The log cabin Democrat., 1912-07-10
THE "A. A. A." FARCE.

AS was very generally surmsed by
those who read between the lines of
the "call' and noticed the names at
tached thereto, the initial meeting of
the Arkansas Advancement Asso-
ciation," which broke up in row
yesterday afternoon, was called for
the purpose of stimulating sentiment
in the state against three PROPOSE
tions which the Little Rock Board of
Trade, through its secretary, George
Russ Brown, has been fighting for
many months.
These propositions are the Turner
Jacobson bill, the statewide prohibi-
ton bill and the law prohibiting
gambling in futures, to all of which
Mr.. Brown is earnestly and vigor-
ously opposed. The first two are bills
referred to the people to be voted up
on in September and the last is law
which has been on the statute books
for several years.
1t would seem that there was lit
tie need for protest by the enemies of
the measures against either the TT
bill or the prohibition bill, as it is
generally conceded that the people
went on record against the former in
the March primaries and the cam
paign in favor of the latter has al
ready been abandoned by the Anti
Saloon League, under whose auspices
it was initiated
But, evidently fearing least the
circulation of million copies of the
new revenue law in county papers
throughout the state might cause a
reversion of public sentiment in its
favor, and lest the prohibition work
ers might be playing 'possum" to
prevent activities by the opposition
and silently carry their bill, Secre-
tary Brown created and called into
being the Arkansas Advancement
Association" to prevent the passage
of either. The repeal of the anti
future law, which has been thorn
in Mr.. Browns side ever since its
passage, was also made one of the is
sues to be taken up. Strange to say,
the bill to legalize race-track gam
bling at Hot Springs was not incor-
porated in the "call"
But the purpose of the meeting
was too apparent and the methods of
the promoters too clumsy for it to
make much Roadway. The Little Rock
papers and newspaper correspond
ents commented on the "large and
representative attendance" but the
vote on the resolution which broke up
the meeting-30 to 5-gives an in
sight into the real attendance.
When the program was published
and it was seen that only one side of
these three questions was to be pre-
scented, efforts were made by George
Thornburgh, president of the Anti
Saloon League, to have the prohibi-
ton side of the question represented,
but Mr.. Thornburgh was informed
by Mr. Brown that the program was
already made up and could not be al
tered.
The program, however, was alter
ed considerably when G. w. Garrett
of Okolona introduced a resolution
protesting against the preparation of
partisan program dealing with
campaign issues and pledging the as
ISOLATION to take a non-partisan
stand on all political issues. This
was exactly what the Advancement"
promoters did not want, and when
they saw the thin disguise of the
meeting had been so easily penetrat-
ed, Chairman Blackwood declared the
session adjourned sine die, before tht
resolutions committee ever had a
chance to present the elaborate list of
whereases and be it resolveds which
( they had drafted.