Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-02-15
WORK RAPIDLY AT,
 NIGHT SESSION
TWcnty-iour House Bills Passed b, Senate Last Night, Among Them Being Measure to Increase lin-
 coln County Judee's Salary.

StOD tEe fOller-llke progress. The upper house of the general assembly acted upon 3S local bills at tonight's session, passing 24 house bills. Among these were the Chamhless bill in creasing the salary of the county judge of Lincoln, and the Moncrief bill extending the limits of Humph- rey.
 Caldwell Wins Fight for Gheap Books.
 The Bland text book commission bill was I'D again for amendment and Senator Caldwell clinched his amend ment to require the company selling text books in, Arkansas under the con- tract to be awarded by the commis-. sion, to sell them at prices less than arc now being charged. This pro- duced a hot fight last week, and Senator Caldwell placed upon it an amendment requiring q reduction of 2o per cent over present prices. On Wednesday morning he reduced the per centage to 1o per cent, stating that he had talked the matter over with Governor Brough, who would be a member of the board under the bill, and the change had been made at his suggestion.
 The opposition to the Caldwell amendment declared that it would prevent the text book companies now operating in the state from bidding on the contract, and Senator Caldwell replied that under the pill they would be excluded anyway. TAe bill was then ordered engrossei and made a special order for Friday morning, when it will be finally acted upon,
 Spn9tOr (t1 Ia securing the adoption Of his amend ment for lower price, using the argument of the textbook people that. Ii a uniform system instead of printing system should be adopted, they could save the B per cent cost of paying agents. The, textbook peo- pie had the 33 per cent argument alive against the printing plant bill. and Senator Caldwell used it as a boomerang in the uniform system bill.
 Real Excitement for Time. For a time Wednesday, morning the senate acted very much like peace full meeting of a suffrage society, with l about 20 members on the floor fingers pointed at one, another and With eyes snapping, while the con Vcrsation was the high pitched va riety which knoweth no understand ing. II all came about through a resolution offered by Senator Ruff di- recting that all bills which were to , be engrossed, be turned over by the secretary to the enrolling clerk, who would then direct the enrolling of tre same.
 Senator Yam, chairman of the en. rolling committee was OF the flou. :. instantly, declaring that the re,,. tlon was thrust at 'him, as it ". ,'t. take from him the power of dir .:n E the enrolment of bills. Other scna- tors sided with Senator Vann, stat'ce that it had been the custom oe t. /, senate for many sessions to 'eave these matters entirely with the en- rolling committee.
 1 PI<ident Davenport declared j:,a resolution put of order and th:@ TO- duced some rather heated comments
 ending with Senator Ruff app a'ins from the decision Of the chair. He
 later withG1aaew his motion, after
 President Davenport had beel forced to declare the senate in recess so that quiet could be restored.
 Levee Directors Election.
 At one time it looked as if the sen
 ate was to have a real blow up on
 the Willis bill from the house, to re-
 quire the election of directors of the
 St. Francis Levee district. This bill was called up by Senator Vann, who explained it briefly, and the reading clerk started calling the roll Sev.
 eral senators demanded recognticr
 and the calling of the roll continued ; Senator Adamson walked out into the
 center of the isle and started yelline
 so loud at the president that he was
 finally recognized and the roll ca! stopped until the bill had been ex plained. When this was done a sec ond time the roll call proceeded ant the bill Waa .-..~-ed without dissent ing vote. The senate passed the Adams bill } regulating salaries of Phillips coun ty officials, and the Elliott bill regu lating the saaries of Lee county of ficials, both amended and the salarie. , increased by Senator Ward. !, The senate passed the Brown bil
 to give the Arkansas commission tn, right to order re-assessments in an,
 county, which virtually gives tn, commission the right 10 equalize tn, !, per centage of assessment in tn, , various counties.
 : The senate also passed the Slaugh l ter bill, appropriating $23,0O0 for ; 7 1911 deficiep.c~ at the University D } Arkansas.
 . The Kendall bill reguating the fee . for Madison county officials wa } also passed.
 Some New Measures.
 Several new bills came in durin l the 'forenooC session, among thcr :, being by:
 r Senator Owens, to extend the linn f it's of Yellyille, and the Melville roa improvement district.