Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-08-16
GOVERNOR SAYS IN NINETY DAYS
THERE WILL NOT BE ONE CENT
IN GENERAL REVENUE FUND.
AN UNDERHAND ATTACK
Chief Executive Declared That So
called Men Of Prominence in So
ciety are 0ppored to Measure.

Little Rock, Ark, August 15.-
Investigating for over week the
source of the opposition to the Tur-
ner- jacobson revenue bill, Gov. G. w.
Donaghey Monday afternoon Issued
the following statement regarding
that measure, petitions to refer which
to the voters of the voters of the
state are now in circulation:
1t is here in Little Rock that all
fault is found with the bill. 1t is
here in Little Rock that all objec-
tons are raised and all petitions for
its reference to the people are writ
ten, printed and sent out to the coun-
try for circulation and signatures.
1t is also here in Little Rock that
hands of certain business agents"
to defray the expense of getting the
required number of signatures to
cause an election to be held on the
question as to whether the bill shall
become a law. But it should not fol-
low that because Little Rock men and
citizens object to proposed law,
that they are wrong and the law good.
But they should come out in the open
and give their names and their rea-
sons why they disapproye it. have
heard Of some men being connected
with the attempt to defeat this bill
who stand high in business and so
ciel circles, but who do not disclose
their identity in connection with this
measure. Why is this? Why are
they ashamed to let the world know
that they think this is bad law?
Why do they delegate this work to
others rather than do it themselves?
Is this the way for dignified gentle
men TO attack proposed law III
which all the state is interested. Let
it be remembered that it is certain
citizens of Little Rock making use
OF the Initiate and Referendum first,
and if in the future it should happen
that Little Rock should lose some
thing by the use of the Initiative and
Referendum, let Little Rock not then
complain that she was the first to
make use of the law. This bill should
by all meens have had emergency
clause attached to it. If the state
ever needed an emergency clause it
is now-now when it stands to lose
so much by delay in thi sbill taking
effect.
The Legislature put the emergency
clause to practically all other meas
ures passed, but when the state was
to be benifitted it left it out, and it
is this situation that these citizens
OF Little Rock are now taking ad-
vantage Of Alright. let them go
ahead. SO far not single reason
worthy of consideration has been
given for the defeat of the Turner
Jacobson bill. Every objection is
either based on false assumption or
stated with the intent of arousing
prejudices in the mind OF those not
Informed on the subject. Half of the
objections heard to the bill are taken
from the sections in it which are al
ready laws and are merely copied
from existing statutes. The popular
statement OF the enemies of the bill
IS that 1t will double taxes. He gets
this authority from the provision of
the bill which requires full rendi-
ton OF property values He forgets
to state to the uniformed that as
the property assessments OF the state
increase the rate of taxation must de
crease accordingly under the terms
OF the bill. He also forgets that the
law now and always has required d
full rendition, but that we have been
permitted to swear falsely on this
point until the taxdodger has out
sworn the taxpayer so far that the
burden OF taxation have fallen almost
entirely upon the shoulders of the
man who has some respect for hts
word and oath. In other words. ac-
cordlng to present custom, the man
owning $1,000 worth of property m
assess it at $500, and take an oath
that he is assessing it at a fair basis
But the man who owns $4,000 worth
OF property may assess his whole
possessions at $4,000 md according to
MS conscience take an oath that he
100, has assessor fairly This is done
SO much that it has become the rule
ana not the exception. But suppose
Tue $4,000 property owner did as
1888 on the same sis as the $1,000
paoper'y owner, then he would have
s1''oVo left free from taxation while
tue poor man had but $500. Such
aplions are manifestly Unfair for
Tue state to give one citizen aver
another. WV