The Mena weekly star., 1909-02-25
SENATOR LOGAN EXPLAINS
Gives His Reasons for Withdrawing Polk County From Effect of Bill
 Favored By Hamilton.


 The Star recently spoke of the fact that bill giving Polk coun- ty depository law had beer withdrawn in the senate, so far as this county was concerned, ty Senator Logan. This bill, while sent in under Kcndall's name, was helped through the house and favored by Representative Hamilton.
 Senator Logan expiains bis action as follows:
 To the Editor of Tie St r:
 Dear Sir:-I notice an edi orlal in a recent issue in which you state that I sidetrackea Repre- sentative Hamilton's bll for De- positorv law after It had passed the House, 1 presume that you do not desire, knowingly, to do me any injustice or to leave a false impression with the people as to my attitude Tn the matter. In tEe first place, am the father of the depository laws in Arkan- sas. I wrote and passed the first law that was ever placed upon the statute books of the state.
 I advocated a Depository law for both Pc k and Scott countess, and I am still heartily Tn favor of it, and shall if possible pass such law at this session of the Legis- lature for both Polk and Scott counties. Scott coanty now has a law which was passed Tn 1905. which provides that any bank or banker or trust company in Scott county can bld on the funds.
 Now although this law has been in effect In Scott county for four years, yet they have teen unable to secure one cent of interest on their county funds, and all le- cause the law says any bank, banker or trust company in Scott county could bid. The con sequence is that the banks at Waldron entered into | com bination and refused to make bids on the county funds.
 The bill of which MT. Hamilton speaks was introduced in the House by Mir. Kendall of Johnson county, and Mir. Hamilton had Polk county attached to it. This bill, like the Scott cou ty bill, provided that only banks in the county could bid on the funds. I spoke to Mr. Hamilton about the matter and he sad that the bill had already been approved by parties at Mcna, and there was no use in amending 1t, but said he would speak to Mr. Kendall about it and let me know, but when the bill came up for final passage in the Senate, no consent had been received for the amend ment which I desired to place on it. I desired to amend 1t in thIs way: To provide that any bank, banker or trust company In the state of Arkansas couid bid on these fluids, thus preventing any combination of banks in Polk county from securing the funds without paying interest. Failing to receive consent to amend the bill in the way in which l have msntioned, l asked that the name of Polk county be taken from the bill, because I considered that if we have a Depository law for Polk county, we should not get into the same trouble that they hak in Scott county. and receive ao benefit from 1t.
 One of the first things 1 did was to prepare a Depository bill along the lines outlined, which pro vided that any bank, banker, or trust company in Arkansas could bid on these funds. This bil also provided that if any bank located outside of the county seal shou d be selected as a Depository that they must provide place of payment at the county seat, where cheeks drawn on them would be cashed without discount, and that the treasurer be notified in writing by the depc sitory bank, at what place at the county seat these cheeks would be cashed,
 It seems to me that this Is quite a tempest in tea pot. MT. Hamilton seems to think that have treated. .hIm. with ,disrcsp ct in cutting out Polk county from that bill. In the first place, if the bill had borne the name of our representative, Mr. Hamll- ton, and 1 should have cut out Polk county without asking hi, consent, or should have desired to amend 1t without asking his consent. l certainly would hay, been treating him wi.h disre spect, but thls bill bore the nam, ofgKendaIl of Johnson county.
 Mir. Hamilton claims to hay,
 made his campaign iu this issue