The Harrison times., 1911-06-17
The Arkansas Legislature.
LITTLE Rock, June 13, 191

~ iLE 'DNNt IN'iN h'' ~ =
A remnant of the perspiring Legis-
lature waiting to be called before
the Pulaski county Grand Jury, an
empty treasury, and a few officials
and committees working on the
journals and the enrolled bills, are
all that is left of the extra session OF
the 3Sth General Assembly. To
these, however, should be added a
feeling of intense relief on the part OF
the people and the state officials and
the members themselves that it is
all over if not forgotten.
1t is doubtful if in all the history
of the state there has been a more
unpopular and less fruitful session
of the Legislature, one that accom-
plished less actual good. The two
sessions held for a total of l45 days,
at a cost of about $1S0,OO0. Coy.
Donaghey is authority for the state
ment that more of actual good was
done during the twenty days of the
extra session than during the l25
days of the regular session. He de
clares that the regular session did
practically nothing, and that it was
only by the adoption of vigorous
measures toward the so called Reg
ulars of the Senate, that anything
was done in the extra session. He
is we'll satisfied with the results, but
is convinced that much more might
have been done. However, those
who have feared a call for a second
extra session need have no alarms,
there will be no more Legislature in
Arkansas until January. 1913, a
little more than IS months. BY
that time, with the election of new
members intervening, the state
should have recovered from its re-
cent distressing experience.
DONE BY THE EXTRA SESSION
Four or five acts recommended by
the Governor were passed by both
the House and Senate. These are
as follows:
Bill by Pipkin for an enabling act
providing the machinery for put
ting into effect the Initiative and
Referendum amendment.
Bill by Glover and McFerrin APP
propriating $50 600 for the removal
of the Supreme Court and the State
Treasury from the old state house
to the new capitol.
Bill by Turner and Jacobson pro-
viding a complete new system OF
assessment and taxation. This is
the big act of the whole session, be.
ing most revolutionary in its appli-
cation.
Bill appropriating $15, 1000 for the
purpose Of prosecuting the appeal
from Judge Trieber's decision in the
railroad rate cases to the Supreme
Court of the United States,
The only important matter in
which the governors policies were
not carried out was in making a
change in the management of the
penitentiary The House passed an
administration bill by Mr., Hardage
for the creation of Board of three
commissioners not state officers, and
set on foot an investigation Of the
Pcnitentiary affairs generally, but
it went no further. The report OF
the House investigating committee
was the last thing considered on the
floor, and the benediction was pro-
nounced with Grant of Jackson on
the floor arguing in favor of res,
olution for a post-legislatiye com
nittee to investigate a charge that
w. l.. Reeves, a convict contractor,
owes the state $4,000 1t has
been stated that State Auditor will
conduct the investigation, Atty,
Gen. II. l.. Norwood strenuously
objects to what he terms ill-advised
and misleading conclusions of the
committee which spent only a few
DAYS in the examination Of wit
nesses regarding penitentiary affairs,
and then reported that the present
Board is inefficient
MUcH USELESS Work DONE.
a great deal of useless work was
done by both houses. Many bills
were introduced in both houses that
were ruled out of order as not COM
ing within the purview Of the gov
ernor's call. Had bills for the com
pletion of the capitol, for the APP
preparation of various items vetoed
BY the governor, and for raising the
tax on wholesale liquor dealers, life
insurance policies, old bachelors and
maids, and such like duotbful sub
jects been consdesed, the worried
Solons would have welcomed the first
FROST of winter.