30 



ARKANSAS. 



the Territory, which also takes in a portion 

 of New Mexico and covers about 5,000 square 

 miles. All the other tribes, except the Apaches, 

 are peaceable, and chiefly engaged in agricult- 

 ure. The latter are lazy, murderous, thievish, 

 and seemingly incapable of civilization. 



ARKANSAS. State Government. The following 

 were the State officers during the year: Gov- 

 ernor, Simon P. Hughes, Democrat ; Secretary 

 of State, Elias B. Moore ; Treasurer, William 

 E. Woodruff; Auditor, William R. Miller; At- 

 torney-General, Daniel W. Jones ; State Land 

 Commissioner, Paul M. Cobbs ; Superintendent 

 of Public Instruction, Wood E. Thompson; 

 Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Sterling R. 

 Cockrill ; Associate Justices, W. W. Smith, B. 

 B. Battle. 



Railroads. The Legislature, which was in 

 session from January 10 till March 31, devoted 

 much attention to railroad problems, and passed 

 several acts restricting the power of railroad 

 corporations, and protecting the public from 

 possible injustice at their hands. After the re- 

 jection of a measure that involved the creation 

 of a special State railroad commission, a bill 

 known as the Smith railroad bill, was adopted. 

 The leading provisions of this are : 



That no railroad shall consolidate with, or lease or 

 purchase, or in any way control, any other railroad 

 owning or having under its control a parallel or com- 

 peting line, nor shall any_ officer of such railroad act as 

 an officer of any other railroad owning or having con- 

 trol of a parallel or competing line ; that no discrimi- 

 nation in charges or facilities for transportation shall 

 be made between transportation companies and in- 

 dividuals, or in favor of cither by abatement, draw- 

 back, or otherwise, and no railroad shall make any 

 preferences in furnishing cars of motive power ; that 

 it shall be unlawful for any railroad in this State to 

 enter into any combination with any other parallel or 

 competing line of railroad for pooling of freight, by 

 dividing between them the gross or net earnings of 

 such railroads, or by dividing the property or passen- 

 gers carried by said railroads ; that all railroad cor- 

 porations in this State shall keep posted up at every 

 depot freight-office under the control of any such rail- 

 road corporation printed schedules showing the rates 

 of fare, atid the kinds and classes of property carried. 



Another act regulates the rate of charge per 

 mile for the carriage of passengers. Still another 

 prohibits any State officer, whether executive, 

 legislative, or judicial, from accepting a free 

 pass on any railroad in the State, or any rail- 

 road from issuing such. A fourth provides 

 that no foreign corporation shall be permitted 

 to lease, build, maintain, or operate any rail- 

 road within the State. Doubts were raised 

 regarding the constitutionality of this last act, 

 on the ground that it did not accord to citizens 

 of another State the privileges and immunities 

 of citizens of Arkansas; but the Attorney- Gen- 

 eral has interpreted it to mean, in accordance 

 with the probable purpose of the Legislature in 

 passing it, but scarcely in harmony with its let- 

 ter, that all railroad corporations owning prop- 

 erty in the State shall ipso facto be considered 

 citizens of the State, amenable to its laws, and 

 subject to its taxes. The measure was framed 

 to prevent any further claims by certain large 



railroads whose lines ran into the State, that 

 they could not be legally taxed as its citizens. 



In 1884 the property of all the railroads in 

 the State, other than lands not connected with 

 the roads, was valued at $6,352,985; in 1885 

 at $9,612, 773; in 1886, at $13,704,638; and in 

 1887, at $15,323,472. 



State Debt. The Governor in his annual mes- 

 sage says : 



The bonded debt of the State amounts to $5,103,- 

 563, including interest to the first day of October, 1886. 

 Of this $22,000 are State bank bonds, and bear 5 per 

 cent, interest ; $2,057,000 are real-estate bank bonds, 

 bearing 6 per cent, interest ; $1,000 are a Loughborough 

 bond, oearing 6 per cent., and $100 are a Brooks- 

 Baxter war-bond bearing 10 per cent, interest ; but 

 upon the .two last named interest has ceased to run. 

 Of the whole amount of the State debt $2,080,100 are 

 principal, and $3,023,463 accrued interest. 



For meeting this long-standing debt the fol- 

 lowing measure was passed by the Legislature : 



First, it was provided that in order to create a " sink- 

 ing fund " with which to liquidate the valid and un- 

 disputed bonded indebtedness of the State, there shall 

 be levied and collected, and paid into the treasury an- 

 nually a tax of one mill on the dollar on all taxable 

 property, to be denominated "sinking-fund" tax; 

 second, a State-debt board, consisting of the Governor, 

 Secretary of State, and Auditor, was created to super- 

 intend the debt settlement. This board was author- 

 ized whenever there should be in the treasury, to the 

 credit of the sinking fund, the sum of $25,000 or more, 

 to advertise for proposals for the sale to the State of 

 any of the State bonds with accrued interest, and to 

 accept any such proposals at its discretion, and to pay 

 the amount so agreed upon to the bondholders on sur- 

 render of the bonds. For this purpose of purchasing 

 bonds during the two years next ensuing^, the sum of 

 $800,000 was appropriated out of the sinking fund. 

 Provision was also made to enable holders of bonds to 

 exchange them for certificates of indebtedness receiv- 

 able for certain taxes. Under this act bids were made 

 and accepted in July for the sale of bonds at prices 

 ranging from 711? to 72 cents on the dollar. 



Legislation. Among the acts passed by the 

 Legislature were the following: 



To provide for the reorganization of the Arkansas 

 Industrial University. 



To abolish public executions. 



To regulate the practice of dentistry. 



To provide for allowance for widows and children 

 out of estate of deceased persons. 



To provide for the collection of overdue taxes from 

 corporations doing business in this State. 



To fix the time for holding elections in cities of the 

 second class. 



To give effect to the constitutional provision against 

 usury. 



To prevent minors from playing cards or pool in 

 dram-shops or other public places. 



Fixing the price of State lands at $1.25 an acre. 



To authorize the several counties of the State to issue 

 bonds in lieu of their indebtedness existing prior to 

 1874. 



To make appropriations for the support and main- 

 tenance of the Branch Normal College at Pine Bluff. 



To limit the time of bringing suits on mortgages. 



To provide for the assessment and collection of a 

 public highway tax from corporations, companies, and 

 individuals running sleeping-cars over railroads in 

 this State, and for other purposes. The rate fixed is $3 

 per mile for each car per annum. 



To submit to the people of the State the question of 

 holding a convention to frame a new constitution. 



To encourage sheep-raising by providing against 

 the ravages of dogs. 



