The log cabin Democrat., 1913-01-15
GOV. DELIVERS
final MESSAGE
TO LEGISLATURE TODAY
SAYS GREAT MISTAKE WAS
MADE IN NOT PASSING
T.-J. BILL.

Little Rock, Jan. 15.-Governor
George W. Donaghey delivered his
farewell message to the legislature
this afternoon, and tomorrow he will
retire from office after four wears
service.
Considerable portions of his mes
sage on finance and prison reform had
previously been given to the public.
lie gives statistics to prove that the
state is in much better financial con-
dton now than it was before he took
charge, notwithstanding he has had to
penses not required before, and this
has been done without increasing the
tax rate. The chief cause for this is
that through the efforts of the Tax
! Commission in raising the assessment
of property in the state $l05 900. 600.
lie said that mistake was made in
not adopting the revenue measure
passed by the last legislature and re
pudiated by the people. He said "the
opposition, from the very birth of the
measure, magnified end advertised ex-
tensively its Weaknesses, and at the
same time suppressed the all-import-
ant and greatly predominating fac
tors of its strength" In this connec-
ton, he says:
Il recommend that you reduce the
rate of taxation in this state for all
purposes so that the maximum rate
for the state, and every municipal di-
vision thereof, when all is added to-
gether, shal lnot exceed one and one
half per cent tax, and then enact a
law such as will compel an equitable
assessment of all property in the
state"
He opposes the proposition advanc-
ed by Governor Robinson that a spe-
cial one mill levy be made for educa-
tional purposes, since such institu-
tions are already supported out of the
general tax, and asks these questions:
When your road gets bad could
you haul more stuff to town by piling
up the load on the wagon?
Would you put both horses on one
side Of the tongue to make it easier
to pull the load?
Would you give the horse the long
est end of the double-tree when You
got in the mire?
"Such, in effect, would be the result
of your action if you tried to pile up
additional tax rates on the time worn
and out-of date assessment system we
now have"
In connection with his message on
the pardon of 800 convicts as a blow
to the lease system, he adds:
q have not pardoned a criminal
convicted of murder in the first de
dree
Il have aiven a pardon in but one
case for the Illegal sale of liquor
q have granted a pardon in but one
case for carrying a pistol.
Il have issued pardons in but two
cases before the party was confined in
the penitentiary.
Il have not pardoned anyone con
Victed Of mob violence"
The three principal causes for
crime in the state are given as fol
lows:
"The sale of deadly weapons and
the permitting of such weapons to be
brought into the state
The carrying of concealed weapons
by the criminally-inclined.
"The permission by the state Of sa-
looms within its borders"
He says that rs per cent of law
violations are by men under the inhu-
ence of alcoholic drinks at the time,
and 1.-The best way to suppress crime
is to suppress the cause" by abolish
ing the liquor traffic in the state. He
would also inflict a jail sentence on
pistol-carriers. To stop lynching he
would revoke the commission of every
officer failing to protect a criminal in
his charge. He would also have a
more drastic homicide law than that
now in effect, and a limitation of the
plea of self-defense, too often used as
a preteXt.
Various measures are recommended
/ for the benefit Of labor, including a
more comprehensive workman's COM
pensation act and the appointment by