The Little River news., 1918-07-06
CONVENTION BEGINS
 NEW CONSTITUTION
Agrees Upon Proposal For Yer. diet by Ten Jurors in Minor Cases-TwO Addresses
 Heard.

D0eH elSEL changes III the perSOnuell of the Constitutional Convention since the election of delegates. They are as fellows:
 Boone coupty-J. Sam Rowland vice George J. Crump.
 Conway county-Jordan Sellers, vice J. F. Sellers.
 Dallas county-S. F. Morton, vice U. B. Hampton, ST.
 LQnoke county-C. M. Witherspoon, vice ". J. Waggoner.
 Salinecounty-W. D. Brouse, vice w. R.ADonham
 Garland county-Doug1ass Hotch- kiss, vice Sam w. Fordyce. Montgomery county-Earl Witt, vice L. l.. Beavers.
 elConstitutiona Convention which re-convened today. will, it is generally | predicted, complete it's work in about thirty days.
 | The usual effort had been expected to adjourn sine-die, as there is a, small minority of the Convention that has been from the first opposed to contin- uing with the work of writing a new Constitution, It had been intimated l that an attack would be made along new lines, and that an effort would be made to prove that the call made by the Legislature was not valid. It twas Insisted that the call should have been Submitted to the people, and that the Legislature exceeded it's authority whensit called the Convention. i This point, however, is not consider 1 ed well taken by Governor Brough. 1 President Mehaffy and other Conven- ton advocates, who declare that the weight Of authority is against the po- l sition tsken by the opponents of the Convention.
 The Convention will have plenty of
 work to do in harmonizing the con ] dieting proposals. The tentative draft that has been printed is patch work l that will require the most careful con- sideration to make all parts agree.
 For instance: One proposal, as printed, makes the salaries of state of ficers as follows: Governor, $6,000; Secretary of State, Auditor, Attorney General, Commissioner of State Lands, and Circuit Judges and Chancellors 5000 each; Judges of the Supreme Court, $6,O0O.
 Another proposal follows: Cover nor $7,50O; Secretary of State, Treas urer, Auditor, Commissioner of State Lands, Circuit Judges and Chancellors $4,G0O each; Attorney General $5,000; Judges of the Supreme Court, $6,O0e each
 There will probably be an effort on the part of some delegates to raise the Governors salary to S10,000
 The question of taxation and assess
 ment will probably be the most bitter ly contested of all. In fact, it is rec ognized as the one big issue before the Convention, and the one that must be handled with extreme care to insure It's ratification by the people.
 There is proposal to assess all property at it's full market value Of 100 per cent, and yet the old rates of levy are continued-12 mills for school purposes, 3 mills for roads, an1 so on. Of course, this must be recti fled. With 100 per cent assessment, I levy of mills would produce more school revenue than is now produced hy 12 mills, since the present assess ment is not yet uniformly 50 per cent.
 The taxation problem is one that will require the most discriminating statesmanship to steer the new Consti- tuition through the breakers. One of the proposals that seems de- stined to the hardest opposition is that providing that County Judges shall be lawyers of ta least four years active practice. There is minority propos- al on this question, and Governor Brough and President Mehaffy are opposed to it. Opponents of the mea- sure argue that it would give lawyers a monopoly of the office which in many cases can be more satisfactorily administered by business man. It seems safe at this time to predict that the proposal will be defeated, and that the qualifications of county judges will not be changed There is a strong sentiment in favor of transfer of private Jurisdiction to Chancery courts. but no proposal ofl the subject
 The first fight in the Constitutional Convention came up over the proposf- tion to provide for majority verdict in certain cases. The committee had proposed five-sixths of the jurors in all criminal cases, except capital cases, and in all civil cases, There were about fifteen amendments offered. and