The Harrison times. (Harrison, Boone Co., Ark) 1876-1938, 1907-03-02
Our Little Rock Letter.

| AN'e tua fieSeht SsSStoh VI Tx
General Assembly will be extended
sixty days and possibly longer be-
yond the regular limit fixed by the
constitution, is the general opinion
OF the members While the regular
session of the General Assembly is
fixed at sixty DAYS there is no limit
to the time that the Legislators can
remain in session if they desire to
pass a resolution extending the SEES,
sion, There has been times when
the legislature has remained in ses-
sion for six months and it has been
seldom in recent years that the SEES
sion has lasted less than 100 days.
There has been no agreement at the
present time as to the length OF the
extension but it will not be less than
40 days and more likely will be at
least sixty, 1t was. agreed at an
informal conference of the legislators
held Sunday that sixty days addition
al time would be required and it is
probable that a resolution providing
for the extension of the session to
that length of time will be intr oduced
within the next few days. Speaker
Hamiter of the house has declared
himself in favor of the extension, as
he says it will be impossible for the
legislature to conclude it's business
within the regular time allowed. He
calls attention to the fact that the
General Assembly is conducting
several important Investigations,
such as the state capitol and peniten-
tiary Investigations, and thattit will
require time to conclude these and
enact the needed legislation that will
be the natural result of the inquir-
les. Another reason assigned for
the extension is that Governor
Little has been forced by illness to
be absent throughout the session
and that the legislature should. il
possible, remain in session until he is
able to return and assist in carrying
out the reforms asked for, in his in
augural message and in his campaign
speeches. II the session were not
extended it would end within two
weeks and it is admitted that it
would be impossible to transact a
small part of the business now before
the legislators within that time.
The investigation of the new state
capitol is to be a star chamber affair.
under the plans adopted by the joint
capitol Investigating committee
The committee, through its chairman
Senator Kie Oldham of Pulaski Co.
has announced that its sessions,
where evidence is taken, will be held
behind closed doors and that the
only information that will be given
out will be contained in statements
that will be issued by the chairman
from time to time. The sub-com-
mittee, which will investigate the
actual work of construction, has
held one meeting and at this session
George W. Donaghey, the Conway
contractor who has been making
charges against the contractors and
the commissioners for several years,
was summoned before the committee.
The session was held behind closed
doors and nothing has been given
out as to the nature of Mr.. Donagh-
ey's testimony. Donaghey asked
permission to file formal charges
against the contractors and to be
represented by counsel before the
committee but both of these requests
were refused. In explanation OF this
refusal Senator Oldham stated that
the committee proposed to act after
the manner ofa grand jury and for
that reason wished to conduct the
investigation in it's own way. The
first of the official statements by
Chairman oldham has not yet h,s2
given out. n
Whatever the general results ofthe
penitentiary Investigation may be,
the indications are that noe f''s-7t,
will be made regarding the
ner in which affairs at the state
convict farm at Cummins are con-
Quoted. The full joint committee
visited the state farm and upon their
return the members expressed them.
selves as greatly pleased with the
conditions which they found exist.
ing on the farm. They declared that
they found everything in snlendid