Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1915-03-19
Pays Respects to Chamber
of Commerce Bulletin for
Attack on Attitude.
MORE ABOUT BRIDGE
Declares Amendment to Jefferson
County Free Bridge Bill Would
Save People Mere Than $2,000 An
nually and Not Iniure Bonds.
Pine Bluff Ark. March is, 1915

Editor Graphic,
Pire Bluff, Arkansas.
Dear Sir:
During the past few days since the
Legislature adjourned, there has been
considerable comment il the papers
about House Bill 1888, which was in
troduced by me. and which was
recently vetoed by Governor Hays.
did not intend to indulge in any
newspaper controversy over this
matter, but | notice that some who
have seen fit to criticise my action.
for instance the Bulletin sent out by
the Chamber of Commerce of this
city, hav, ceased to criticise my Of
fetal acts, which | presume is a
privilege every citizen has, and have
sought to make it personal affair.
Consequently | take this method OF
calling attention TO the action certain
Gentlemen have seen proper to take.
House Bill 3SS by me, provided thar
the County Clerk and the County
Treasurer of Jefferson County should
perform the duties Of Secretary and
Treasurer, respectively, Of the JEFF
ferson County Bridge District. This
provision alone if allowed to become
a law, would save to the taxpayers OF
jefferson County. who are paying for
the bridge, and to whom | presume II
belongs. more than 100000, per an
nun. There was also another pro-
vision III the Bill, which if enacted
into law, would have made the Bridge
commission an elective body, to DC
voted on by the qualified electors,
just as other officials of Jefferson
County are elected.
The Governor in assigning reasons
4. for his action in vetoing this Bill
does not assign any real reason for
his action, but undertakes to excuse
the same in .vetoing this bill by say
ing Through the rress, that to allow
this Bill to become a. law, would say
to the outside world that there is no
stability to Statutes authorizing bond
issues in Arkansas. Again he says
81 do not care to impose on property
holders of the Pine Bluff Bridge Dis
! trict by casting Legislative suspicion
upon the value and character OF ';ne.r
bonds" The reasons thus far given
by the Governor are absolutely with
out foundation. ana do not even offer
decent excuse for his action. Why
does he not tell the land owners Of
Jefferson County why it would cast
suspicion upon the value and char
a1ter of the bonds of the Bridge Dis
trict?
The Bonds of this District have
been issued and sold, they are now in
the hands Of persons who have paid
their money for them. The money de-
rived FROM the sale of these bonds
to the amount of $75S,000.000 has
been used in the construction of a
Bridge across the Arkansas river
four or five miles above Pine Bluff
and there is absolutely no way by
which the land owners Of this Coun-
ty can avoid paying the obligation
thus incurred. whether that obliga-
' ton be just and equitable or not
therefore the Governors excuse OF
reason, as he would place it, must
necessarily fall for want of suffcien
logical reasoning to support it.
refer to Art. ., Section II. State
Const., which prohibits tho passage o
law impairing the obligation O
contracts. IT there were anything I.
his contention il was not necessar,
to veto the bill to give stability to tn,
bonds, the Constitution settles that
1t the Governor should have al
lowed this Bill! to- become law, ant
thereby saved to the taxpayers o
Jefferson County by eliminating tn,
unnecessary expense to the amour
OF S2,O00.00 per annum, would no