Washington telegraph., 1909-02-26
Legislative Gossip

| The journal clerks are now copying
each days proceedings almost as rap
Idly as the work is done in the House.
Within few minutes after roll caii
the vote is being copied into the OH
eial journal.
Early in the session Senator car
lock of Madison introduced Dill 10
provide for the discontinuance OF the
state capitol tax. The capitol commit
tee OF the Senate met and decided 10
return this bill to the Senate without
recommendation.
Chairs We're at premium ana
every inch of available space was MI
ed In the House chamber for 10 mll-
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 Thlrty-
nfst district vacant, not single seha-
tor thought to bring into the questlon
the matter of the senator's bachelor-
mood. 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 a visitor on the
Senate floor one day last week. lie
exchanged "reminiscences with num-
Der of the older members and enjoyed
MS visit to the floor immensely. lie
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
tention to few of the living celebrl-
ties who figure in later-day politics,
referring to the coming state capitol
bill
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-
emily took great interest in the pro-
ceedings, despite the fact that the ma
| jority of them were unable to hear
| what was goinb on.
/ oPdlC 2 lhS SldtO AOuoC lCoI nS iOA
| get and ourselves be forgotten read
telegram received by Representa-
tive Tillman B. Parks of Lafayette
county. The message was sent by
Mrs. S. e. Ellsworth, president of the
Arkansas Federation of Woman's
Clubs, representing a membership OF
1000 Arkansas women.
Mr.. Winn of Pulaski, formerly of
Pope county. received message of
congratulation from friends at Russell
vile. The message said: eve 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 sub-com-
mittee, composed of the chairman, Mr..
Glover of Hot Springs, Mr.. Hurst OF
Washington and Mr.. 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 Mr.
Rowe of Sebastian, Mr.. Buerkle of Ar
kansas and Mr.. Leigh of Pulaski, ap-
pointed to consider House Bill No. "a
(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 recommends
tion. 1t was the expressed desire of
the subcommittee that the bill be
fought out on the floor of the House.
The committee on education has re-
ported favorably on the bill by Mr..
Witt of Montgomery county providing
for state textbook commission and
uniform series of text books. The
bill is identical with Senate bill in
troduced last session. 1t 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 Thirty-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 ofythe Senate was growing
more bitter every hour and a serious
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-