Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1915-02-19
MARRIED women
GET MORE rights
House Passes Bill to Give
Them Same Rights as
Femme Sole.
DRASTIC LIBEL LAW
Measure Presented in Senate Intended
to Restrict Freedom Of Press, But
Would Make Newspapers Immune.
from Suit for Alleged Damages.


from Suit for Alleged Damages.
Little Rock, Feb. 1S.-After de-
bate of nearly two hours, the house
passed bill by Mr. Newberry to re-
move the disabilities Of married wo-
men, by a vote of As to AZ. The bill
provides that from and after the
passage of this act every married
woman and every woman who NAV il
the future become married, shall
have all the rights to contract and
be contracted with, to sue and he
sued, and in law and equity shall en-
joy all rights and be subjected to all
the laws of this state as though she
were femme SOLE" The opposition
ito the bill was lead by Mr.. Condray
who argued that the present law is
sufficient for the protection of the
property interests of married wo
men. Speaker Sawyer on the floor
made an argument for the bill as a
matter of common justice to women,
VINO are being emanclpated from the
restrictions of the old English law
Bills continue to flow into the leg
;slative hopper of both houses in un
diminished volume On Wednesday
alone q bills were introduced into
tile house, practically all of local
nature. There have been eos bills
intro luced in the senate and 361 in
the house.
Little Rock, Feb. 1S.-The lower
house has passed bill providing FOR
the appointment Of board for the
Examination and licensing of persons
who practice optometry in the sta'.2.
This is the bill which the State Asso
citation Of Optometrists has been urg.
ing before several Sc ssions of the leg
slature. 1t seeks to provide guar
anty of quality in spcctacles to be
purchased from reputable dealers, and
to protect them from fake peddlers
1t establishes optometry as scien-
tific profession.
Regulating Utilities.
After the senate had disposed o.:
the railroad rate bill the Bush bill to
regulate telephone companies in
cities by giving the council power to
investigate complaints, came up and
were offered extending the power to
the council to investigate overcharge
complaints on water, gas and cleo
tricity. Other amendments were to
exempt many counties, and President
Lundy took the floor to join with
Senator Bush in protest. He declar-
ed that if the counties were exempted
the bill would be ineffective in
others. and the people thus deprived
of their rights to regulate these
corporations. The bill. with all
amendments, was finally referred to
the judiciary committee.
Senator Cabaniss introduced a bill
which will permit a wife to testify
against her husband in child aban-
donment cases, and husband and wife
to testify against each other In
bigamy cases.
70 Restrict Press.
Senator Bush introduced a drastic
libel bill, requiring the publisher OF
= IA paper to publish statement from
;, the person offended, if it was reas-
:. enable, without stating who passes
" upon the reasonableness of the arti-
Gle submitted. The bin was referred
to the judiciary committee after eff
:. forts had been made to rush it
~ through as special order, Senator
Bush agreeing to this in order that
opponents to the measure not mem
bers of the senate, might be heard.
The budget committee, through It's
chairman, Senator Davenport, intro
Siuced the biennial appropriation bill
for the Arkansas Confederate home.
> A bill by Senator Edmondson re-
=, quires insurance companies to file
: with the state auditor their schedule
, OF rates OF premiums. This bill was
y n:ferred to the insurance commit
teel and 500 copies ordered printed.
y BY request Of persons in Washington,
:, ID. c. who are interested in making
!, uniform the law of warehouse re-
n ceipts, Senator Moore of Phillips, for
. :. the judiciary committee. introduced Il
: bill for that purpose. The measure
:. was made special order for next
. Wednesday.
Senator Ashley introduced bill
:, - requiring all corporations who are
not now assessed by the Arkansas
= tax commission to file an annual
!, statement of their capital stock with
:, the country assessor.
), Bills Passed.
Davenport and Lundy, a good road
bill for Mississippi. Polk, Scott,
Grant. Boone, Newton. White, Wash
iongton, Craighead, Columbia, Lafay.
; cite counties; by Davenport, priv
: ate pension act for White county; by
Edmondson, to Increase the salary
of the stenographer of the Third
judicial circuit; by Ferguson. to fix
the salary of the sheriff of Lawrence
county and his deputies; by Lundy
to permit the transfer of assignment
of franchises for public utilities: by
Lundy. to create the office OF cotton
weigher for seven southwest Arkan-
sas counties and permit them to use
4 the weights of the county clerks Of
flee as standards; by Sims, to grant
Des Arc. DeValls Bluff, and Hazen
c one-half of the road tax collected n
those towns; bv Greathouse. to per.
nit circuit judges to fill temporarily
the vacancies caused by the incapac-
t ity of county judge, and by Smit9
: of Columbia, to repeal quail lazy in