ARKANSAS. 



29 



Michigan anil Minnesota lumbermen are invest- 

 ing largely in Ashley C'ounty timber. 



Good Roads. In response to a circular letter 

 all over the State, asking opinions as to what 

 the State most needs, nearly all the correspondents 

 mentioned good mads as of the first importance, 

 and a good-mads convention was held, pursuant to 

 ill of the Governor, at Little Rock. Feb. 55 and 

 tiding committee of 10 was appointed to 

 have charge of all matters connected with the move- 

 ment, and resolutions were adopted recommending 

 .it ion establishing a State central commission, 

 with power to employ a civil engineer as State 

 Director of Highways, and granting 100,000 an- 

 nually to aid in road construction. 



Little Hock. The project for building a free 

 bridge across the Arkansas at Little Rock has been 

 ars, but nothing was determined 

 until recently. The contract for a bridge to cost 

 .'>'2'2 was let in September. The cost is pay- 

 able in county script in installments of $25.000 an- 

 nually, and the work is to be finished in fifteen 

 months. The traffic across the river at that city 

 now yields about *oO.OOO a year in tolls. 



Hot Nprhiirs. The superintendent of the Hot 

 Springs reservation made his annual report in 

 >er for the year ending June oO. The Hot 

 Springs Mountain Reservation has to this time re- 

 ceived practically ail the improvement made here 

 by the Government. The total amount of money 

 ning available for the Hot Springs improve- 

 ments during the fiscal year is s4?.!iu<i.sv. Total 

 disbursements, sl'.i.i-U^?. Four of the total num- 

 ber of hot springs remain open, showing the natu- 

 ral flow of the hot water as it issues from its source. 

 Two of these only have been properly improved. 



Judicial Decisions. The right of the Governor 

 to fill vacancies in the State Legislature was decided 

 in October by the Supreme Court. One of the Rep- 

 resentatives elected in September died, and the Gov- 

 ernor issued a writ of election to the sheriff of the 

 county, commanding him to issue a proclamation 

 for an election to fill the vacancy. The sheriff re- 

 fused to hold the election, and thereupon a writ of 

 mandamus was prayed to compel him to do so. 

 The circuit court held that this section had been 

 superseded by a subsequent amendment which em- 

 powers the Governor to fill such vacancies by ap- 

 pointment, and refused the writ, which judgment 

 was affirmed by the Supreme Court. 



The right of the Governor to attach a condition 

 to a pardon came up in the case of a man who had 

 been pardoned from the Penitentiary on the condi- 

 tion that he should leave the State and stay out 

 of it. He came back, and was rearrested. It was 

 claimed that the condition imposed was in conflict 

 with the Constitution, which says that under no 

 circumstances shall any person be exiled from the 

 State. But the court decided that the section for- 

 bids only compulsory banishment, and does not say 

 that the citizen or other person may not of his own 

 volition and accord leave the State to escape pun- 

 ishment ; nor that the Governor may not. by his 

 pardon, permit him to do so. The Chief .] - 



nted from this opinion, but concurred in the 

 affirming of the decree upon the ground that if the 

 condition was void the pardon was also void. 



In a case involving the liability of a married 

 woman on a contract for money borrowed by her. 

 it was held that such a contract is one in reference 

 to her separate property, and ere. - aial 



obligation, valid in law and in equity, and this 

 without regard to the question whether she owns 

 any additional property. 



The question came up whether a chattel mort- 

 gage placed upon some insured property, but dis- 

 charged before its loss would invalidate the in- 



surance, the terms of the policy providing that it 

 .should be void in case the property should be in- 

 cumberod with a chattel mortgage. The policy- 

 holder claimed that the mortgage merely 

 pended the policy, which became good again when 

 the mortgage was canceled : but the court held 

 that the policy was extinct from the time the 

 mortg ven. 



An important decision was recorded in July by 

 Chancellor Martin in reference to building "and 

 loan associations viz.: (1) That the sum of money 

 received by a shareholder from tl ition, 



which is usually called a loan, is in fact not a loan, 

 but an anticipatory payment of the sum that would 

 be paid to the stockholders upon the winding up of 

 the series: and it not being a loan of money, the 

 taking or reserving the bonus or premium can not 

 make the contract usurious: c2> that if the entire 

 transaction could be regarded as a loan of money, 

 it is uncertain when the stock will mature at the 

 time the contract is made ; therefore, it can not be 

 a contract for the loan of money at a greater rate 

 of interest than 10 per cent, per annum, nor for the 

 forbearance of money at such rate, and consequent- 

 ly is not usurious. 



In January, Chancellor Martin overruled the de- 

 murrer to the jurisdiction of the Pulaski Chancery 

 Court, which granted the injunction in the noted 

 mpted prize fight at Hot Springs in 

 By an examination of the statute 

 books it had been found that the supposed law of 

 1 s *!'! making prize fighting a felony was never 

 1. The two liouses could not agree on the 

 bill, and it was sent to a conference committee, 

 and when the report was presented to the House it 

 was adopted simply by a '//</ //,/<- vote. As the 

 law of 1S93 sought to amend this act. it would seem 

 that there is no law on the subject of prize fighting 

 in this State. 



Political. The Republicans held a convention 

 March :>. at Little Rock, chose 4 delegates to the 

 St. Louis convention, who were instructed to vote 

 for McKinley, and adopted a platform which de- 

 clared as follows on the currency question : 



" We favor true bimetallism, with such restric- 

 tions and under such provisions, to be determined 

 by legislation, as will secure the maintenance of the 

 parity of values of the two metals, so that the pur- 

 chasing and debt-paying power of the dollar, wheth- 

 er of silver, gold, or paper, shall beat all times equal." 



Favoring protection, it said further: 



" We condemn the action of the Democratic party 

 in Congress, and especially the Arkansas Senator's 

 and 1; ives. in voting to place and placing 



the products of our forests on the free list, whereby 

 the lumber industry of this State has been greatly 

 crippled. and the price of labor employed in said 

 industry greatly reduced." 



The adjourned meeting of the convention for 

 naming a State ticket and nominating presidential 

 electors was held July 1. The St. Louis platform 

 was adopted. On Stare affairs, the resolutions de- 

 manded reform in many particulars, emphasizing 

 the following: 



" W in amendment of our road ! 



The : -:em falls heaviest upon the po 



citizens. 



" We favor an amendment to the election law. 

 so framed that one member of each of the election 

 boards may be of a political party other than that 

 composinir the State administration. 



"We favor the establishment of a reform school 

 for the reformation of youthful criminals. 



" We favor an amendment to the Constitution 

 permitting counties and municipalities, by vote of 

 rlie | i-xempt manufacturing enterprises 



from taxation for a specified term. 



