Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1916-10-17

see what they did do. The order was
made during the administration of
lanes A. Scull as county judge. 1t
follows:
ut appearing to the satisfaction of
the court, reference being thereunto
had. that at the last April term of this
court a special road tax of one-fourth
of one per cent was then levied by the
court on all lands belonging to non
residents in this county assessed for
taxation during the year 1913; and
that said tax of one-fourth Of one per
cent was at the last July term hereof
reduced to one-sixteenth of one per
cent on the lands aforesaid, and it
now appearing to the satisfaction Of
the court, after due examination of the
subject and the law applicable there
to. that said road tax is unconstitu-
tional, it is therefore considered by
the court that the same be hereby
set aside in toto"
It will be seen from this that the
road question claimed their atten-'
ton. Further, that the court then was
not averse of its own motion in doing
that which the courts have been doing
ever since, and that is reversing them
selves. 1t does not appear, however,
that any court passed on that question
but the Judge Of the county court.
Not Afraid of Publicity.
On Monday, January /, 1849, the
court house received attention. It was
necessary to repair same, so Thos. S.
James was made commissioner of pub
lie buildings for jefferson county.
There was newspaper published in
jefferson county at that time, and it's
name was a good old Democratic one,
"The Jeffersonian." In this paper
Thos. S. James inserted his notice
about fixing the roof and the sides
of the court house and let the con-
tract.
I remember just a few short years
ago that all the newspapers in the
state were organized for the adoption
of what is now known as the publicity
act, it being then known as act No. 3
on the ballot. 1t was urged by the
press that matters Of record in the
court should be published and the ac-
counts in order to show the people
what became of their money. This
measure at the time was opposed by
the offceholders and the politicians
in nearly all the counties, yet it was
overwhelmingly adopted. It cost lot
to adopt it, great deal of publicity
and public speaking. Yet in looking
through the records of the past, and
seeing what the men Of that day and
time were doing, we find we accom-
plished nothing new and startling but
were simply repeating what our fore
fathers had already done. We were
simply taking up what they left un-
finished. As proof of this fact
copy the following, word for word,
from the records of jefferson county
Of 1847 and 1848, nearly 70 years
ago. Here is the order made upon the
courts own motion:
publication Of, Proceedings of Court -
"It is ordered by the court that it
shall be the duty Of the clerk hereof
to make and furnish to the editor of
the Jeffersonian, newspaper printed
in Pine Bluff, a brief synopsis or alb
stract of the substance of the pro-
ceedings of this court, at the present
term hereof, for publication, and it is
further ordered that said abstract be
published by one insertion in said
newspaper"
During that day and time we had
Saline, Union, Bradley, Arkansas and
Drew counties adjoining us.
Among the delinquent taxpayers
in jefferson county for 1847 was Will
liam Mckinley, who owed $1.O4.
What is now Plum Bayou township
or part of it, was established and
named in 1849.
An Eighteenth Century Monopoly
Thos. S. James and James Yell, as
proprietors of Pine Bluff, having &C.
quired by deed the ownership of the
property, were granted the absolute
right of ferry privileges across the
Arkansas river. They paid license
fee of IS to the treasurer. Looks like
some folks during that day and time
knew what monopoly and trust
meant.
In our day we have Thos. S. Jane!
who has been one of the leading fig
ures among the citizenship of thi!
community, standing for progress il
all things. He is we'll and favorabl.
known among the people, and only ;
few years ago before retiring activel.
from business, he was president o
one of the leading banks of the city
He is a large property owner. ant
like the Thos. S. James of old may b.
considered one of the proprietOrs o
Pine Bluff of the present.
Connecting the present with thu
past, find from the records that a
the April term of the county court i,
1849, while j. A. Scull was judge, tina
county scrip was issued in the sum o
$50 to reimburse. Charles H. Triplet
for the burial and burying of Mr.. an.
Mrs. Hunt. 1t may be we'll to her
note that we have in our country nov
Charles H. Triplett, who is one of tn
most substantial and progressive citl
zens in the state. He has been hon
ored repeatedly by the people of JET
terson county and is at present tn
president of the Arkansas Nationa
bank of this city. His sons are il
business and one, Arthur Triplett, il
nracticing attorney at the bar.
The sheriff in 1849, who was job,
}. Hammet, was also the ex-officio as
SCISSOR of the county. In 1849 he mad'
out the list of assessments and it wa
flled and copy of same sent to TIN
auditor ct the state by Thos. S. James
who was then clerk of the court. TIL
Judge OF the court made an order upol
Its filing that the assessments wer