The Prescott daily news. (Prescott, Ark.) 1907-1941, 1918-12-09
WILL CAMPAIGN
NEVADA FOR NEW
CONSTITUTION
At Luncheon Held at the Park
Hotel Saturday Evening Plans
Were Formulated to Make a
Vigorous Campaign in County

A small but enthusiastic crowd of
leading citizens of the city met at the
Park Hotel Saturday evening at 6:3O
where a luncheon was served and the
plans for making a thorough speak
ing tour of Nevada county this week
to acquaint the people of the proposed
new constitution. Many speeches
were made, Judge Haynie acting as
toastmaster. After most important
points of the new constitution were
explained by Hon. w. V. Hompkins
and Hon. Thos. C. McRae, members of
the constitutional convention, Judge
Haynie appointed the following com
mittees to put the plans into action:
Speakers committee, c. C. Calhoun,
chairman, A. M. Westmoreland, Prof.
c. M. Hirst; transportation commit
tee, Judge Franks, chairman, M. L.
Moore, R. L. Blakely. The speaking
dates for the county will be announced
later.
Judge Haynie in his opening re-
marks deplored the fact that the op-
ponents of the constitution in Nevada
county were appealing to the preju-
dices of the people to injure the cause
of the proposed constitution, which he
said seemed to be the only ground on
which they are fighting. Many base
misrepresentation of the sections of
the constitution being made by the
opponents to poison the minds of the
people who have not read it nor heard
it explained
One of the most effective speeches
of the occasion was made by Mr.. Nc
Rae, who went into details on many
explanations and pointed out that the
same bunch, some of whom are living
yet, who opposed the present consti-
tuition have now come out fighting for
the old and against the new. He said
that the main object of the new con-
stitution is to establish uniformity
and equality in taxation. In referring
to the non-taxing of bonds which is
the cause of so much talk, he said that
forty-four states in the union do not
tax the bonds issued in the state. For
example he said that a man from
New York could come to Arkansas
and buy our bonds, take them back
home and pay no tax, while the Ar
kansas man VIII obought his home
states bonds will be forced to pay a
tax, the result being that practically
all the bonds issued in the state are
bought by outsiders, the home man
not caring especially to buy them and
then pay a tax. Mr. McRae said that
there was no more use in taxing Ar
kansas bonds than there was to tax
our public buildings, the court house,
Jail, etc. In defense of the clause Civ
ing the counties a right to issue bonds
by vote of the people only, he said
that this would be the only means of
ever getting the counties on a cash
basis. The new constitution, he said,
would give every child in the state,
whether in the rural districts or in
town, a minimum of six months school
each year, law that is badly needed
in Arkansas. The illiteracy in this
state and especially in the white coun-
ties is deplorable, condition which
can only be remedied by giving the
rural child the same chance at school
as the town child. He laid especial
stress on the clause in the proposed
constitution which will force the leg
islature to provide for the Confeder-
ate soldiers, where at present if the
legislature should forget to appropri-
ate for their need, they get no money
until it meets again. Mr.. McRae
spoke at length on the provision in
the new constitution which protects
the counties from unjust indebtedness,
a county not being permitted to go in
debt save for public improvements,
and then only by vote of the people
of the said county. The provisions
for the public school tax is the same
as the old constitution, he said.
Mr. Tompkins told number of in
stances where he had met up with
conscientious voters who had been
misled; one of them having been told