Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1903-02-02

mlsquu:es the governors call of the
extra session that enacted it, say
ing !; at it directed the attention of
the legislature to the purchase of a
farm on credit, 'tO be paid for out OF
the proceeds of the farm purchased
when in fact this enumeration of the
call was "to amend the law author
izing the board of penitentiary COM
miSsiOners to purchase convict
farm, so as to authorize such purchase
to be made by such board on credit,
and to be paid for out of the earnings
of the convicts.'
When the then existing law is con-
sidered, the meaning of this enumera-
tion of the proclamation, and the act
following it, is plain. The board
was empowered by the old law to pur-
chase with funds on hand. if it had
any, and not on credit The act ac
complished the purpose of this fea
ture of the proclamation. Under it
the board necessarily had power to
use what proceeds they had on hand
available for the purpose. and to
contract for payment of balance on
credit out of the future earnings of
the convicts. Any other construction
ignores it's spirit and purpose.
But when did this new idea strike
the governor? 1t is plain that he
would never have entertained it had
for he himself made a motion to pur
chase the Altheimer farm, which car
ried with it a cash payment of $25.-
600. The law was all right if we
would purchase the Altheimer farm.
but all wrong if We should see fit to
purchase another
And he even goes so far as to say
that the attorney general has, in a
recent opinion, sustained his narrow
view, in constituting another statute.
This is not true. The opinion he re-
fers to held that a statute providing
that all trials in the mayors court for
a violation of bylaws and ordinances
should be before the mayor, without
a jury, was void, because the enumer-
ated call in respect to cities of the
first and second class was for the en-
largement of their powers only, and
not for the changing of the mode Of
trial.
He further says that after a Great
deal of wrangling among the members
of the board, and after he lad called
citizens to testify as to the characer
and quality of the Beakley land, and
made such a case that the board
could not and did not buy it,. the
scheme" to Go so was abandoned'
and that the matter rested there for
many months.
There was no sscheme' to purchase
the Bealley farm, and the matter, as
he knows, did not rest there, for he
used every effort within his power to
force the purchase of the Altheimer
farm. He even Went so far as to at
tempt to coerce the auditor into All
agreement to join him in the purchase
Of it, by threatening to bring out al
canridate to contest with
him his second term. Was this rest-
ing? Does it not show depth of
interest and purpose inconsistent Will,
the idea of fair dealing?
He then says that after this rest
ng, within the last few months, sey-
oral propositions have been submit
ted to the board, and a farm of about
5 900 acres of ''deeded' land. and
what is claimed to be about 5000
acres Of accretions, more properly
known as sandbars, collected in front
Of the tract, which only shows and can
only be seen in stages Of low water
has been purchased within the last
sixty days. He says that the only no
tice he had that this farm had been
submitted was derived from the state
nent of the owner "some three months
prior to the purchase" to the effect
that he would like to interest him in
its purchase, to which he replied that
he could not interest him in it.
He then goes on to give his reasons
h ho OF l,o int od in Il