Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-01-18
Senate Then Passes Magee Measure to Make Com
 missioners Elective.
PLAN REPEAL NEW
 ELECTION STATUTE
Fight on Consolidated Elections Starts in Senate-Burgess Proposes Tax on "SOfto Drinks-GOvernOr
 Signs Call for Convention.

LltJle ROCK, Jdu 1I.-1He MdSCe
 bill, providing for the election of com
 missioners of the Jefferson County
 Free Bridge district, and for the coun-
 ty clerk to serve as secretary and the
 county treasurer to serve as treasurer
 of the district without inqreased com
 pensation, was passed by the senate
 this morning after two amendments
 offered by Senator Creed Caldwell of
 Jefferson county had been attached,
 The measure was then ordered i'm
 mediately returned to the house for
 concurrence in the amendments. The
 Caldwell amendments cut off the fees
 of the tax collector after a certain
 time, and effects another economy by
 eliminating the special tax books for
 the district, requiring the assess
 ments to be entered on the general
 tax books of the county.
 Caldwell as Peace Maker.
 The Jefferson senator was again in
 the fore this afternoon when he
 poured oil on the troubled waters If
 the senate by effecting an amend
 ment to the Collins resolution call
 ing for investigation of the purchase
 of 1,40O acres of land added to the
 penal farm at Tucker. The Caldwell
 amendment, which was adopted, pro- vides for the investigation to be made
 by the senate peniteriiary commit tee instead of a special committee. The penitentiary committee is con- posed of Senators Bush, Jones, Caruth, Ponder and Kendall. To Vote on New Constitution. rThe senate passed the Gentry reso- ! lution. calling for the submission of a constitutional amendment to increase the membership of the supreme court, and President Davenport was called back from a photograph studio, where he had gone to submit to the camera for the big group picture of the sem ate, to sign the bill. When he had plaqed his signature upon it, and Speaker Cazort had done the same, Prominent Little Rock attorneys pre- scented it to Governor Brough for his signature, and the second amendment to be submitted at the next election was decided definitely
 Would Repeal Election Law. Senator Monorief started something when he introduced in the senate bill repeating the consolidated cleo tion law adopted in 1915, and putting the general state election back to September. Senators who favored the consolidated election bill two years ago began to bristle when the intent of the bill was made known to them, and they promptly sent it to the judici' ary committee for the first crack at it.
 The Bush change of venue bill, ,uh ~o,,,,,s+c lofo fc fN tokn change of venue to other counties if there appars prejudice in favor of big corporation, reported without rec ommendation by the judiciary commit tee in the morning. was sent back to the committee in order that those op- posing the bill might be heard, after quite an argument.
 To Tax Soft Drinks. Senator Burgess sees revenue In soft drinks being sold in Arkansas, particularly "Bevo," and the drinks which have become popular since pro- hibition gripped Arkansas. He intro duced bill to tax the manufacturers one half cent on every pint bottle sold within the state.
 The deficiency bill for the Panama Pacific International EXosition, came l before the senate again. Senator Sims introducing bill to appropriate $23,- 3S4.S3 to repay those who advanced the money to start the building at
 San Francisco. An enabling act to make amendment No. 12, the 12-mill school tax, opera tive, was introduced by Senator Hes
 ter of Sebastian
 Staff officers of the Arkansa: Ma
 tional guard cannot hereafter be ap- i pointed, under a bill introduced by
 Senator Ruff, major in the guard,
 unless the appointees have had previ-
 ous military service.
 Senator Ponder is the author Of a
 bill which fixes the fees that are to
 be paid the commissioner wao -e'ls
 property under execution, allowing
 e. l. fr,V