Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1910-02-13
JUDGE JAS. GOULD
 ANSWERS CRITICS
Continued From Page 1.)

tive committee. who had the matter in charge, came to me and requested me as County Judge to assist them in effecting an organization. The first thing l did was to get in communi- cation with the Department of Drain
 age at Washington, D. C., which re- suited in their sending MT. Morgan the most experienced drainage engi- neer in the country, to Jef- ferson County, and examine carefully into the plan of draining this terri
 to Altheimer, Sherrill, Tucker and
 other places Investigating the mat ter. MT. Morgan, after careful in-
 vestigation, recommended the drain- age of this district, and every per son we met heartily favored the plan.
 After this we proceeded to call a meeting of the citizens at Altheimer and had printed notices posted at all
 of the public places throughout the district At this meeting there was a very large representative gathering of the citizens and tax payers of this district at least one hundred in num- Der; and at this public meeting they chairman and secretary and recom- mended an attorney, civil engineer and directors for the management of the affairs of the district.
 The question of temporary survey to see if the project was feasible was taken up and men put in the field un- der the direction and supervision of the Department of Drainage of the United States government After this examination and survey the depart ment at Washington wrote me in per- son that the lands could and should be drained. These communications I submitted to the gentlemen recom- Altheimer meeting and they proceed ed then and there to make a perma- nent survey, and MT. w. F. Coleman, who was recommended as the attor- ney for the district at the Altheimer meeting, was instructed to prepare special act of the legislature for this having rendered an opinion previous to this that there was grave doubt as to the bonds issued under the old law being valid. This act was carefully drawn and passed upon by the best legal talent in the state This bill was then introduced in the legisla- Rock; MT. D. E. Tucker and one or two others having been furnished a copy. The bill was pending before the legislature for a number of weeks and before it's passage it's provisions were brought to the attention of many of the planters and tax payers of the district.
 The bill was introduced by Mir Tucker. then a Representative in the legislature from Jefferson county. Mir Tucker was not favorable to the bill on account of some land being in that he thought ought not to be as he said the natural drainage was west and requested a modification of the bill in that and some other minor re- spects. A portion of the territory suggested by him was taken out of the district and some other changes as to area were likewise made.
 This bill was up for attention and it was fairly and freely discussed for more than month before it's pas sage. Before MT. Tucker would urge its passage, he communicated with a large number of tax payers of the district and not a single protest came to the members of the legislature against the passage of this bill, but on the other hand petition after peti- tion was received by the members of the legislature for it's speedy passage and adoption.
 A copy of this bill must have been in the hands of Col John M. Oracle and his son, Mir. Asa Oracle, an at- torney of Little Rock, for at least one month before it's passage. Not one criticism ever came from him or his son to the passage of this bill, but on the other hand during all this time and for years before and after wards he has taken frequent occasions to compliment me in my efforts as county judge to aid the great work of levee building, drainage districts
 and building and the establishment of
 good roads throughout the county
 There was never at any time any
 effort made to pass this bill without
 full and free discussion of it's merits
 and demerits by and on behalf of the
 taxpayers of the district and tho
 people effected by it.
 Its directors, officers, agents and
 representatives were recommended