valley and given them to
a private corporation organized
for speculative purposes.
About six million dollars worth
of land was involved in the bill
and he declared that Mr. Oldfield
acted in very bad faith toward the
people in introducing such an
iniqutious bill.
He also criticised Mr. Oldfield
for his part in what he termed the
reckless expenditure of the pub
lic funds on the various livers of
the country. He declared himsell
opposed to this and in favor of
national aid for public highways,1
saying that the first bill he would
introduce when he got to congress
would be a bill to help build good
roads.
Congressman Uldheld tollowed
and launched at once into a dis
cussion of his record. He show ed
that the land grant bill was intro
duced by him at the request of
Senator Davis and that he had no
interest in it whatever.
He ably defended himself upon
the expenditure of the public
funds and declared that he was
glad he had been able to bring
more appropriations into his dis
trict than any other Arkansas con
gressman had ever done.
He defined his attitude upon
various issues before the people,
declared himself in favor of good
roads and the improvement of the
rivers. In closing he accused Mr.
Campbell of having voted to ex
tend the Arkansas legislature
while he was a member of that
body. He said that he would be
unable to remain in the district
and defend himself against the at
tacts of Mr. Campbell, as he ex- i
pected to return to Washington to
be present during the winter ses
sion of congress and must depend
upon the people to learn the un
truthfulness of Mr. Campbell’s
charges which he declared they
would do and tell Mr. Campbell to
remain a private citizen.
REV. HIVELY’S APPOINTMENTS
Next Sunday Rev. C. F. Hively
will preach at Charlotte at 11 a.m.,
Mount Herman 3 p. m., Charlotte
7:15 p. m., and at Charlotte again
on Monday night.
On Tuesday at 11 a. m., Presid
ing Elder B. L. Wilford will preaeh
a Thanksgiving sermon at Sulphur
Rock.
Tuesday at 2 p. m. an adjourned
meeting of the last quarterly con
ference for Sulphur Rock circuit
will be held at Sulphur Rock to
close up the year’s work.
TOMLINSON-BURNS
Wilson Tomlinson and Miss
Mynie Burnes of Magness were
married at the residence of Rev. J.
H. McDoniel Sunday afternoon,
Rev. McDoniel peforming the cer
emony.
They are excellent and worthy
young people and The Journal
most heartily joins their many
friends in extending congratu
lations and good wishes.
11,209,986 BALES GINNED
The government report on cot
ton ginned this season, issued last
Tuesday, shows that up to Novem
ber 13, there had been 11,269,9861
bales ginned. The number of
bales ginned to the same date last l
year was 8,780,433.
Arkansas reports 562,542 bales
ginned this season, compared with
479,122 to the same date last sea
son.
PASTOR INSTALLED
Batesville, Nov. 20. -The Rev.
A. F. Cunningham, formerly of
Belton, Tex., was formally install-!
ed as pastor of the Presbyterian
church in this city at the 11 o’
clock services Sunday morning,
with solenmn and impressive cere
monies. A large congregation was
present.
RESIDENCE LOR SALE
We have three beautiful cottag
es for sale, just two blocks from
Newark public school building; all
first classs condition; three to four
rooms each; good water, and most
desirable location in town. Will be
sold at a sacrifice. Henderson Real
Estate Co.
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BLANKETS,
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COMFORTS
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are very essential
during cold weather
We have Them!
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Our Stock of
LINOLEUM AND FLOOR OIL CLOTH
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is complete and up-to-the-minute
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NEXT TO POSTOFFICE NEWARK, ARKANSAS
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RECORDS CLEAR OLDFIELD
Nothing Improper About Introduction of the Land
Grant Bill For Senator Davis—Speaker
Champ Clark Makes Statement
With regard to the bill introduc
ed in congress by Congressman
\V. A. Oldfield at the request of
Senator Davis, which Mr.
Campbell is making so much fuse
about, the records show that Con
gressman Oldfield is entirely blame
less, and only did what ony other
member of congress would have
done. In proof of this, extracts
from the Congressional Record
bearing upon the bill are publish
ed herewith.
On the 15th of February, 1910,
a sub-committee of the Committee
on Public Lands met with Hon.
A. J. Gronna presiding as chair
man. After the bill was read,
Mr. Oldfield was invited to make
a statement, and did so, as follows:
“Mr. Chairman and gentlemen,
I desire to make only a short state
ment with regard to this bill, II. R.
19637. I desire to state to the
sub-committee that I have intro
duced.the bill at the request of
United States Senator Jeff Davis,
of Arkansas, and that I know
nothing about the merits of the
bill except what Senator Davis has
told me, in addition to what Mr.
Jean Williams of Forest City, Ark.,
has told me, and Captain Miller
and Mr. Brasher, of Harrisburg,
and also Mr. Tellier, of Little
Rock, and Mr. W. J. Driver, of
Osceola, Ark.
Now some oi these parties are
interested in the passage of the
bill and some of them are interest
ed in the defeat of the bill, and, as
I introduced the bill at the request
of Senator Davis, I have no doubt
but that he and the persons who
have placed the different conten
tions before me will make their
statements to this committee and
whatever I would say would be
merely hearsay. They are all
here or in the city, I believe, and
it is my understanding they all de
sire to be heard. All the interest
1 have in the matter is my desire
that absolute justice be done to
both sides in the controversy.”
Other interested parties were
then heard, and Congressman
Bruce Macon then made the fol
following statement:
“I will just say, Mr. Chairman,
that I represent the district in
which these lands are located.
This controversy having come on,
I desire a full and complete hear
ing, so that I will know what to
do in regard to the matter. I
have even gone so far as to
state to gentlemen on both sides
of the question that 1 thought it
would perhaps be wise, if you
want to enter into the very bowels
of it, to take testimony under oath,
and find out just exactly the p< -
sitions here -the true positions.
For instance, if any of these squat
ters,.as they are sometimes called
these people who have gone there
to make their homes—can come
here and state under oath, or if
their representatives can do so,
that they represent certain things,
let it be said, and whatever these
gentlemen on the other side have
to say, let them say if, so that
they will have an equal chance be
fore you in regard to this matter.
I want the truth brought out. 1
want to ascertain what is right in
connection with this matter, and
when 1 find out what is the right,
I will do what is proper.”
SENATOR DAVIS’ STATEMENT
Senator Jeff Davis, at whose in
stance the bill was introduced,
gave out a public statement in
which he declared that Mr. Old
field had no interest in the bill
Whatever and he (Oldfield) only
introduced the bill upon his
(Davis’) request.
Senator Davis’ statement before
the committee follows:
“Those lands which at that time
were not susceptible of being sur
veyed were, of course, valueless
except for the timber that was on
them, and with this large body of
water covering them, the timber
was not accessible. The State ac
cepted these lands under ths terms
of the land grant, and I can say,
as I have always understood from
the political history of the State,
having been governor of the State
six years, and its attorney-general,
and having had something to do
with the political situation there,
and it has always been thorough
ly understood that the State, when
it accepted these lands accepted
not only the surveyed but the un
surveyed lands. That whole body
of land was given to the State for
the purpose of building a levee,
what is known as the St. Francis
Levee of to-day. That of whole
eastern Arkansas, comprising a
part of eight counties, was abso
lutely, in a large measure, value
less without this levee and the
Government, in order to aid in
this project of building this won
derful levee—because it is a won
derful piece of engineering—gave
these lands to Arkansas. I have
always contended - Senator Clark,
who is a much better lawyer than
I am, insisted I was wrong—that
when this land grant of 1850 was
passed, it passed title to the State
of Arkansas to the unsurveyed
lands as well as to the surveyed
lands. I disagree with that mem
ber of the committee and contend
that it is not necessary to lay off
by metes and bounds, by town
ships, sections, ranges, etc.; that is
not what I understand the law to
mean by surveying.
i he land was on the right hand
shoot of Little River. There was
not enough water on that whole
body of land to water your horse,
but the finest timber a man ever
laid his eyes on. The whole con
troversy has come up in this mat
ter through a lot of timber thieves
down there. Chapman & Dewey,
a large milling concern, and Mr.
Lee Wilson, and a dozen others I
could mention, have sent in there
and simply stolen timber until it
has made them immensely rich.
That is where I come in as attor
ney. The St. Francis levee board
employed me to assist their regu
larly employed attorney, Mr. Role
son, to bring suits against these
timber thieves for the value of
this timber. We brought those
suits in Poinsett and Mississippi
counties and, perhaps, in one or
two other counties. These gentle
men came into court and said.
“Yes, we got this timber. We got
all the timber you claim we have
! gotten, but we claim that the St.
Francis levee board does not own
these lands or this timber. You
show us where the title of these
lands lie, and we are ready to pay
for the timber.” And they are
there today stealing this timber,
and they are the only men who
are raising any kick about this
matter. I want to say to this
committee frankly that nine-tenths
of the bona fide residents of that
district are in favor of this bill
quieting the title to these lands.
“Now to get back to the original
proposition. The St. Francis levee
board as originally organized ac
cepted these lands from the State
of Arkansas. They thought they
owned them. They asked the
Government to help them d. in
these lagoons and ponds and lakes
and bodies of water. I think Mr.
Hoke Smith was then Secretary of
the Interior, either Hoke Smith or
Mr. Hitchcock. A very elaborate
and exhaustive opinion, a fine
brief, was prepared by Mr. Hoke
Smith and sent to the levee board
disclaiming any title to these lands,
stating they had no right to come
there and help drain them; they
did not own them; that they pass
ed under the land grant of 1850
to the State of Arkansas. The
levee board, as a further matter
of precaution, later on commenced
trying to sell these lands. They
finally found a purchaser in some
business men of Forest City for a
portion of them, Mr. Eugene Wil
liams, Judge Rolfe, and others
whose names I can not now call,
some eight or ten business men
who paid in probably eight or ten
thousand dollars apiece—probably
not so much -1 never had any
business connection with them, as
attorney or other otherwise. They
found a probable purchaser in
these men. To make the transac
tion doubly sure, the levee board
then asked the Interior Depart
ment again, under Mr. Hitchcock’s
administration, and the last opin
ion I would like for the committee
to examine very closely. I consid
er that as fine a legal presentation
of this case as can possibly be
made. He shows clearly, under
the authority of the decisions of
the United States Supreme Court,
that the Government has no title
to these lands, that the title passed
to the State of Arkansas under the
swamp-land act of 1850, and they
again declined to come there and
help drain them. The levee board
found purchasers, and they sold,
under the advice of their attor
neys, I do not know how many
acres, but a large quantity.
“About 80,000 acres, for a dollar
and a half per acre. Those gentle
men put up their money on the
strength of the representation of j
the Government that they had no j
title to these lands. Afterwards
these same timber thieves, Chap
man and Dewey, Wilson, and that
gang, began to put squatters in
there, they put a squatter here
and there, employed lawyers to
get up a claim, another one yon
(Continued on page 8)
FACES GRAVE CHARGE
Joe Nelson of Cushman Alleged to
Have Seriously Histreated 13
Year-Old Girl
Joe Nelson was arrested near
Cushman Saturday night, charged
with canial abuse, his victim be
ing Dollie Simpson, the thirteen
year-old daughter of Dick Simpson,
a merchant of Cushman.
It is said that Saturday night a
crowd of men and boys were
drinking in a cold drink stand or
restaurant in Cushman when the
little girl came in. She was invit
ed to drink, and did so, and later
Nelson induced her to take a walk
with him, when he took advantage
of her and shamefully mistreated
her.
Nelson was given a preliminary
trial before Justice Bonham at
Cushman Monday, and was held to
await the action of the grand jury
on a charge of carnal abuse. His
bond was fixed at $1,000, which he
failed to make, and he was taken
to Batesville by Sheriff Fike and
lodged in jail.
PERRIN ANNOUNCES
Franklin Perrin announces in
today’s paper as a candidate for
re-election as county treasurer.
Uncle Frank has served the people
faithfully and well in this position
and has given no cause for com
plaint. He is always “on the job”
and ready to serve the people when
called upon. There is not a better
man for the position in the county
or one more capable of giving
general satisfaction.
SURVEYING BIG DITCH
Civil Engineer Miller, of Little
Rock, is here this week making a
survey for the Mud creek drain
age canal and lateral ditches. The
board of commissioners, composed
of R. R. Ratton, J. P. Magnessand
F. M. Brannon, hope, in a short
time, to have the matter in shape
to float bonds and begin work up
on the big ditch.
AUCTION SALE
I will sell at public auction to
the highest bidder for cash in
hand, in front of the postoffice in
Newark on Saturday November
25, one team of mules and wagon.
G. W. Price.
NOTICE TO HUNTERS’
Notice is hereby given that
hunting on my land is forbidden,
and all hunters are notified to keep
off. W. C. Sanders.
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Copyright 1909, by C. E. Zimmerman Co.--No. 141
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BRAHAM LINCOLN wasted neither \
time nor money. He applied his time i
A wellt and he saved his money. Why don't 1
’ you do the same? J
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( FIRST NATIONAL BANK }
I OF NEWARK j
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