The log cabin Democrat., 1921-01-28
SENATE REY|SES
 STATE PEN BILL
STATE TO BE EXCUTIONfR
Governor McRae in Special Message Severely Condemns Mississippi
 County Lynching.

the bill abolishing the Arkansas peni- tentiary commission that that the sheriff of Pulaski county would not be open for negotiations for his services as state eXecutioner, an amendment was adopted to the Gates bill in the senate Thursday afternoon which eli mintes the offending section. The Gates bill went through the house with a section providing that the new penitentiary commission might make arrangements with the sheriff of Pu- laski county to execute criminals in stead of electrocutIng them in the pen | itentiary as at present. The Town send bill, copy of the bill passed in the house, is still pending in the sen-
 ate. This was amended several days ago, but as the Gates measure has mde further progress, it was neces- sary to amend it as it is the bill that will probably pass.
 Three appropriation bills for the tu- berculosis sanatorium were introduced in the senate Thursday afternoon; one is a deficiency appropriation to care for the maintenance of the institution until the end of the fiscal period June 30; another is to appropriate S1 1000 for the construction of a road from Bonneville to the institution; the third is a biennial appropriation and carries an item for a new building to be known as Merriweather Memorial Hall, in honor of the late Dr. C. P. Merriweather of Little Rock, who was for a number of years secretary of the board.
 The senate Thursday afternoon passed the Golf bill to create free li- brary service in the department of education; the Gregory bill to raise the salary of the grand jury stenog- rapher in the Seventeenth circuit; the Johnson and Townsend bill to pay the expenses of judges fthe Ninth judi cial circuit and the Sixth chancery district when away from home; the Hartje bill to authorize county clerks to execute duplicate tax deeds fo1 deeds which have been lost and the Townsend bill making deficiency ap- preparation to maintain the office of the state oil inspector until June 30 A similar bill was deefated in the house sometime ago.
 Governor McRae sent a special mes sage to the legislature yesterday re- garding mob violence and protesting against it. He declared that "the lynching in Mississippi county yester. day will stand out as conspicuous disgrace to our state" He insisted that the general assembly should "address itself to an early considera- ton of bill to fix responsibility specifically upon any officer who neg lects his duty to protect the life of his prisoner, making as part of the penalty forfeiture of his office and giving the attorney general or any prosecuting attorney authority to in- stltute such action as may be neces- sary in any couny in the state recog- nizing that local authorities are usu- ally intimidated by the prospects of a vengeance which might be as readily launched against an officer as aginst a helpless criminal prisoner.
 A bill was introduced yesterday in the house by Mir. Herring of Bradley with reference to the granting of change of venue to provide that in all cases where the defendant is charged with an offense, the punishment for which, in case of conviction may be death, the court shall have no discre- tlon in the matter, but shall make such order to remove immediately up on the filing of such petition"
 The Smith bill providing for the licensing of automobiles and other motor vehicles was amended yester- day in the house by the incorporation of a large number of the provisions of the administration bill which was also introduced by MT. Smith. As the bill is made attractive as to the disposition of funds derived from automobile taxation. It provides that only $l of each license comes to the state and it is to be paid into the general revenue fund of the state treasury. The tags shall be issued by the secretary of state; It provides for a minimum tax of $10 on any automo- bile the rate being 50 cents per hun dred pounds weight. A graduated tax is provided for trucks ranging from S15 minimum to $75 maximum. All other funds derived from license fees shall be paid into the county treasury where the owner resides to become an auto license fund to be distributed by order of the county court among thev arious road districts.
 As the bill now stands, the counties of Clark Madison, Sevier, Saline Sharp, Perry, Nevada, Yell. Pulaski Ashley, Conway, Caighead, Clay, Izard, Stone Drew. Grant, Montgom, cry, Howard, Cleveland, Franklin T,itt1c River Newton Cearcy Scott