The Little River news., 1919-08-13
EXTRA SESSION COST BIG
 AMOUNT OF MONEY
Many Rum0rs are Started that Legis, iature Would Have Bonded the
 State for S3G,0O0,000.
BY CLIO HARPER.

Special to the NeWS.
 Little Rock, Aug. S.-The extraordi- nary session of the legislature became ancient history in the short space of three days.
 It cost two or three thousand dol lars to meet and ratify the Women Suffrage Amendments, and the money was taken out of the highway fund.
 Then the legislature. after two sup> er-heated days of perfervid oratory refused to extend the session few days for the purpose of passing cura> tive road legislation
 Strong pressure was brought to bear by delegations from Faulkner, Polk, Randolph, and other counties. but it was a forlorn hope from the hrst
 It was too hot, in the first place the hall of representatives especially resembling an oven.
 In the second place. there were many of the members who feared that if the session were opened up to re- model road legislation, it would be opened for everything, and there might be no end to it under the cons stitutional limitation of fifteen days.
 Another element that entered into the situation was that some counties did not want certain proposed remed9 iaI Legislation, which would have taken the course of repeating acts.
 Then there were some who insisted that new Legislation for roads, leyees, and drainage was an imperative as acts to cure defects in legislation al ready enacted
 Tn fact. Representative Sexton Of I4onoke secured the adoption of an amendment in the House to one of the numerous. extension resolutions that were defeated, to permit the consid- eration of new legislation for levees and drainage-he had an act of that kind he wanted passed.
 Then there were some members who had opposed holding a session at all. about fifteen that were opposed to suf- frage, and a few who imagined they saw the ail-feathers of some political fowl protruding from the legislative coop.
 Taking all of these elements to- gether, although they were minority, they were strong enough to defeat the will of the majority. both in the House an extension.
 The ratification for suffrage, for which the session was called was completed the first day.
 The next two days were spent in wrangling, oratory and precipitation.
 There were florio appeals for the honest yeomanry of the country, who insisted their interests demanded the speedy adjournment of the session, that the members might return to their homes.
 It was said that the people of Ar kansas feared the Arkansas legiSia- ture might take example from another Southern state and saddle S30,o0O,- GOO bonded debt upon them for the building of good roads.
 Pledges were circulated and num- erOusly signed that if the extension were voted, nothing would be taken up upon remedial road legislation, but apparently there were some of the lawmakers who had little confidence in the "gentiemens agreement" ot their confreres
 And so they balked-it is said there was an agreement signed by thirty members of the House that they would vote solidly all the time against any extension for any time or any pur pose
 Three days is all that would have been necessary to pass all the cura- tive acts needed
 Every member had his bill already drawn. They could have been intro duced and read first and second time in each house on Tuesday. On We'd uesday each house could have passed it's own bills and exchanged with the other house. which could have read them twice. On Thursday each house could have read third time and pass ed the bills of the other house, and it would have been all over, and only one day more required than was spent in doing nothing.
 There is some talk of another extra session-it is possible but extremely improbable There is no doubt about legislation being needed to assist in the road building program, but it is believed it will have to wait until January 1921.