The Russellville Democrat., 1891-03-05
HOUSE..


 offered resolution permitting any member to invite persons not entitled to the privileges of the floor within the bar of tAe house. The resolution was adopted and it will be the means of saving considerable time in the house. By unanimous consent, Mir. Witt in troduced house bill No. 24S, fixing the number of members in the house of representatives.
 The bill provides for seventy members, one from each county, and if it should become law there would be twenty members less in the next house of representatives.
 Mir. Johnson, of Prairie, introduced a bill fixi 2 the time for holding courts in the Tenth judicial circuit.
 senate amendment to house bill No. 215, by Mir Rector, relative to divorce, was taken up and agreed to on call of the roll.
 Senate bills Nos. l54, 1lS and IF, To- cal measures, were passed.
 message from the senate announced the passage of senate bill No. IFS, to authorize the enclosure of certain lands in Yell county; senate bill No. 161, to regulate the publication of the reports of the supreme court; senate bill No. 36, to quiet title to certain lands, and sen ate bill No. 146, to establish levee dis triet in Desha county.
 tMr. Jones, of Pulaski, il the chair.)
 Under the head of unfinished busi- nees senate bill No. 45, allowing the construction of bridges across navlgable streams and permitting the condemna- ton of f, rries, was taken up.
 Under the operation of the rules, no member could speak longer than ten minutes. In order to accommodate certain gentlemen, Mir. Sloan moved that the rules be suspended and that Mir. Otey be allowed full time to discuss the measure. he motion prevailed.
 On motion of Mir. Rector, Mir. Brun- didge, whose speech had been cut short by the expiration of his time, was also allowed more time. Discussing the measure.
 nR. BRUEDIDGE's SPEECH.
 Mir Brundidge thought the bill an important one to the people of he whole s.ate He hoped it would become Il law. It's provisions would open up our nagigable streams and lace good substantial bridges over rivers that have heretofore been crossed in unsafe boats and rickety skiffs In referring to Mr. Shinn' ferry across the Arkansas river at Dar5 anelle, the gentleman read an affidavit from John A. Ross, of Dar- danelle, complaining that for the lack of facilities he had not been able to get 100 bales of cotton across the river at that point for a whole week
 There were no just grounds why this bill should meet with opposition. It was measure growing out of S demand from the people for relief. The meas ure was in no wise local in it's sense and would benefit every section of the state. The bill did not propose to take away any mans private rights without giving him full damage. Why should the few men in Arkansas owning ferries com plain when they were well provided for? From the north to the south and the east to the west and throughout the borders of the state there was univer- sal demand for it's passage.
 hR. LUCAS REMARKS.
 Mir. Lucas was in favor of the bilI and thought it his dnty to say something in It's behalf. In regard 10 the pontoon sridge at Pine Bluff he desired to say it was great success as compared with the old rope and mule system of ferry age. Travel and traffic had been greatly benefited by the ] ontoon bridge. < pontoon bridge could be crossed at any tine, day or night, which cannot be said of ferrys where no crossings are made after sundown. There was no doubt of the practical benefits of the pontoon bridge.
 HON. LEE NEAL.
 Mir. Neal was sorry that certain things had entered into this discussion. It ap- peared to him that whenever speaker on the floor ran out of something else to talk about he jumped onto Shinn, at DaTaanelle. Mir. Shinn was not the only man this bill effected. In Craw- ford county there was magnificent steam ferry across the Arkansas worth S10O, 600, and those people had vested rights, which should also be respected Pontoon bridges had always been failure and always would be; then why should good ferries give way to susn failures as the bill contemplates?
 The gentleman asserted that no srdl- nary pontoon bridge could last ar hour,