Washington telegraph., 1912-10-04
TIMELY ADVICE FROM
ATTORNEY GENERAL
IN LETTER TO REPRE-
SENTATIVES
ENDORSES SIXTY-DAY SESSION
Emphasizes Necessity of Dis
posing of Local Matters
Under General State Laws

OAAASA OSAASA al ototS l. q w
The following letter from At
torney General Hal L. Norwood
explains itself and contains some
valuable information:
Little Rock, Ark, Sept. %.
To the Senators and members
of the House of Representatives
of the State of Arkansas; We all
know that candidates for the leg
islature, almost without excep-
ton, during every campaign, have
declared for short sessions. My
information is that practically
every candidate this year favored
the adoption of Amendment No.
13. [ therefore congratulate you
on the large vote cast for the
Amendment. Having received a
majority of all the votes cast at
the election, the Speaker of the
House of Representatives will de-
clare it adopted.
Since Amendment No. 13, in
effect, limits the sessions Of the
legislature to sixty days, your
constituents will know that you
will not have time topass so large
a number of special acts as has
been the custom for the last four
sessions of the general assembly.
And they will, in many instances,
obtain what they wish by pro-
ceeding under the provisions of
the general law, instead of re-
questing you to introduce special
bills. You know that for the past
7-5sz4ssr a I
apless~s1 y y, at leastthree fourth of
sures enacted were what
ah as special legislation. !"
Measures for the creation of fenc-
ing districts, school districts,
drainage districts, improvement
districts, road improvement dis
tricts, authorizing school districts
to borrow money, extending the
corporate limits of towns, incor-
porating towns, raising towns to
cities of the second class, and
cities Of the second class to cities
of the first class, requiring rail
roads to build depots, and to stop
trains at certain stations, consti-
tute the bulk of this special legis-
lation.
At the risk Of being considered
-presumptious, | would suggest
that if some of your constituents
request you to introduce an act
to consolidate school districts.
that you refer them to Act No.
116 of the Acts of 1911; that il
they want an act creating a spec
ial school district, tell them tC
proceed as provided in Act No
321 of the acts of 1909-If a town
or city, proceed under Section
1868 Kirby's digest. If they want
to Dor 'oW money for a school d S
trict, see if it cannot be obtained
under act No. 248 Of the Acts Of
1905. A number Of districts Dor
rowed money under this Act and
the Act Of 1903. If this genera
law, a thorizing school districts
to bOr5 ow money, is not sufficient
then an act should be immedia je
ly passed, which would be as af
fectivC as a special act. If some
of you constituents request yor
to intl oduce special act for
fencing district, request them tt
see if rhey cannot, upon a petition
to the county court, create sucE
district under the provisions O.
Section 1873, Kirby's Digest, as
ament ed by Act No. 291, Acts o
1907. If they want a special &c
for the creation OF a drainage dis
trict, examine that part of Chap
ter 46, Kirby's Digest, relating t.
Drains a-d bitches, as amend
ed by Act NO. Ill of the Acts o
1907. Instead of special acts fol
the creation C of 'Inprovemen n
distri' ;ts," they should proceed