The Russellville Democrat., 1893-02-16

ze with the crimins Is, and naturally
 want to do the best they can for their ac- quittal. Circu judges want th's bill passed.
 The bill passed eas l6; nays, 10.
 The senate adjourned.
 HOUSE
 The house was called to order at D. m.
 House bill No. 2S, by Mr. McCollum, to
 confer enlarged and additional powers on
 cities of the first class, was read third time and passed.
 The bill provides that mayors of cities of the first class shall appoint chiefs ofspolice and fire departments, and that such chiefs shall appoint their subordinates The mayors are given the right to suspend such chiefs, their removal from office being sub
 ject to the action of the city councils. Subordinates may be removed by the mayors upon the recommendation of the chiefs.
 House bill No. 79, by MT. Roberts, of
 Pulaski. providing for the payment of a license on railway sleeping ears, regulating
 fare charged, and regulating the method of operating the bertbs of said sleeping cars,
 was taken up and read for information.
 Mir. Roberts, of Pulaski, offered lengthy amendment to his bill which will enable
 
 from owners of cars referred to in the original bill.
 The amendment was read second time and after it's adoption it was ordered en- grossed and printed,
 House bill No. Sl, by Mir. Rodgers, of Craighead, to repeal the law prohibiting the sale of intoxicants within four miles of the common school building at Jonesboro, was read third time.
 Mir Rodgers said the law which the legis- .lature was asked to repeal was enacted in 1887. It was placed on the statute books at the instance of about 100 persons, but it had been repudiated by large majority of :, the citizens residing in the community affected. The people of the county wanted the law repealed, and in the interest of l self government, he hoped the bill would pass. The people had the right to petition 1 for the bill, and also have the right to peti- ton for its repeal. Mir. Rodgers stated the case in very able manner.
 Mir. Norwood spoke favorably on the bill. His speech was confined to explanations of the constitutional points raised against special legislation and denunciation of blind tigers. His argument was couched in elegant language and was eloquently delivered.
 | Mir. Berry thought the repeal of the law would kill the school. He believed if the 1 officers of Craighead county would do their duty there would be no blind tigers at 1 Jonesboro.
 ! Mir. Neill was opposed to the bill. He 1 believed in home rule, and thought that 1 rule could be enforced without permitting | the sale of whiskey. The question was shall we have churches and schools or saloons and drunkard.9
 Mir. Smith said he was double .geared l Democrat. His Democracy was his re- | ligion, ard his religion he obtained from the Bible. In every Democratic platform there was plank in opposition to surhptu ary laws. Prohibition and local option ideas were running wild, and if it con tinued to do so the time would come when mothers would be prohibited from going into the blackberry patches to gather few berries from which to make cordial for their children. Train up a child in the way he should go, and the blind tiger would possess no alluring charms for him. The speaker said he had son nearly grown to manhood, and no one would come to him and sas that he was dsinker of whis- key He (the speaker) did the drinking for his family, aud whenever he desired to | indulge his taste in that direction, be en- tered the house in which such beverages are sold, by the font door. He did not believe in calling the kettle black because the pot was black. He proposed to vote for the bill.
 Mir. Baldridge made strong argument 1 in opposition to the bill He sroke of the | temptations which surrounded the youth in towns where saloons prevailed. Mr. Hutton believed in man represent ing the wishes of his people. The question | involved in the pending bill was, are the people of Craighead county entitled to 1 lccal self goyernmentf It was not ques- l tion of sal -ons, whi.key Or blind tiger. If this law be repealed the people of Craig l head county will have the right to say whether whiskey shall be sold in their mi lst or not. Whenever legislature says that a community shall not gore,n 1t elf, then gins the disruption of the pa ty | and the destruction of the liberties ot the people. He hoped the bill would pass l Mir. Gates was firm believer in tenn perance and local self government and l favored the passage of the bill. If his people requested him to act in matter in ! which they were alone interested he would consider it his duty to conform to their wishes It appeared that majority of the citizens of Jonesboro wanted this law re- pealed. It was the will of the majority which ruled this country. The legislature would be derelict in its duty were it to refuse to pass this bill, which was nothing more or less than an indorement of that community's ability to govern itself | Mir. Gulley said the people of Jonesboro were not the only ones who were interested II IT l 1.-A.. Is cussion on the previous day on similar 1 question and heard the announcement made that if the legislature did not vote in certain way, the church would array it. | self against the Democratic party. He was unwilling to accept ss true such a monstrous charge. He was firm believer in the doctrines of the Democratic party, which he believed was capable of correct ing every evil and had confidence in its ability 10 right this one The animus of whole question was its moral aspect; it was a question of regulating society, and he would vote against the bill
 Mir. Kirby opposed the bill, reciting numerous statistics in support of his argu ment.
 1 MT. South believed that majority of the members of the house did not have the backbone to vote on the pending question in accordance with the arguments pre- scented, but instead would be swayed by sentiment The principles of self government were the founda tion of the republic and the question presented to the legislature by Craighead county was one involving the liberties of the people of that community. They ask the privilege of governing them selves, and it was the duty of this legisla | ture to accord them that privilege. The speaker was listened to by every member i of the house, and his argument had a great 1 deal of weight with those who were unde- cided as to how they should vote.
 Mir Bridewell opposed the bill. He said 4l. ,,,lx, .rs,,, r, favor of tha hfll waa