The Newark Journal.
Published In The Famous white River Country, where Alfalfa Is Kino
$ I Per Annum
Newark, Independence County, Arkansas, Friday, June 30, IMI I
Vol. 1 I, No. 12
SUBMIT REVENUE LAW
Represenative Baker Starts Peti
tions to Refer it to People at
NextCieneral Election
The expected attack upon the
celebrated Turner-Jacobson reve
nue bill, which was passed by the
recent legislation without the
emergency clause, has already
been started. Representative W.
1). Baker of this county, who
opposed the bill has started the
circulation of a petition for its
submission to the people, and it
will not require much effort to get
enough signatures to submit the
act, as less than seven thousand
would be needed. A dozen petitions
started in an many counties would
roll up that many names in a few
days. The act would then be sub
mitted at the next general election
at a very considerable cost to the
people who are protesting against
what they fear will prove an in
crease in taxation. The Tax Com
mission has announced that the
ensuing assessment and tax collec
tion will be under the terms
of the old rather than the new
law to avoid the confusion that
would inevitably follow an attempt
to put the new law into effect at
this time. Hut this does not ap
pear to pacify the opponents of
the bill. All sorts of Haws, incon
sistences, and jokers are being dis
covered in it by its critics, and the
indications are that a hard tight
will be made to secure its rejection
by the people.
Represenative Baker, who op
posed the bill in the legislature,
says that all of those to whom he
has presented the petition have
shown a willingness to sign it. He
declares that all those with whom
he has talked have denounced the
bill in strong terms. He says that
he will devote every minute In
can spare until September ID to
circulating the petitions.
WHY HE FAVORS ITS SUBMISSION
When asked by The Journal
why he desired to have the bill re
ferred to the people, Mr. Baker
replied:
"1 think the Turner-Jacobson
bill should be referred to the peo
ple because 1 believe the people
should be given a voice in govern
mental affairs, especially in mat
ters affecting them so greatly as
does this revision of the tax laws.
“The legislative branch of our
government is of vast importance
j to the people, as their safety lies
jin the protection of their personal,
municipal and political rights,
| which the actions of the legislature
ought to give and defend.
“The people of Arkansas have
said by their votes, that they want
the power delegated to them to
enact any desired law which the
legislature refuses to give, and to
reject any laws they do not want.
“It was argued by those who
favored the adoption of the initi
ative and referendum, that meas
HON. Wm. D. BAKER
Who Circulated the Fust Petition for
Referring a Law to the People
Under the Referendum
ures of great imporlanee should
he referred to the people. The
system of taxation is of the great
est importance of all governmental
affairs."
ST.VI K HAS HKliN KOUBKP
'I'he State’s general revenue
fund has for more than two years
been insufficient to pay the ex
penses of the State government
and pay for the various public
enterprises that the State has been
carrying forward. It is for this
reason that a revision of the reve
nue laws was deemed necessary
by (Jnvernor Donaghey, through
whose influence the Turner-Jacob
son law was passed. Reminded
of this. Mr. Raker said:
‘‘Long-term legislatures, reckless
expenditure of the State’s funds
and the tax-dodger has sapped the
State Treasury, which has so long
been supplied by the honest tax
payer, until now they say there is
an emergency. The only relief is,
of course, more and higher taxes.
“It is a fact yet undisputed,"
Mr. Baker continued, “that the
man of ordinary means is the one
who assesses his property on an
equitable basis, while the tax
dodger, armed with political pres
tige, views the situation with
National Bank
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BARN PHONE34
RESIDENCE 85
complacency while the honest tax
payer hears the burden of taxa
tion. Who is to blame for the
present depleted condition of the
State Treasury? 1 am sure it is
not him who assesses fairly.”
OHJECTIONAHLK FEATl'RE
Among (»lher radical changes
from the present system, the Tur
ner-Jacobson law seeks to put all
property on the tax books at its
i true value, and one section of it
reads: “The officers in charge of the
assessing shall value each article
or description of property by itself
and at such sum or price as they
! believe the same to be worth in
money.” The long established
custom has been to assess property
at fifty per cent of its value, and
Mr. Baker strenuously objects to
this feature of the new law, claim
ing that it will only serve to place
additional burdens upon the small
tax payer. Discussing this feature
of the law, Mr. Baker said:
"It is an easy task to make the
ordinary man meet his part of the j
taxes, but to get the fellow higher,
up and the corporate interests is
something that has never been
done. Since 1S71 we have been
waging war in an effort to make
corporate intesests place a fair as
sessment upon its property, but;
with all the money expended in1
lawsuits against these monstrous
tax evaders, they are today assess
ed in this State at less than thirty j
per cent of their true value.
“Now,” concluded Mr. Baker,
with emphasis, “how many years
do you suppose it would take to
make them assess their property
at its ‘full and true value in mon
ey,’ and who would be paying on
this basis while that was being
done?” _
The journal man, being a close
relative of the man for whom Di
ogones spent years of fruitless
search, blushed visibly; hut being
unable to answer the front end of
Mr. Baker’s question, it is passed
on to the readers of The Journal
for their serious consideration.
1 AN EXPENSIVE LAWfUIT
Some months ago two widow la
dies living in Big Rock township
became involved in a dispute over
the possession of a hog, worth at
most only a few dollars. The very
worst thing that could have hap
pened did happened. The dispute
was carried into court. In the
court of a justice of the peace a
i verdict was rendered, whereupon
I the loser appealed to circuit court.
In the circuit court the case was
brought to trial and, of course, one
of the women lost the suit. The
cost in the case amounted to
$115.()5, and here is the pathetic
part of this story: The widow who
lost the suit owns a little farm on
which she lives, and for the past
two weeks her land has been ad
vertised for sale by the sheriff to
i satisfy this bill of costs. And all
this over a hog! The widow who
i won the case in court really lost,
because* she has expended a law -
yer's fee and a lot of time and:
worry that would have been bet
ter saved. The widow w ho lost the
case in court is {join# to lose her
home to settle the costs. And we
repeat, all this over a hog! Sharp
County Record.
CONVICT HSCARES
Robert Neild, a white man 15
years old, who was serving a ten
year sentence in the penitentiary
from Jackson county for murder
escaped from the guards at Little
Rock Tuesday. Neild was a trusty
and nothing was thought of his
absence until he had been gone
some time. He had served four
years.
The Royal Neighbors gave a
public entertainment at the hall
Wednesday night, w hich was en
joyed by a large crowd. An excel
lent program was rendered, con
sisting principally of songs, drills
and recitations by the children of
members of the order. All those
who participated acquitted them
selves in a most creditable manner.
The entertainment was gotten up
on rather short notice, allowing
the children only a few days for
practice, but all did well and the
Neighbors have reason to fee!
proud of their success as entertain
ers.
RETURN F ROM PLEASANT TRIP
Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Adams of
Oil Trough were visiting relatives
in town Wednesday. They return
ed recently from a pleasant visit
with relatives in Texas and Okla
homa whom they had not seen in
many years. While away they visit- j
k4 >heir oldest, daughter. Mrs.
Burkett, of Woodward, Okla., and
I found her and her family well and
j doing nicely. In relating his ex- j
: periences of the trip to The Jour- I
; nal man, Mr. Adams mentioned ,
many pleasant incidents but none ]
that seemed to please him more j
than the fact that his granddaugh- j
ter, Justina Burkett, aged 13, re -
[cently won the highest gold medal |
for proficiency in music in the I
schools of Woodward. The medal
was furnished by the bankers of
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Woodward, and the prize is quite!
1 a distinction for one of her age.
Mr. Adams showed us a picture
| of a family gathering at the home
I of Mrs. P. H. Patrick, at Paris, |
Tex., which he attended, and which
was a very pleasant reunion. Those
present were Mrs. P. II. Patrick,
at whose home the guests were so
| delightfully entertained, and who:
will be pleasantly remembered by |
| many of the older citizens of this
! county; Mr. and Mrs. K. Adams,1
of Oil Trough; Jno. II. Saffold and j
wife, of near Paris, Tex.; Rev. A.
P. Saffold and wife, of Kingston,
Tex.; James F. Saffold and wife,
of Beardstown, Tex.; and Mrs. Liz
zie Vaughan of this place. Mrs.
j Patrick, Mrs. Vaughan and the
I Saffold gentlemen are brothers and
sisters, and this was the first time
in 45 years that they had all been
together on such an occasion.
Mrs. Patrick was reared in this
county near Oil Trough, but moved
to Texas in 1871. Since moving to
Texas her husband has died, but
she and her family have prospered
and are doing well. Her oldest son,
lid Patrick, now lives in Indian
apolis, Ind., where he is president
of a large manufacturing concern.
The next son, James, is a suecess
ful'attorney and lives in Paris, Tex.
Another son, Albert, is a traveling
salesman for a large St. Louis sash
and door concern, and William, the
youngest son, is a prominent school
man. A daughter, Lizzie, married
Dr. Lenoir, who is now a promi
nent physician of Milton, Tex.,
whom Mr. and Mrs. Adams visited
while on the trip. Another daugh
ter, Nora, married a Mr. Young,
who is a successful traveling sales
man, and the youngest daughter,
Miss Kate, is still at home with her
mother, and “is the finest young
lady in Texas," to quote* Mr. Adams’
own words.
Mr. Adams was delighted with
the trip and the people he met,1
but says this is a far better coun
try than Texas.
I AILl:l) TO FIND NVATFR
The railroad company has aban
doned the work of drilling for
water in Newark, and the steam
drill which had been in operation
here for several days, was taken
away Monday. A hole was drilled
200 feet deep and practically the
entire depth was drilled into a
slate-rock of a very hard and pe
culiar formation. It is said that
strong indications of oil or gas
were found just before the work
was abandoned.
The well that furnishes water
for the tank goes dry nearly every
summer and it was thought that
an abundant supply of water
would be found by sinking the
well about 100 feet deeper. No
water was found, however, even
at 200 feet, and the work was
abandoned as above stated.
A SUNDAY IN KANSAS
This is the way the thermomet
er kept the Sabbath out in Kansas
last Sunday: Kmporia, 106; Strong
City, 10S; Abilene, 112; Manhattan,
lid; Salina and McPherson, 111.
Now if you have been guilty of
making any derogatory remarks
about our Arkansas summer
weather, you should make a suit
able apology.
HANGMAN'S BUSY WEEK
I hree W hite Hen and One Negro
to he Hanged in Arkansas
1 oday and Tomorrow
This is hangman’s week in Ark
ansas, and four murderers will pay
the extreme penalty unless there
should be eleventh pour reprieves.
Jack Blackburn, a negro, is un
der sentence to hang at Pine Bluff
, today (Friday) for the murder of
his aunt, Mary Gordon, and her
j husband, John Gordon, near Mos
cow, several months ago. It will
be the first legal execution that
taken place in Jefferson county
I since June 21, 1901, when Elijah
Davis was hanged for criminal as
| sault. Blackburn is the ninth whom
Judge A. B. Grace has sentenced
to the gallows, lie has been con
lined in the jail at Little Rock
since his sentence May Id, appar
ently unconcerned over his ap
proaching fate, devoting much of
his time to reading the bible.
Henry Coates and J. A. McEl
vvain, white men, are to be hanged
at Osceola tomorrow, July 1, for
murder. They have been confined
in the state penitentiary at Little
Rock for safe keeping since June
11. Coates was convicted of the
killing of R. L. Ferguson and W.
R. Dean, nephews of Sheriff C. B.
llall, of Mississippi county, who
were attempting to arrest him last
spring for boot-legging. He wras
arrested near Memphis, and a de
tachment of the state militia sent
to bring him back. McEKvain was
convicted of the murder of Sam
Smith at Dell, several months ago.
These three men resided in Mississ
ippi county several years.
'Toni Powell, a white man is un
der sentence of death at Jonesboro
tomorrow for criminal assault up
on his own daughter. He was con
victed at Marion, in Crittenden
county, on change of venue, and
an effort has been made to secure
a commutation of sentence.
I OR ATTORNEY GENERAL
Hon. I'. H. Henderson of Poca
hontas, who is now State Senator
from Randolph county, has an
nounced his candidacy for attorney
general. His father was attorney
general from 1886 to 1888.
NOTICE TO HUNTERS
We have posted our pastures
and will allow no hunting in them.
Eller Bros.
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