Arkansas: Opportunity Regained

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The statistics, of course, show mainly how far the state had to go. The first new plants, notably apparel factories, generally paid low wages; many recruited women workers exclusively. (A "go-gitter" in Arkansasese is not an ambitious fellow, but one whose principal labor is to "go git" his wife at the plant.) Despite the progress that has been made, Arkansas still ranked 48th among the states last year in hourly wages for production workers ($1.83, v. a national average of $2.61). Now a drive is on to attract more sophisticated industry, such as electronics. To succeed, Arkansas must offer a skilled work force. But its underfinanced educational system, spending only $376 per pupil a year compared with the national average of $532 in 1965, is not up to the task.

The deeper he got into state affairs, the more Rockefeller became convinced that the one-party system was the principal roadblock to progress. Faubus had used the Little Rock crisis to break the two-term tradition, and showed every indication of staying on indefinitely (he is now finishing his sixth two-year term). The statewide organization Faubus built became autocratic and impervious to reform. While relatively little corruption has been proved, there have been scandals in the highway and prison departments—despite the state government's antipathy to investigations. The highway department has not undergone an independent audit for 14 years. Reformers also suspect that the state's long history of ballot-box jiggery-pokery did not improve much with the coming of Faubus' rule. Despite the state motto, "Let the People Rule," elections are tightly controlled at the county level, where the cost of a vote can range from $1 to $20. The dead and the long absent have been known to cast ballots in amazing numbers, and the Arkansas Election Research Council, a nonpartisan group, reports one county official's estimate: "It takes $20,000 to buy an election here."

So Steal. The constitution itself inhibits efficient administration by holding down state aid to local government and keeping public officials' pay ridiculously low. The Governor gets $10,000 a year—though Faubus has managed to build a home that he estimates will cost $100,000 and the Republicans say will take perhaps $250,000. No mayor in Arkansas may receive more than $5,000 a year. Mayor William Laman of North Little Rock (pop. 62,000), who has a furniture business on the side, gets official takehome pay of $362 per month. "When I complain about the salary," says Laman, "they say, The money's there for you to take. If you're not smart enough to take it, you deserve your crummy salary.' "