18 



ARKANSAS. 



Treasurer, W. G. Woodruff, Jr.; Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, 0. B. Moore ; Superintendent of Public 

 Instruction, W. E. Thompson ; State Land Com- 

 missioner, W. P. Campbell. Judiciary, Su- 

 preme Court : E. H. English, Chief-Justice ; W. 

 W. Smith and John R. Eakin, Associate Jus- 

 tices. Chancellor, D. W. Carroll. 



Legislative Session. The Legislature met on 

 the 8th of January, and adjourned on the 28th 

 of March. The State was redistricted for con- 

 gressional purposes as follows : 



1st district, the counties of Randolph, Clay, Green, 

 Lawrence, Sharp, Independence, Jackson, Craighead, 

 Mississippi, Pomsett, Cross, Crittenden, St. Francis, 

 Lee. Phillips, Desha, and Chicot. 



2d district, the counties of Dorsey, Lincoln, Grant, 

 Jefferson. Arkansas, Monroe, Prairie, Lonoke, Wood- 

 ruff, White, Faulkner, Conway, Pope, Van Buren, 

 Stone, and Cleburne. 



3d district, the counties of Polk, Howard, Sevier, 

 Little River, Pike, Hempstead, Miller, Lafayette, Co- 

 lumbia, Nevada, Clark, Hot Spring, Dallas, Ouachita, 

 Calhoun, Union Bradley t Drew, and Ashley. 



4th district, the counties of Crawford, Franklin, 

 Johnson, Sebastian, Logan, Scott, Yell, Perry, Gar- 

 land, Saline, Pulaski, and Montgomery. 



5th district, the counties of Benton, Washington, 

 Madison, Carroll, Boone, Newton, Searcy, Marion, 

 Baxter, Fulton, and Izard. 



An act was passed to provide for revising 

 and digesting the statutes. Another act pro- 

 vides that " the charters and all the amend- 

 ments thereto of all municipal corporations 

 within this State, designated as cities of the 

 second class and incorporated towns, may be 

 surrendered, all offices held thereunto abol- 

 ished, and the territory and inhabitants thereof 

 remanded to the government of this State in 

 the manner hereinafter provided." 



An act was passed to establish the county 

 of Cleburne from portions of Van Buren, In- 

 dependence, and White counties. 



An important enactment was the following: 



That if any person belie \-ing himself to be the 

 owner, either in law or equity, under color of title has 

 peaceably improved, or snail peaceably improve any 

 land, which upon judicial investigation shall be de- 

 cided to belong to another, the value of the improve- 

 ment made as aforesaid, and the amount of all taxes 

 which may have been paid on said land by such per- 

 son and those under whom he claims, shall be paid 

 by the successful party to such occupant, or the per- 

 son under whom or from whom he entered and holds, 

 before the court rendering judgment in such proceed- 

 ing shall cause possession to be delivered to such suc- 

 cessful party. 



The principal law of the session, relating to 

 the liquor-traffic, provides : 



That any person owning or using or controlling any 

 house or tenement of any kind, who shall sell or give 

 awav or cause or allow to be sold or given away any 

 alcohol, ardent or vinous spirits or malt liquors, any 

 compound or tincture commonly called bitters or ton- 

 ics, whether the same be sold or given away, openly 

 or secretly, by such device as is known as " The Blind 

 Tiger," or by anv other name or under any other de- 

 vice, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and' if any per- 

 son shall obtain any such alcohol, ardent or vinous 

 spirits, or malt liquors, or any compound or tincture 

 commonly called bitters or tonics, in any house, room 

 or tenement so owned, occupied, or controlled by an- 

 other, by going therein or thereto, and by call, sound 

 word, or token, it shall be prima facie evidence of the 



guilt of the person who so owns, occupies, or controls 

 such house, room, or tenement ; or, if any persons 

 are allowed to pass through or into any room or place 

 so owned or controlled or occupied by another, and 

 there obtain such alcohol, ardent or vinous spirits, or 

 malt liquors, or any compound or tincture commonly 

 called bitters or tonics, it shall be deemed presump- 

 tive evidence of the guilt of the party who owns, con- 

 trols, or occupies such house or room. 



Other acts passed were as follow : 



For the better regulation of the system of letting 

 and subletting of lands, and for the punishment of 

 persons for violations of the provisions of this act. 



Making the stealing of cattle, hogs, sheep, and goats 

 a felony, and prescribing the punishment. 



To provide now railroads shall unite, cross, intersect, 

 or join other railroads. 



To prevent the sale of obscene literature. 



Requiring compensation for causing death by wrong- 

 ful act, neglect, or default. 



The following article was proposed as an 

 amendment to the Constitution of the State, to 

 be voted upon at the next general election : 



ARTICLE XX. The General Assembly shall have no 

 power to levy any tax, or to make any appropriations 

 to pay either the principal or interest, or any part 

 thereof, of any of the following bonds or the State, or 

 the claims, or pretended claims, upon which they may 

 be based, to wit : Bonds issued under an act of the 

 General Assembly of the State of Arkansas, entitled 

 " An act to provide for the funding of the public debt 

 of the State," approved April 6, A. D. 1869, and num- 

 bered from 491 to 1,860, inclusive, being the " funding 

 bonds," delivered to F. W. Caper, and sometimes 

 called " Holford bonds," or bonds known as .railroad 

 aid bonds, issued under an act of the General Assem- 

 bly of the State of Arkansas, entitled " An act to aid 

 in the construction of railroads," approved July 21, 

 A. D. 1868, or bonds called "levee bonds," being 

 bonds issued under an act of the General Assembly 

 of the State of Arkansas, entitled " An act providing 

 for the building and repairing the public levees of the 

 State and for other purposes," approved March 16, 

 A. D. 1869 ; and the supplemental act thereto, approved 

 April 12, 1869 ; and the act entitled " An act to amend 

 an act entitled ' an Act providing for the building and 

 repairing of the public levees of this State,' " approved 

 March 23, A. D. 1871, and any law providing for any 

 such tax or appropriation shall be null and void. 



United States Senator Garland was re-elect- 

 ed. 



Finances. The total amount of warrants 

 drawn by the Auditor for the two years end- 

 ing September 30, 1882, was $1,356,392.80, of 

 which sum $498,382.63 was used in paying the 

 current expenses of the State government for 

 the two years. 



During the two years the 10 per cent, bonds 

 of the State, known as the Baxter war bonds, 

 amounting originally to $280,443.02, were re- 

 deemed and canceled. 



There is now outstanding only about $50,000 

 in State scrip. 



On the subject of the State debt, and the 

 condition of the State's finances, Treasurer 

 Woodruff says: "The redemption of the ten- 

 year_ bonds, and the near absorption of the 

 floating (scrip) debt, place the State in better 

 financial condition than at any time since 1860. 

 . . . Taking as correct the estimate of the 

 bonded debt contained in statement No. 18, 

 the acknowledged debt was, October 1, 1882, 



