The Mena weekly star., 1913-05-08
6O-DAY SESSION
 UNSATISFACTORY
States WiSeSt Men Asking if Arr kansas Is in Transition Period in Governmental Matters
 Too Many Local Bills.
By Clio Harper.

Little Rock, May 2.-IS Arkansas in a transition period in govern mental methods? This is ques- ton that some of the states wisest men and most observant students of affairs are asking. For several wears the sessions of the General Assembly have not measured up to the standard expected of them. In 1911 It was m session too long and cost too much money, while in 1913 its session was sO short that very little was accomplished, and that little in a sort of haphazard, get through-in-the-sh0rtest-tl9e man. her that was far from satisfactory. and the memory of the session of 1905 Is too unSaVOry to bear re- calling in a civil history.
 The 60-day experiment lS not a success. unless some method can be devised to avoid the excessive leg isIation of a purely local character which takes up the time of the lawmakers to the exclusion of gen. eral legislation in which the whole state Is interested. In consequence of this great haste. the acts of the last legislature contain more flaws, not to say incongruitieS and ineOn- sistencies. than have the laws of any session in many years.
 The trouble is that bills were often introduced by request" with which the man whose name ap- peared on the title page was unfa- miliar, and rushed through without being read by any one-clerk, com mittee or member-unless someone more obserVant than the others happened to catch a discOrdant note or scent a menace in the measure. This is particularly true of practi- cally all of the SO-called local measures. for the mistaken policy prevailed that it mattered not what the local bill was. the member from the county concerned was held re- sponsible for the results. He must either stand or fall by it. and. by reciprocity, aid the others in pass ing such local bills as they might desire. And yet great issues were often involved in bills of this char acter. such. for instance. as the Ray road bill for White county. which Governor Futrell was later con- strained tO veto because he saw in it the establishment of a dangerous precedent in the issue of bonds This condition should not be as cFibed tO carelessneSS or chicanery. but to a lack of time for the proper consideration. The reading of a bill from the clerks desk became the most perfunctory business. and no pretense was made to read a bill in full. longer than half a dozen pages. and no pEetense made by the mem berS to listen. When the bill was printed which all general bills were. the members might then study them in their leisure and be prepared to act upon them intelliz gently. but in the case of local bills. the policy of laissez faire prevailed to the detriment of all Efforts made to curb the increasing flood of special legislation always met with failure. for there were not more than half dozen members who did not have from one tO a ] dozen local bills to force through. ! The fact that not more than half a dozen of the 800 local bills intro duced were advertised for 30 days in advance. as required by the con- stitution. made little difference. al- though Representative lobe and a few others persisted in going upon record as opposed 10 the journal speaking a lie" Members of the Senate-and there will be a working majority of holdovers-say that they will insist upon the observ- ance of this constitutional rule in the session of 1915. which will have the effect of greatly reducing the volume of local laws.
 II is probable. too. that the peo- pie will adopt the Johnson amend ment to the constitution. submitted by inc legislature. placing the mem bers on a salary of $50 for the bi- ennial period instead of the present system under the Norw0od amend ment of limiting them 10 60 days at S6 a day. Under the Johnson amendment. the sessions are not re- stricted as 10 time. but they shall receive no more nor less than the stipulated amount. whether in ses- sion 30 days CT six m0aths. This will enable them fo transact all the necessary business of the state with due care and relative precision.
 The demand for a new cOnstitu- ton is growing. and all that is needed to call 1t is a leader. The 7i model is out of date and out chased. and conditions will not be aojusted until a new model is pro- Vided
 Some of the more radically pro- gressive have dared wonder what there is in the scheme that has