ARKANSAS. 



39 



tainod. Representative Farbash (colored) pro- 

 posed that members should scatter ballots so as 

 to temporarily prevent election. The roll-call 

 proceeded to the result above stated. David- 

 son's statement luul apparently no effect on the 

 actual ballot, save that Representative Wash- 

 burne asked aud was excused from voting in 

 consequ n. >. No reflections were cast upon 

 Johnson personally. 



Under such a charge Colonel Johnson could 

 do no less than demand an investigation ; the 

 House could do no less than to order it. It was 

 ordered. Two of the committee were Johnson 

 men, two Walker men, and one a Baxter man. 

 Another was afterward added who had taken 

 no part in the senatorial contest. After some 

 weeks spent in investigation, five of the com- 

 mittee made a majority report, in which they 

 say: 



Your committee have failed to find in the testimony 

 before them any evidence whatever reflecting, either 

 directly or indirectly, upon the Hon. R. W. Johnson, 

 or upon his conduct in the senatorial contest ; but his 

 record in this, as in all other and previous contests, 

 stands above reproach and above suspicion. Nor do 

 your committee find anything in the testimony which 

 implicates, cither directly or indirectly, the Hon. J. 

 D. Walker in any attempt to bribe any member of the 

 General Assembly, while his life-long integrity forbids 

 all idea of such a suggestion. In regard to the mem- 

 bers of the House, there Is no testimony whatever 

 which shows that any member received a bribe for 

 his vote in the senatorial election, and no satisfactory 

 evidence that any offer of a bribe was made to any 

 member. Nor do your committee find any testimony 

 that any money was on deposit or was used by or for 

 any senatorial candidate in influencing votes tor Sen- 

 ator. 



One of the committee made a minority re- 

 port, in which he says: 



While a proper discharge of the duty devolved upon 

 them rendered it necessary to admit testimony which 

 could not bo justified by the ordinary rules of evidence 

 as applied in courts of justice, yet we fail to see, in the 

 scope wo have given the investigation, any infringe- 

 ment of the ordinary rules of propriety. Your minor- 

 ity fully agreed and concur in the majority report in 

 regard to the Hon. R. W. Johnson and the Hon. J. D. 

 Walker, and would add that the same is true of the 

 other senatorial candidates. Your minority are fur- 

 ther of the opinion that there IB no evidence before 

 this committee indicating that any member of this 

 House received any bribe or valuable consideration to 

 influence his vote in the recent senatorial election, but 

 that the peculiar conflicting and contradictory charac- 

 ter of the testimony taken renders it impossible for 

 your committee to say with positive certainty whether 

 or not any such offer was made, and therefore desire 

 to submit the testimony taken for your consideration. 



A resolution in accordance with the report 

 of the committee was laid on the table by the 

 House, and another adopted on the last day of 

 the session, and shortly after the report of the 

 committee was made, declaring that an attempt 

 had been made to bribe two of its members, 

 without implicating any of the candidates. 



The necessity for an insane asylum in this 

 State has become so pressing that the Gover- 

 nor in strong terms urged upon the Legislature 

 the passage of an act to provide for such an 

 institution. A bill was passed and vetoed by 



the Governor. He stated bis objections to be 

 that it was located in a wilderness, remote from 

 indispensable conveniences, that the bill made 

 no erticient provision for the erection of an 

 asylum, and that its adoption as a law wonld 

 probably operate to defeat for the present 

 generation any efficient provision for the ob- 

 ject. 



A bill was passed to abolish the office of ad- 

 jntant-general, but this was vetoed by the Gov- 

 ernor as an unconstitutional measure. 



A proposition to hold the State and Congres- 

 sional elections on the same day was voted 

 down. This defeat was caused by the exist- 

 ence of Congressional laws authorizing the ap- 

 pointment of supervisors of elections tor mem- 

 bers of Congress. 



A resolution was adopted to appoint a com- 

 mittee of five to prepare an address to the 

 fruit-growers of the btate, calling for a con- 

 vention to meet at Little Rock at as early a day 

 as practicable, for the purpose of organizing a 

 State Horticultural and Fruit-Growers' Asso- 

 ciation, and requesting such committee to pre- 

 pare a constitution for the consideration of the 

 Convention. 



Exclusive original jurisdiction was given to 

 justices of the peace to try and finally to deter- 

 mine all cases of misdemeanors; the circuit 

 courts, however, have concurrent jurisdiction 

 in cases of false imprisonment and malfeasance 

 and misfeasance in office. 



An act for the prevention of cruelty to ani- 

 mals provides that " if any person shall over- 

 drive, overload, torture, torment, deprive of 

 necessary sustenance, or cruelly beat or need- 

 lessly mutilate or kill, or cause or procure to 

 be overdriven, overloaded, tortured, tormented, 

 or deprived of necessary sustenance, or to be 

 cruelly beaten or needlessly mutilated or killed 

 as aforesaid, any living creature, every such 

 offender shall, for every such offense, be guilty 

 of a misdemeanor." The details of the act 

 comprise almost every form of cruelty ; and 

 it further provides that "in this act, and in 

 every law of this State passed or which may 

 be passed relating to or affecting animals, the 

 singular shall include the plural ; the words 

 'animal' or 'dumb animal' shall be held to 

 include every living creature ; the words ' tor- 

 ture,' ' torment,' or ' cruelty ' shall be held to 

 include every act, omission, or neglect whereby 

 unjustifiable physical pain, suffering, or death 

 is caused or permitted ; and the words ' own- 

 er ' and ' person ' shall be held to include cor- 

 porations as well as individuals. But nothing 

 in this act shall be construed ns prohibiting the 

 shooting of birds or other game for the pur- 

 poses of human food." 



A bill passed the Senate yeas 13, nays 6 

 prohibiting the sale of intoxicating liquor to 

 habitual drunkards. 



An act regulating the sale of mortgaged prop- 

 erty provides that, at all sales of personal or 

 real property under mortgages and deeds of 

 trust, such property shall not sell for less than 



