Newport weekly independent., 1903-04-03
COMMITTEE REPORTS
 AGAINST KEEL BILL.
Bill Exempting Newport From Pro- visions of Three Mile District Law Seems Fated For Early Death
 Argument Before Tenn
 perance Committee.

 perance last night Chairman Atkins presided and the other members present were Messrs. Bird, Apple, Clement and Knox. House bill excepting Newport fromtheprovisions of the three mile local option law was taken up. On motion of Mir. Glenn ent the committee decided to return the bill to the house without amend ment, with the recommendation that it does not pass. A large delegation of Newport citizens has been in the city several days. Some of them favored the bill and others opposed it. They were given hearing by the committee Thursday night. The bill will be reported back to the house to- day..
 Relative to the argument before the temperance committee upon bill No. 472 (KeeD to exempt Newport from the provisions of the three mile law, the Arkansas Democrat gives the following account:
 GAfter the committee was called to order, MT. Keel, the author of the bill, stated that he wanted to be fair to both sides. The people had elect ed him as their representative and he claimed now as when he introduced the bill, that it was in accordance with the wishes of a majority of the citizens of Jackson county.
 Judge M. M. Stuckey of Newport then took the floor in defense of the measure, and in the opening of his remarks said he was backed by ma iority of the business men and tax payers of Jackson county. The measure as he understood it sought to exempt the city of Newport from the three mile law. They wanted New port exempted because the three mile law when applied to the Episcopal church at Jacksonport would take in the principal business portion of Newport and place that portion under the local-option law. The people who own the business interests of the city live outside the radius of the three mile law, and their interests are ab- solutely controlled by those who do. The people of Newport had voted for license by an overwhelming vote. The people up there were Democrats and believed in local self government, and all they asked for was to have the right to control their own affairs. He thought the opponents of the measure were working in the interest of the saloonkeepers of Newark and Bates vile more than the business interests and citizens of Newport.
 The rest of the witnesses for the friends of the measure were Col. l.. Minor, large property owner of Newport; N. B. Wishon, R. M. John son, cashier of the Bank of Newport; J. M. Stayton, representing attorn- ey, and Mayor J. w. Grubbs. Their testimony was to the effect that the majority of the citizens of that place preferred the licensed saloon to the "blind tiger" which they alleged had overrun the town.
 Prosecuting Attorney s. D. Camp bell and Attorney G. A. Hillhouse conducted the matter for the oppon- ents of the bill. They claimed that the people of the town had not been given proper notice that the measure was to be introduced in the legisla- ture, and that the "whisky men" were the only ones who knew of it. The bulk of the testimony of Judge Scarborough, J. s. Wilmans, G. A. Hilhouse and Capt. J. E. Wilmans, who took the stand against the meas ure, was that the white citizens of the town and a majority of the taxpayers did not want the saloons in the town at any cost. It was alleged by the opponents of the bill that a majority of the signers of the petitions were negroes who could not write their names and that the petitions did not represent the wishes of the good citizens.
 PROTEST OF J. E. VILLAINS.
 The Democrat has received the fol- lowing communication relative to the bill this morning from MT. J. E. Will mans:
 "Editor Arkansas Democrat:
 'The opponents of the bill only de- sire to be left with equal privileges in the matter of local option with the balance of the state. They petitiored saloons out of Newport in 1901, and are not responsible for the blind tigers