The Harrison times., 1917-01-20
STATE CAPITOL
NEWS LETTER

MuIn ndS bttn oeAAh cbpNN
tration and anti-administratioR forces
in the General Assembly, but to one on
the inside. looking out, the 1917 Assem-
bly, appears to be the most peaceable
one in the past decade. There might
have been lines pretty closely drawn
in the organization of the Senate, but
they were not drawn on administra-
tive policies. 1t is true that the natu-
raj opponents of the executive depart
ment were lined together, and with
them, as a nucleus, an effort was
made to build a machine to further
the interests of certain individuals.
The opposition to the administration,
always in the minority, willing to
make trades, naturally made its best
showing in the contest for the presi-
dency of the senate. Senators who
approve almost all policies OF the ex-
ecutive office, aligned themselves with
the opposition, being unable to get any
sort of pledge from the so-called "ad-
ministration forces" AS soon as the
president of the senate was elected,
they began to drift back to the old
fold, and today it is hard to find
senator who is willing to be termed
an NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS." All see
that Governor Brough has construct
i've legislation ahead, and personal
feelings have been buried in the de-
sire to build for Arkansas.
The very best example of the good
fellowship manifested in the senate,
and the obliteration of even an imagi.
nary line dividing that body into fac
tions, is written in the personnel Of
the committees appointed by President
w. d. Davenport The committee lists
show that when the race for preside' I
was over everything was forgiven and
forgotten. Those who opposed Sena-
tor Davenport, although slightly in the
minority, have been honored with a
majority of the appointments. OF the
33 committees in the senate, 10 are
headed by senators who supported the
opposition, and IS show a majority
membership given to the Sims sup
porters. This does not apply to the
minor committees either for such
committees as Apportionment, Elec-
tions and Federal Relations are com
posed of senators who opposed Presi-
dent Davenport, and all members Of
the Public Service Corporations, Pub
lie Health, Memorial and Circuit and
Inferior Courts, with one exception,
are from the same faction. But one
committee, the Judiciary, which is
the most important one, shows an
equal division.
Voting on motions and measures, at
no time since the result of the race for
the presidency, has shown any incli-
nation to uphold the alleged round
robbin' agreement by which num-
ber of senator's were supposed to have
banded themselves together to control
legislation. There are a few senators
who vote alike on all measures, but
they are in the hopeless minority, so
far as control is concerned, but this
little band has shown itself as strong
for administration measures as all
others.
1t is probable that the senate will
within few days take up and settle
the question of confirming or reject
ing appointments made by Governor
George w. Hays, and with this out Of
the way, there will be no further rea-
son for division in the ranks.
The very best evidence of admins
trative control, is the absence from
the senate cloak rooms, and halls, Of
the leaders on the outside who en-
deavored to control the organization
No session in many years has been so
free from the influence of the lobby.
ist. In fact, there are very few old
timers about. There are a few scouts
on hand to look out for labor legisla-
ton, and several organizations also
have men stationed at the Capitol to
keep them informed as to legislative
action, but they are few in compari-
son to the number in past sessions.
The 1917 session of the General AS
sembly has all the earmarks of a
clean, business like body one determ-
ined to give the new governor every
chance to make good The house has
always, and probably always will be,
friendly to the governor, and when a
senate shows disposition to pull
off its coat and get into the trenches
for the chief executive, there is moth
ing more to It.
Out Of the rush and crush to get
proposed Constitutional Amendments
through the legislature, will certainly
come Constitutional Convention, to