The Monticellonian., 1895-01-25

| cal cEa1ga in 3ts reajti=s must soon he cnteren 1 upon fl universal ialarDptcy is to be aycricd.
 Ii Is not imt robab . tlRt some p',ia Of .reiicf [ will be inauggrJt.d which will embrace as a ] part ot it. well regulated system Of state l banks 0f issue Ii will therefore be our duty to l place our state in position where we may l avail ourselves ot any relief which may be pro vided from this quarter, and to do this we must
 abro6ate section 10 of article 13 Of the constitu | tion, which pruhib bits banks of Issue in this l state
 Thcrc Ire many other matters which will l readily occur to any intelligent person who will
 investigate our present constitution from the l standpoint ot our present wants. and 1 shall
 leave to these the enumeration ot such as have 1 been omitted
 The sentiment in favor of revising our l present constitution Is by no means uniycf l sal Many eoGd citizens sincerely believe l that 1T a convention should be called we would
 put upon inc state all sorts ot wild cat" l schemes Tor The issue of public bonds in aid Of l private enterprises, and that the meritorious l provisions Of the present constitution would l be swept away. So far as the fear Of the in- 1 auguration Of any scheme 10 issue public bonds 1 or to increase taxation beyond present limits is l concerned, the assumption Is wholy gratuitous.
 It is in defiance of Inc known sentiment Of | every opinion former in tho state. and over 1 looks tho lesson Of recent vote Of the state on l a very mysterious amendment, the only ob- l yection to which was the fact that It increased
 taxation, The history Of Arkansas when she 1 was ruled by persons who believed in booms 1 and bonds is such to forever make impos5i.
 ble repetition ot this state affairs
 l We have the authority of the precedent of | every convention which has ever assembled in 1 In this state except that Of 1868 for saying that 1 ne convention Wilt be held in this state which 1 does not include in its membership the ablCst
 and best of our citizens. II seems to be q ser l vi ph nj rar rIv 1 There Is, therefore no room 10 fear that any 1 convention now heid will enter upon such op- l prcssivc schemes. And f all signs should fall, l the people have il in their power to refuse to l adopt any such propose constitution wheR sub | mittcd To them for ratification And that they | will do so, none have less doubt than myself. 1 II seems to me to bc far fetched fear To say 1 that convention called in response to a de l mand for reduction and equalization of tax 1 aton, aud the simpliIication and improve. i ment Of governmental methods would | so far misuudcrstand or defy this 1 demand as 10 convert the occasion into an ef- | fort to opprcss the people There are changes | which should he made in our system of tax | ation, some of which l have indicated but these cal rather for a reduction than for an in | crease. The enforcement ef the criminal laws l ot the state costs leo much money. The ex cess Of costs on this score is made the means l Of cripplng every other function Of the govern |
 ganizatlon ln county of this state, with | the affairs of which am familiar and kno W | them 10 be as intelligently administered as any
 in the state B per cent Of the gross revenue
 collected for county purposes was required to i defray this expense. In others. the proportion | IS much larger and in some the entire tax levy | IS not sufficient to pay tho cost
 In this condition of aGaIrs, every other inter
 est Of the county is made to depend upon this | branch Of the service The county judge no
 matter how faithful and competent. can not | control the condition Of his county, since the | outlay for criminal expenses is not matter to
 be regulated by produce, but depends upon the
 number of cases pending and the promptness
 with which the same are dispatched War | rants issued for the expense Of prosecuting or 1 lenders are made receivable In payment for | any tax levied for any county purpose Thus | roads. bridges aad other matters ot internal | improvement are made of secondary importance
 to debts created in the prosecution, al | legged prosecution. Of criminals never
 want to time when criminals
 are not vigorously prosecuted, but 1 lhinl,
 we are now spending too much money for this | purpose. Improved methods of procedure
 would dispense with much of this outlay and d
 specific tax levied for the purpose. with a pro
 vision that warrants issued in excess ot the
 sum thus produced should not be a charge
 upon the leyies made for other county l purposes, would confne whatever de 1 moratizatien overlook county on this
 score to this particular fund and
 might therefore discourage many frivolous 1 prosecutions or impress judges with the ncces.
 sity of greater promptness in disposing of cases
 on the criminal calendar There would then
 be no fear that an excess of script issued for 1 criminal expenses would cause additional de | moralization in the price Of other commodities | furnished to the county. nor could such be the
 result in tho matter of the issuance Of script l against the specific fund levied for criminal ex. | penses, since these are regulated by fixed fees 1 Good roads and bridges would then become | possible without additional taxation.
 It is also said that if the convention be called l the homestead exemptions will be abolshc1 | | The class who make this insistence Is not very | numerous. It seems to take no more tangible | form than the expression of an idle belief that | some such thing may be done. The allowance | of q reasonable homestead exemption seems | now 10 be taken and considered as matter ot course in the formation Of constitutions for the | several states Of the union. time when a
 home is about all the average voter has lcft. | would seem to be an inopportuHe time at which | to call upon hun 10 adopt constitution abol | ishing the exemption.
 l If any change in Ihis particular is desirabe c 1 it is in the direction Of making tho exemption
 more effective by denying the right ;o mort. l gage the homestead except for purchase
 money or for improvements thereon. Arkansas has always made liberal provision in favor or | homcstcadS and personal property exemptions, | and can discover no desire to abandon the | policy.
 Some also express the fear that a constitu
 tional convention would abrogate our ustry | law, This might be disposed of by the sug | gestion that if the convention should do this | 1t would do no more than the courts have | already done. Why any one should desire i repeal Of the usury law where the penalties |, | of interest reserved Is in excess of 10 per cent | per annum is matter of amazcmcnt The 1 condition Of anyone who is willing to become debtor on those terms is notice to the other party that he has reached d position fin his | affairs where he is no longer position to | conduct negotiation. The fellow with the | money names the terms to security and the
 rate of interest, and the necessities of the | other require their acceptance. No legitimate | business which Arkansas Is now inviting per
 sons to enter will bring returns that will enable | the borrowers to pay more than 10 per cent 1 per aunum for the use of money with which to | carry on the same. Persons shrewd enough to ! have money to lend know this as well as any
 one. To take advantage of unfavorabe condi | ton and unfair combinations to exact more | than a commodity is worth when put 10 legiti. | mate use, is form of extortion which should | be proh bted by law
 l Any argument that will justify the repeal of | the usury law Wncfc the pronlblted rate tS in | excess Of 10 per cent. will be good argument
 when used in support Of propositon to repeal
 the laws against highway robbery. Barring 1 the period from iSds to 1874, Arkansas has al | ways maintained law against usury, and 1 | trust always will insist upon whose pro | visions are at least as effective that now on | the statute books It is sometimes urged that
 the ex Stence of the law drives capital ont Of ! the state. II that be true then the state k
 better of for it's having gone. At d higher rate