Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1913-01-26
THE BRIDGE HEARING

The judiciary committee of the state
senate will hear The arguments for
and agains, the White bill, which
seeks to repeal the Jefferson County
Free Br dge Improvement District en-
abling act now in effect, on Thurs
Gay of the coming week.
Tae statement has been made that
the jud ciary committee fixed the date
of the hearing at the request Of At
torneys Carmichael and Oracle, repre-
senting the Taxpayers Protective AS
scciation. S nator VIII te, who a
first tried to railroad the measure
through the senate without giving the
people OF this county an opportunity
to be heard, in an interview in the
Gazette on Thursday morn ng an
nounced that the resolution, fixing
the date of the hearing and author
izing the Committee on Judiciary to
aummon witnesses, take dispositions,
ETC., was introduced in the senate at
the request of the Taxpayers attor-
neys.
Mr.. VIII te should at least be fair
with himself, even if he does not
manifest a desire to be fair to his
constituents, for when he says that
"the majority of the people of JET
ferson county are opposed to the build
ing of the bridge he knows that he
is making m sleading statement and
an assertion that is not sustained by
the positive facts in the case, facts
thai have been repeatedly sustained in
the state and federal courts.
"The attorneys for the taxpayers
league asked that this resolution b.
passed, because they feared that some
important witnesses m ght otherwise
refuse to testify and they wanted no
hitch in the proceedings" said SenA
tor White in his interview.
Senator White is m ghty anxious
now that all interested parties be
| heard. He fails to state in his inter-
view that he tried to railroad the
hearing through the Committee on
Judic airy.
The Graphic yesterday was reliably
informed that the date of the hearing
was not set at the request Of .Messrs
Collier, Oracle Or Carmichael. 1t wa:
stated that Senator White made tins
request that the bearing be had or
the Free Bridge bill last Thursday
it being the purpose of the senator t
have the Taxpayers appear before the
comm ttee and not give the Frel
Bridge supporters an opportunity tx
properly present their side of tbs
case. This request was denied BY
Chairman Miles and Senator White
asked that the hearing be held OF
the next day-Friday. Chairman
Miles informed a m that the Commit
tee on judiciary had much work be
fore it and that it did not wan. tt
teNC up INC rive iuSC IldllCl
after the coming Tuesday. The re
quest was made by Senator Whit,
for secret meeting of the commit
tee, but Chairman NJ les in his fair
ness objected stlenuously to such ;
procedure and informed the senator
from Jefferson that the COMMITTEES
would give all an or,uni,y to 81
heard and that the Committee would
decide the issue strictly on its merits
AS Mr.. Collier and others, WHIT
would be present at the bearing, is tt
attend a ded catory ceremony here OF
Wednesday. the hearing was set FOL
the next day-Thursday
Senator Waite cannot appear in tn,
light of fairness in the matter, espec
tally when the facts in the case arr
made public. The Graphic wants Il
Sc fairness prevail in the Free Bridge
matter. 1t has always insisted on
square deal not only to the Free
Bridge advocates, but to the few op