The Mena weekly star., 1918-08-01
PEOPLE MAY PASS ON LEGISLATURE
Constitutional Convention Offers Op- portunity for Smaller Body at Will of voters-Initiatiye and Refer
 endum Again Up.

Little Rock, July 24.--Probably the most radical step yet taken by the constitutional convention was that of Tuesday afternoon, when by a vote of 51 to 37 the members voted to submit to the people section abolishing the legislature and substituting therefor a smaller body. The amendment to the original draft was submitted by Mr. Daggett of Lee county, and un- expected support developed with each speech in it's behalf, until a measure that was considered in the forenoon as somewhat of joke, was not only good measure in the afternoon, but one worthy of adoption.
 The entire day was spent on this proposition, many foreeful speeches being made for and against it. It was fought largely by former mem bers of the legislature, though two former governors in the convention, John Ike Moore of Phillips, and J. M. Futrel of Greene, gave it their hearty support.
 Delegates Daggett, Walker, Gordon, Mitchell McGill, Jones and William son of Drew supported the amend ment, with Delegates Arnold, Evans, Galloway and Belote speaking against it. The principal opposition was that it was a theory and Arkansas ought not to undertake such a radical de- parture from the established form of government in this country. This was made the base of the argument for the proponents of the amendment. They declared that all big issues have been so ridiculed at the beginning and they pleaded for Arkansas to be the first to try it, thus getting the credit for being awake to the interest of the people.
 Opponents of the measure argued that graft is found in the smaller legislative bodies, which was replied to with the statement that the split session would give the members a chance to go back home and hear the will of the people on measures that were pending, in the face of which no man could, or would, vote, thus eliminating legislation for personal gain.
 In casting their vote many took oc- casion to state they had been won over by the arguments presented by the proponents of the amendment and MT. Belote paid a still higher tribute, voting for it after he had gone so far as to make a speech in i the negative.
 Aye-Alldredge, Belote, Bledsoe Boyce, Bratton, Breckenridge, Brouse Bowen, Brown, Butt, CarlLee, Chap. lin, Clement, Cypret, Daggett, Driver Ethridge Futrel, Goodwin, Gordon Graves, Hammock, Have, Hotchkiss House, Hutchins, Ingram, Johnson ot Sebastian. Jones, Killough, Lamb Phillips, Morton, McCabe, McClintock Mann, Mayes, Mitchell, Moore of La fayette, Moore of Monroe, Moore O McGill, McMillan, Medley, Nelson Sifford, Southmayd, Trulock, Walker Williamson of Drew, Williamson O Stone, Wilson of Pope, Wtherspooi i -51.
 Nay-Arnold, Bates, Black, Brouse Bullock, Carter, Chambers, Cherry Coleman, Davis, Dodd, Elliott, Etter Evans, Feazel, Foster, Head, Hooker Johnson of Lincoln, Johnson of Madi son, Kay, King, McClennand, McRae Partain. Payne, Pettigrew, Pinn Poole, Rector, Scott, Smith, Tof.p kins. Warnock, Watson, Wilson ot Bradley, Mir. President-37
 Pairs--Banks, aye; Galloway, nay Bloodworth, aye, Gillison, nay; Horn, CT, aye, Andrews, nay; Sellers, aye Patterson, nay.
 When this section had been amend ed, the convention passed on to tht Iniatiative and Referendum and spenf the balance of the afternoon discuss ing county legislation. After Mir l CarlLee had offered an amendment specifying how petitions in countie, and municipalities might be filed, Mir Reynolds of Faulkner offered sweep ing amendment to both Initiativ, and Referendum sections, increasing the percentage of signers to initiated acts to 10 per cent from 8, and thu per cent of signers to constitutions amendments to 12. His amendment would also prohibit more than foul amendments at one election, require a majority vote to adopt, but this ma jority must be at least 40 per cent oi all votes cast in the election, and be fore petition could be acted upon 1T a matter of statewide importance, il must have 5 per cent of the vote o' 30 counties in the previous election Then came long discussion on coun