The Green Forest tribune., 1914-08-28
LAWYERS OPINION OF ACT NO. 3
What w. F.Reeves ofMarshaII Thinks of the Proposed Publicity Law.

The following review of the provision
 of the proposed publicity measure
 known as Act No. 3, has been giver
 to the press by ". F. Reeves of
 Marhall, former prosecuting attorney of his district:
 Section 1 provides for the publica- tion of Amendments to the Consttu- tion, initiated Acts and Acts referred, in such manner as.to lessen the pres ent cost or such publications and save the state several thousand dollars ev- cry two years This is the only section of the entire bill that is not condem- nable. If that section alone was the whole bill every voter ought to support 1t, and the next legislature can pass that section in ore hours time and save the state forty to fifty thousand dollars every two years. hope it will do so, for it ought to do so.
 Section provides that after 90 days from the final adjournment of each session of the legislature the Secretary of State shall cause to be published in one newspaper in each county a syn opsis of all general laws enacted by the General Assembly except the laws referred to the voters by the referen- dunn, which synopsis shall be prepared by the Attorney General Under the fees allowed by this same Act, this section alone will cost the state from $500 to S3000 for each county in the state, depending upon the length of each synopsis. If the synopsis of each Act Is made full enough that the people can understand it, 1t will cost $3000 for each county or total of S225, 900 for the state every two years. Unless the synopsis is made full enough that the people can tell what the bill provides for or against, it's publication would be useless. Then again the present law provides that the Secretary of State shall publish these Acts immediately after the adjournment of the General Assembly, and distribute them at the cost of the state to the various county officers and justices of the peace, and this law is not repealed by the Public ity Act. What kind of an onslaught would this be on an already bankrupt treasury?
 Section provides that the Secre- tary of the Arkhnsa Railroad Com mission shall cause to be published one time in one news paper in each county, all general orders of the commission. Under the fees allowed by the Act this will cost the state at least $75,0 per year, if the Railroad Commission does anything, and of course it is as useless as can be thought of when it comes to the common kno'~ledge of the people that these commissioners are elected every two yeats and their acts as officers are always gone over and checked up by allegislative committee every two years and reported to the general assembly. Then again most orders of the Commission as we'll as most Acts of the legislature are harm less looking little fellows on their face and 1t is the use made of them after wards that makes them bad-just ex- actly like the proposed Act l am now discussing. @
 Section 4 provides for the publication of all allowances against the county, all acts of the County Board of Equali- zation, in raising or lowering the valua- tion of all property assessed, and for other things that will cost each county from $2,500 to $10, 1000 per year to be RolN OuL OlslllSy aSollll.gg- IatlGa. The persons responsible for this Act seem to doubt the integrity of the Circuit Courts and the County Courts and the Boaltl of Commissioners of County Accounts. All circuit court ex- penses are examined by the circuit court assisted by the prosecuting at torney and certified down to the county court for allowance. The circuit court appoints thr ee Commissioners of County Accounts of different political parties to examine all allowances, all records and settlement of officers each year and report to the circuit court and Act No. that we are discussing provides for the publication of this re- port. It would bankrupt every county in the state or double the county and state taxes to pass this Act.
 Section 5 provides for the publica- tion of tine orders of the county court allowances against each road district in the county which would take all the road taxes for publishing it. Too foolish to think of.
 Section provides fees for county clerks in furnishing the above matter to the papers to publish. More ex- pense on the taxpayers.
 Section provides for the pubica- tion of the report of the County Con- missioners of.Accounts as above stated. This would ordinarily fill two or three issues of the most of our county papers of four pages of solid advertising.
 Section s provides that all annual re- ports of Commissioners of Special Im- provement districts shall be published in some newspaper in the county. This is an attempt to bankrupt each city treasury.
 Any favored county paper would have greater income per annum than a United States senator. Every voter should read this proposed Act and vote against it on September IA, next.