The Harrison times., 1912-05-11

be attorney-gcneral at the time, as
a private citizen he would bring
suit to enjoin the issuance of war
rants by the State Auditor, in pay
ment OF per diem or legislative ex-
pense, There is not the least doubt
but that the people will approve the
amendment proposed by Gen. Nor
wood. The Legislatures have
brought it all ON by their fragrant
disregard of the peoples rights by
the prohigate expenditure of public
funds,
Among the other measures that
have been initiated are the recall
and state uniformity Of text books,
by the Federation of Labor; state.
wide prohibition By the Anti-Sa.
loon League; change in election law
for the better protection of the min
ority, by the Republican organiza.
tions
Several measures that had been
started have failed to secure enough
names for initiation, among them
beng the equal suffrage and the
state printing plant propositions
The Joker of the local lcgisla-
tion in conflict with the general law
is engaging the attention Of the
state officials and will soon be given
n try out in the courts Argenta
wants to have Sunday baseball, and
Garland county wants to have
horse racing, and Prairie county
wants to move it's county seat, and
Lonoke TO separate the offices of
sheriff and collector, and Calhoun
county to make it's county Judge cx.
onicio road and bridge comms.
sioner, and Clark and Pope counties
to put their officers ON salaries and
many other propositions But the
encouragement holds that the ma.
iorty of these questions cannot
properly be initiated under the ! &
K amendment, as they propose
laws that are in violation of general
laws apply ing to the whole state,
Gen, Norwood argues that if Gar.
land county can set aside the gen.
cral law which provides that there
shall be no betting Of any kind on
horse races in Arkansas some other
county could with equal facility de.
clare that murder should be only
misdemeonor and that to kill Il
negro would be only q violation of
the game law. The position, he
holds, is absolutely untenable, and
not 60 be considered for a moment,
although there a,c other lawyers
who hold contrary opinion,
It is roughly estimated that it
will cost the state about $4,000
TO put into execution its experiment
of direct legislation this year-N
pretty penny when the state is al.
ready a quarter Ola million dollars
behind, When the next session
meets, the deficit will be nearer n
million dollars, and the incoming
administration will face the most
serious problem that has ever con.
lrontcd the state, It is generally be-
lieyed that the Turner. Jacobson bill,
which It's authors and Gov, Dona.
ghey had confidently offered as q
remedy for the existing financial dis.
trcss, will he defeated by the people,
The overwhelming victory of Con-
gresham Robinson, who fought the
revenue measure bitterly, Gov Don.
aghey announcing that he would
stake his political future upon it,
is Interpreted as meaning that the
bill which has been so active po'
liticOl issue since the spring of 1911
will be repudiated by the people in
September,
When the T ! Bill is defeated,
Gov Robinson will be forced TO
adopt some other expedient 20 re.
trench and recoup, and while his
friends have every confidence in his
ability to do SO, il does not appear
at this time Just what course he will
pursue, More money must be
raised, The assessment cannot he
increased, except naturally, and the
onl Y other course open appears TO
be an increase IN the tax levy viii
the new governor adopt that plNnI
The state has been going from bad
to worse financially since Gov, Jeff
Davis caused tie state levy 70 be
reduced from two and a half to
one and three quarters mills, At
the same time the revenue was be.
ing reduced the expenses of the state
were being increased, and many in.
stlutions demanded by the people
were being established with heavy
pay rolls aud expense accounts,
The result was inevitable, Early in
! IA. n,nn,h,u Standardization thn