Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-10-31
LEYYINC COURT
 CONCLUDES WORK Magistrates Vote to Prohi- bit Advance Scrip to i'm
 provement Districts.
THE TAX LEVY IS MADE
Demonstration Work Will Continue in This COunty-PhiipOt De.
 nOunces Critics,

cers. made all appropriations and tax leVles and adjourned. It was an ad- Journed session, the court having giy- en week to the committees to in spect the reports of the county off clals. Judge c. M Philpot, presided.
 The Levying Court appropriated $l,o0O for government farm demon stratlon work, after it looked as if the appropriation would be defeated A resolution, offered by Magistrate Meyer Solmson, giving County Judge Phllpot and five practical farmers, members of the Levying Court, auth or1ty to recommend competent govern meht agents for appointment, carried alter protest had beer filed by sev- efal or the members, Including Magis- trate William Richardson. Magistrate John M. Oracle and Magistrate D. L. aMllis, against the "Ecsleetful service, oi the agents i'll certain parts of the county last year, against the appro- priation, unless good service could be had through it. They did not oppose the appropriation or the government work 1n this county, but did oppose it unless more competent men were secured to perform the work.
 Considerable complaint was made against the manner in which Agent Lowe, of the north side of the river, was performing his work, but no complaints were made against Agent J. E. Rogers. Magistrate John M. Gra- Gle criticised the work of the agents in this county and especially the state department of agriculture's demon stration farm, which he termed "a joke Magistrate Richardson said he knew nothing of the work accom- pllshed in this county, but he did know that in the Kingdom of Bogy' little success had crowned the efforts of the government agent and that he Lowe to visit his place and help him had never been able to induce Agent get wise' to the government farm ing. methods.
 After. considerable discussion the resolution of Magistrate Solmspn, recommending that the County Judge and committee of farmers recom- mend the agents for appointment, carried. w. F. Haden, state agent informed the Leying Court that the agents would be named as recom- mended.
 Afternoon Session.
 The real arguments came in the af- ternoon, when Magistrate Mills and Magistrate Oracle questioned the au- thority of County Judge Philpot to ad- vance money from the three-mill road fund, or that part of the city's pro rata, to local improvement districts for the purpose of improving or pav- ing the citys streets. MT. Oracle de- manded the passage of resolution prohibiting what he termed 'the lending of the county's credit" to aid local improvement districts. He saiG the issuance of scrip for one, two and three years to aid paving districts was nothing else but endorsing notes for the improvement districts and that the county was being used as the "endorser.'' MT. Mills in a speech declared that the county would never get out of debt with such meth eds and he attacked the method of al- lowing accounts for feed, sold the county by local concerns, without an itemized account being attached. He also criticised the new road district plan. Judge PhilpOt defended his actions as county judge and said that he had always acted under the law and that he was doing as we'll in that office as any one who criticised him. He said one man who had made a question able reference to his actions earlier in the day to magistrate concerning his acts was man 'Who would steal and later called him a thief" He said that he did not know who the man was who made the insinuation but that he was sure he could not be trusted. Judge Philpot said that he was acting under the law in aiding local improvement districts, but that the system was most troublesome to him and he would welcome any pre- ventative that might do away with it.. The law on the subject was demanded by Magistrate Mills, who said he had no personal grievance in the matter but only wanted to be right in the matter, as he felt it his duty to be. It was shown by a special act of the Leg islature of 1911 that Judfe Philpot was acting legally in issuing scrip for To- cal improvement districts, and Mr. Oracle withdrew his objections, other than to say the law should be remed- jed. Just before adjournment, how ever, MT. Mills offered motion that it be the sense of the 1evying Court that Judge Philpot discontinue the is- suance of scrip to local improvement districts in advance of the collection of the three-mill tax, and the motion carried. Twenty-seven nonresident magistrates of the city voted for the motion and six of the city magistrates voted against it. Magistrate j.. B, Talbot in arguing the legal authority of Judge Philpot in the matter, took issue with, Mag istrates Mills and Oracle, and said that the authority was given the coun- ty judge to aid local districts by a special act of the Legislature. He said the issuance of the scrip for local } improvements did not affect the coun- tvs funds, but that all of the money was taken out of the city's pro rata