The Forrest City times., 1895-01-18

not at all probable, but if such a co.. .l,s 70 occur lt Will be within the power of anv snh sequeht legislature to rectify any sucb wron,, sa. ,t prool lt IS much better that these lew, II any, should be put to inc tronnra 2, such proof than that our taxnavere ha r,p", oi hooody can foresee to what extent
 Respectfully submitted
 G., w. M. FIsHBACK Governor.
 .S 'niS message was sent in several oener pune, ponds and scrips aggregatine several enousahu dollars have been presented for nav. ITH'' .a ano anu whlch upon examlnatlon were found 'o nave already been paid by the state
 cannot too earnestly renew the recomno,. datlons ieeoHinleh-
 PUBLIC ROADS.
 If every farmer Tn Arkansas ,voula ,o,.o ..o tlIne to calculate how much taxes he nave in- ulrectiy to pad roads, in the shape of wear and eear oi Vehlc'es, of mule and horsef1esh of tune una laoor and Of the wear and tear of na tience and therefore of health, he would annre. hehd why 1t is that the French people who are .ne most prosperous people in the world tax themselves every year 10 keep up their nuhIic highways alone more than nineteen ti,nas ao much as ArSansas taxes herself for all nur poses. They do 1t because it pays One horse III france hauis more than four horses do in the rural districts of Arkansas. and vebic,os last more than three times as long without ro, pair. io
 ANS PAOoChS IOuu law mas well nigh All ho oefects that could attach to a statute. lis burdensome: 1t is unjust and it is whollv Tn. efnclent. recommend it's repeal
 under our constitution the state Ia allowea to levy ten mills tax for state purposes Only half of this is ever levied
 recommend that an additional three mills tax be levied for public roads, to be divided among the several counties according 10 their respective assessments and to be expended under state supervision through county of1cers Tn general system of road making and that snort term penitentiary convcts and county convlcts heretofore worked on convict farms be worked upon the public roads. Hinder n well organized system upon this plan il would not be two years before the people would real 1ze US utility and would insist upon it's exten sion unt every public road would be a source Of prott as well as pleasure to our rural popu lation.
 GEOLOGICAL REPORT.
 Arkansas is perhaps as rich in natural but undeyeloped resources as any other equal area on the American continent.
 Among her many mineral resources not one exceeds Tn value her zinc field Professor Branner informs me by letter that our zinc ores are many or them within one per cent Of theo retically pure zinc ore and have minimum Of iron. and that being above drainage they can be much more cheaply mined than the zinc ore or Missouri regret that his report upon zinc has not yet been published. That you may know the exact condition of our geological sur. vey, append hereto his recent letter upon this subject and cordially recommend the nee essary appropriations to secure a final report as speedily as possible.
 sHERIFF's EXPENSES,
 Section 1889 of Gantts Digest requres the governor to pay expenses incurred in sending to other states for escaped criI finals and de- livering them to the proper custodian but the General Assembly failed to appropriate sin glc dollar for this purpose.
 Upon the advice of the attorney general l a1 m Rf 4hnO OlaSv,N A< tl fund, but do not think it Is practice to be commended The county courts of several counties meet these expenses, as they should and recommend that they all be required to do so. It promotes official purity, official coon omy and official efficiency for the officers of the law to look to their constituency, to whom they are immediately res ponsible, for compensation for services rendered
 NEW CONSTITUTION
 One of the subjects which will be brought to the attention of your honorable body will be the calling of a constitutional convention. To this proposition I find myself unable to as- sent.
 Apart from the stringency of the times and the neglect Of other far more important mat ters which would ensue, unless it is proposed to increase taxation, I can see no ne cessity or even expediency for such step. There never was a constitution in the United States which did, there never will be a constitution in the U-.ted States which will, entirely please a single member of the body framing 1t. Constitutions always have been and always will be matters of compromise, and if you were to make new ones every month there would still be as many objections to the new ones IS to the old There are many things in our present constitution which would like to see changed, but from reasons urged by others for a new constitution. there would be many more features in new one to which would much more seriously ob ject. Take 1t ali in all we have the very best constitution on the continent, and one under which Arkansas has prospered more than any other state in the union except one. think It advisable to let well enough alone, especially in times like the present If our very excel lent friends who met in this city a short time since to ask your honorable body to call a con stitutiona convention. in the face of the but recently expressed wishes of the people, will constitute themselves each into a committee of one to induce capital to come into our state for investment, and if they really desire to do Arkansas a signally valuable service let them not to forget to publish and to emphasize the fact that neither our state. our cities nor our counties permitted to issue bonds and to mortgage the citizens property Tor genera tous that in Arkansas neither the state, city nor county officials have it in their power to build up a reputation for public spirit at the expense of the taxpayers; that no horde or tramps or negro vagabonds can vote money out of somebody elses pocket in order that they may secure work or that some inciplent Tammany may barter in ballots and revel in public plumber
 My wort for 1t, such information will do thousand fold more for the commonwealth than any new constitution which could possi bly, be framed. If they would encourage home seekers to come to our state. settle up it's waste places and aid us in building up great and prosperous commonwealth. let them not forget to proclaim the further fact that here in Arkansas when man plants an ever green, a vine or fig tree upon hls homestead, sets out bed of flowers, whtewashes his premises or otherwise adorns his home he can rest in full assurance that his labor will innure to the benefit of hls wife and children and not to that of the stranger. I am aware that the cant of hypocri4y will sheer at this as dema- gogy. But if there be a statesmanship which has higher and holer aim than to plant deep in the hearts of the citizen the seeds of patriotic love for his country, by rendering the homes of the people tasteful loveable and ab- solutely secure. 1t is I frankly confess, statesmanship with which am not acquainted and do not wish to be- and one too under whose