The courier-index., 1919-02-21
TITLE ROCK LETTER
V (Rv Clio Harper)

:.tle Rock, Feb. 17.-ln all the
 Ll's of Arkansas legislatures
 s'o'' hos never been such flood
 efs s,is for the organization
 improvement districts. There
 au ,.rcely a county in the state
 Ios not one or more of its own
 a' fled to that of some other
 ltv The projects in the aggre-
 ~ ~renresent a contemplated cost
 ,;llions of dollars, and if all of
 are realized, the state will
 sn nnetworked with improved high
 ns that will give Arkansas frort
 J .E among good roads builders.
 There rh is no opposition to the
 aras of bills pending, so far as
 'nsars on the surface. This meth
 of building roads started only
 ss wsessions ago, and as late as
 ,,7 tbe members had not become
 familiar with it, or the citizens
 thoroughly educated that there
 sre not frequent rumblings of dis Intent. But there is nothing of
 ~ kind now. The preliminary Ied sown throughout the state by
 state highway commission is
 ready beginning to bear fruit, and 1 beains to look like the state is
 st entering upon an era of good bads building such as it has never hown.
 The bills for the organization of sese districts, all of them long, will |ake the volume of the acts of b19 the largest ever turned out ! an Arkansas legislature. It may Ike as many as three large volumes
 contain all of the laws that are Assed The general acts will be bmparatively small in volume, but ! is the road improvement acts that kll make "fat" for the printer. ss***s
 There is a growing sentiment in kyor of resubmission of the pro- bsed constitution of 1918. A joint bmmittee has been appointed to |erk over a new draft of the in- krument for submission to the leg Nature. A subcommittee consist Ig of Representatives Kennedy and linn and Senator McGough is at |ork on the draft, and will have it eady for submission in a few days. he instrument upon which the con- ention of 1918 expended so much |me and thought is being used as Ie basis of the new proposal. Equal pffrage will be eliminated, since rovision has been made for the pbnlission of that proposition in Imendment No. IA. Prohibition is |so to be left out since that is be- lg taken care of by national mendment. It is also probable lat all reference to salaries will } omitted, leaving the law making ower free to fix salaries as it leases. There will be neither maxi um nor minimum named, so that le instrument may be sufficiently astic to meet any emergency or 'onomic condition.
 Those who have made a close vestigation of the subject say ere is TO diubt whatever of the lthority of the general assembly
 re-submit the constitution. The of 1886 and 1861 were .ver submitted to the people, but ere adopted and declared by the gislature. The constitution of 1874
 silent upon the subject of the amer of adopting a new constitu-. >n.
 It is realized that there are many 'od features in the proposed con- tuition which the people rejected December, and it is believed that ' eliminating some of the moer ntroversial featres the people will cept the proposed new organic W as an improvement over that lich is now in force.
 The second oldest man in the gen. al assembly is Col. Bud" McCon- Il, representa- from Johnson unity. Although past the allotted rec score and ten years, he is still e of the most active and virile the men on the floor. He is not town for his much speaking, and IS not made a speech yet, but his fluence is felt in progressive leg lation.
 There is a peculiar interest at- ching to the service of Col. Nc ,nnell in the legislature. Twenty 'ars ago he was the superinten- mt of the state penitentiary then cated on the site of the state cap ol, and i was under his manage ent that the foundation of the 'lendid structure, the pride if the ate, was constructed. For eight ,ars he held that responsible po- ton in the states penal institution Id little did he think that the me would come when he could sit lawmaker in the legislative Ills of a two million dollar marble 'ltol where he then hd congregat- the felons of the state.
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