The log cabin Democrat., 1921-04-21
COURT TO DECIDE
 AMENDMENT ROW MRAE, UTLEY DISAGREE Governors Local Legislation Petition
 rculated-Hopper Not Show ing His Hand.
By Clio Harper.


 Little Rock, April 21.-There have
 been no developments in the consti- tutional amendment tangle. The Ar
 kansas Bar Association is circulating
 the referendum petitions for the amendment proposed by governor Me- Rae and it is expected that the requi- site number of signatures will be se- cured in short time.
 The petition will then be submitted
 to Secretary of State Ira c. Hopper, and t will be his next move. He has not indicated what he will do. but whatever action he takes, it is certain the question will be taken into the courts. Attorney General Utley will advise him not to certify the local leg station amendment which Governor McRae seeks to submit, on the ground that the governor acted without au- thority in vetoing the Hartje personal tax amendment adopted by the legisla- ture. On the other hand, Governor McRae and his advisers will insist upon the acceptance of the local leg lslation amendment
 Should the secretary of State refuse to certify out the local legislation proposed, the friends of the measure will undoubtedly seek to mandamus him and compel him to accept the amendment Should he, on the other hand, accept this amendment, the friends of the personal tax amend ment would undoubtedly seek to en- join him and to compel him to accept their proposition. So it appears that whatever he does, he will be made party to an interesting controversy in the courts.
 The test will be strictly of friend ly nature and will be free from rancor and personality. It happens to be one of the questions which have not been specifically settled by the supreme court. Attorney General Utley claims to have the weight of authority on his side to the effect that constitutional amendment proposed by a legislative resolution is not subject to executive veto. This has been stated as a prin- ciple by some of the highest courts of the country, although Governor McRae is confident that he can establish his authority.
 Incidentally, some of our most care ful observers of things political, ex- press doubt of either amendment be- ing ratified by the people. It is cer- tain that there would have to be a very considerable campaign of edu- cation conducted to induce the people to voluntarily vote upon themselves an additional tax or to surrender their rights to secure relief through local legislation.
 The most far-seeing statesmen of Arkansas agree that the vexatious problems of taxation are not to be solved by piecemeal, desultory and spasmodic tinkering with the constitu- tion. The time must come before the state can make the progress all good citizens wish to see, that a new con- stitution must be adopted in accord ance with modern ideas and require ments. Many have pronounced the document drafted in 1918 a most de- sirable one, admitting at the same time the unfortunate conditions under which it was submitted. When an- other constitution is drafted, and this must be within the next five or pos sbly ten years, the 1918 draft will | probably be considered as founda ton upon which to build the new or ganic structure. When this was sub- mitted Arkansas and the world were in a state of war and the uppermost | question was how and when the con- flict was to be won and terminated. Since it's defeat there has been a con-