The Green Forest tribune., 1909-02-26
Legislative Gossip

idly as the work is done in the House. Within a few minutes after roll call the vote is being copied into the off cial journal.
 Early in the session Senator Car lock of Madison introduced a bill to provide for the discontinuance of the state capitol tax. The capitol commit tee of the Senate met and decided to return this bill to the Senate without | recommendation.
 Chairs were at premium and every inch of available space was til.- ed in the House chamber for 15 min utes before Hon. Elihu Root arrived The crowd was one of the largest, Ii not the largest, that ever assembled in the House chamber.
 During the discussion of Senator Henderson's resolution declaring the seat of the Senate from the Thirty | first district vacant, not single sena- tor thought to bring into the question the matter of the senator's bachelor hood The lines were too closely drawn for the usual puns.
 Col. J. R. Thornton of Camden, who was a member of the assembly from | 1879 to 1887, was visitor on the Senate floor one day last week. He exchanged "reminiscences with num- Der of the older members and enjoyed his visit to the floor immensely. He was the guest of Senator Mcknight. Well" said one senator the other | day, i've will lay aside the shades of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Julius Caesar and others for few days and expect will devote our at 1 tention to a few of the living celebri- ties who figure in later-day politics" referring to the coming state capitol bill.
 1 The gallery in the House was filled one day last week with pupils of the Deaf-Mute Institute, who attracted considerable attention among the leg islators on the floor and who appar- ently took a great interest in the pro- ceedings, despite the fact that the ma jority of them were unable to hear what was goinb on.
 Spare the state house lest. we for get and ourselves be forgotten" read a telegram received by Representa- tive Tillman B. Parks of Lafayette county. The message was sent by Mrs. s. E. Ellsworth, president of the l Arkansas Federation of Woman's Clubs, representing a membership ot 1 4.000 Arkansas women.
 Mr Vim of Pulaski, formerly of Pope county. received a message of congratulation from friends at Russell ville The message said: "We are watching your efforts in the legisla- ture. We congratulate you, and your Pope county friends are proud of you" The message was signed by 35 business men of Russellville
 The capitol committee of the House met and decided to allow a sub-com- mittee, composed of the chairman, MT. Glover of Hot Springs, Mir. Hurst of Washington and Mir. Brown of Cleve- land, to draw up a substitute for the bill introduced some time ago. This bill will be submitted to the committee and then sent back to the House. .-
 The subcommittee of the ways and means committee, composed of MT. Rowe of Sebastian, MT. Buerkle of Ar | pointed to consider House Bill No. 34 | (Thompson of Independence), provid- ing for state Repositories, met and de- cided to refer the bill back to the committee that it be referred back to the House without recommenda- tion. It was the expressed desire of the committee that the bill be fought out on the floor of the House.
 The committee on education has re- ported favorably on the bill by Mir. Witt of Montgomery county, providing for state textbook commission and a uniform series of text books. The bill is identical with a Senate bill in- troduced last session. It provides that the commission shall consist of seven members, one from each congressional district, selected by the governor. Book contracts are to be good for six years.
 Senator Henderson of Randolph, who solved the election contest mud ale from the Thrty-first district, is re- ceiving the warm congratulations of the senators and their friends As a matter of fact, the contest fight on the floor of the Senate was growing | every dIlu d SGTIOuS split in the Senate ranks promised The discussion was growing more wit | riolic every moment and the close division threatened the good of other legislation which is now on the calen- dar.
 Friday afternoon there was a group of senators standing in the state house yard discussing the work of the Senate in sending the Greaves-Sump- ter contest back to the original dis trict. Clarence H. Henderson is just ly entitled to be called the Henry Clay of Arkansas Senate" said Sen- ator Glover. He threw himself into the breastworks at the proper time and became the great pacificator of the cause of Democracy in Arkansas" "
 There was ample opportunity for oratory during the recent three days fight and the occasion developed and brought to the fore the eloquent and forceful speakers of the Senate Sena- tors who have not heretofore attempt ed an argument were heard on the proposition and all did themselves full l justice on question which afforded them plenty of room for f1owery Ian guage.
 Little Burr Patterson, the midget page of the Senate, created quite a laugh at the expense of his sire the other day. Before the Senate con. vened after recess the lad climbed into the presidents chair and rapped the Senate to order. Senator Patter- son noting who had given the signal, said to his son: Get down out of there" Without a moment hesita.