The log cabin Democrat., 1921-02-10
NEW BILLS FLOOD SENATE AND HOUSE ABOLITION BILL PASSED Houses Oppose Sale of Old State Cap itOl-Personality Tax Bill Gets
 Senate Setback.

in the senate Wednesday afternoon after the passage of the corporation commission repeal bill. Important general measures were introduced by Townsend to place all special funds in the general revenue fund; Collins, to prohibit physicians or trained nurses divulging information procured from patients; Vaughan to fix the date of the Democratic primary for the fourth Wednesday in July; to permit county primary to be called for another date if the county central committee de- slres and to permit the selection of delegates to the national convention in mass meeting; Stewart, to increase the fees for filing mortgages from 25 cents to 50 cents; Golf to authorize St. Francis levee district to make a $1 ,500,000 bond issue; Vaughan to permit cities of the first class to levy a tax of $10 on automobiles and S15 on trucks. Local bills introduced were ; McCabe to empower Baxter county 1 judge to employ an engineer to eX anime work done by road improve ment contractors; Hartje, to authorize | additional circuit clerk in White coun- | ty; Bone, to correct assessments in North Arkansas Road District No. 2; McGraw to place Lincoln county in one road district; Montgomery to al low a deputy prosecuting attorney for the Eighth judicial circuit; Wilson of Calhoun, to place Calhoun county of fcers on salary; Golf, to regulate fish ing in Big Lake; Deisch, to grant Helena 75 per cent of the road tax collected therein, and to aid the West Helena and Marvell road district; Barnes to pay Jonesboro and Nettle- ton road district assessment for first district agricultural school.
 The house is overwhelmingly op- posed to selling the old state house and the ground This was made clear yesterday by the reception given a bill by MT. Wells of Carroll county. one of the four Republican members of the house, to sell the property. No sooner had the bill been read than there was a tremendous chorus of mo-, and upon motion of MT. Gates of Lonoke, the bill was promptly tabled.
 Other bills which were tabled in the l house were for the creation of a state board of barber examiners and a state board of architect examiners. It appeared to be the sentiment of the body that since the legislature IS specifically called to abolish things in general, including commissions, 1t would be unwise to create any new commissions or boards. The barbers bill is not a new feature of legisla- tion since it has been before the gen. eral assembly for several sessions and has always met with the same recep- 1 tion.
 The Emory-Walls bill abolishing the Arkansas corporation commission and putting the city utilities back in the hands of the municipal councils and restoring the old railroad com mission was passed in the senate We'd nesday afternoon by vote of 27 to l 2. Thus ended debate which began on Tuesday morning. The opposition crumbled Tuesday and had a roll call been taken then the vote would prob ably have been close, but seeing that the passage of the bill was inevitable. quite few senators voted with the majority. The first break came on the roll call when Senator Deisch left 1 the administratlonists and cast his vote for the passage of the bill. Senator Haley immediately followed and Senator Owens of Pulaski, Sen ator Wilson of Calhoun and Senator Wilson of Washington, all counted on to oppose the bill, voted with the majority. The only one to stand out to the end was Senators Caldwell, Collins, Johnson, Scott, Stewart, Wood and Cazort.
 The argument was closed for the opposition by Senator Caldwell who laid stress upon the tactics of the Ar kansas legislature, saying that ere .ating commissions at one session and abolishing them at the next would drive capital out of Arkansas. He pictured the rapid development o1 western states which have liberal laws governing corporations. Senator Cald- we'll stated that these have none of the natural resources of Arkansas and many of them have to irrigate then lands where Arkansas has rain when ever it wants it, yet they have pros pered far greater than this state. He also stated that city councils had the right to reduce rates and at the same time increase the expenses of utility operation, which was unfair, especial ly since members of the councils are property owners and preJudlceo against corporations, thereby trying the utility company before a preJu- diced jury. Senator Walls closed foi the bill chasing all the dire predic- tions of the opposition as mere tom- -1I IT, cold tho corpOrat ions