The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1901-11-30
MISSISSIPPI
NOTES OF PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS.
By KATE MARKHAM POWER.


Secretary of State J. W. Power is
sending out the biennial report Of At
torney-General McClurg to the men,
bers of the Legislature. 1t is a very
interesting document Of 1876 pages of
BREWER type, and one of the most com
plete ever sent out from that office.
1t shows that the Attorney-General,
between the 18th of January, 1900, and
October list, 1901, tried 154 cases in
the Supreme Court, of which 1873 were
criminal and 81 civil, besides quite a
number in circuit and chancery courts
Of Kinds county and in the United
States court at Jackson, and that rs
per cent. of all of these cases have
been decided in favor of the State. A
tabulated list of the cases is given,
showing name of the parties, county
from which the appeal was taken.
judgment and sentence of the circuit
court, and whether affirmed or re-
versed by the Supreme Court.
The report contains about $50 writ
ten opinions given by the Attorney
General to boards of supervisors, State
officials and State institutions, but
does not include a much larger num-
Der given orally to the State officers,
or those given boards of supervisors by
telegraph mad telephone.
1t shows that the Acknowledgement
examined and passed upon the legality
of 500 applications for charters of in
corporation, 200 applications to have
refunded taxes enormously paid and
the purchase money for land where the
States title failed and more than
twenty applications for exemption
from taxation by manufacturing enter
prises.
The Attorney-General is also an ac.
tive member of the Board of Peniten-
tiary Control, Board of Public Educa-
ton, Board of Election Commissioners,
Board of Public Contracts, Special
Heat, Light and Water Supply Com
mission, Special Board of Health Com
mission, Penitentiary Farm Commits
sion, State House Commission, and
trustee for the State Library, and is
required by law to meet with these
several bodies as well as to advise
them touching the law respecting their
several duties.
In his report the Acknowledgement
recommends a revision of the statute
laws of the State, showing that the
averaged life of a code in this State
is eight years, while the present code
will be twelve years, old when the
Legislature meets in 1904. He is op
posed to too many laws, and the few
est possible changes in the present
statutes, but thinks the State will be
greatly benefited by pruning out all Of
the repealed laws and those declared
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
and to collect from the sheet acts al
live laws enacted since the code wa.
adopted. He also recommends al
amendment of the antitrust laws
making them less severe, compellin.
parties to pools, trusts and combines
to testify as witnesses and to produc,
their books for inspection by the court.
and all parties interested, and that dis
trict attorneys be authorized to pre-
coed against these concerns in thei
respective districts. 1t has some othe
suggestions of minor importance. Tn
report has been distributed to tn
members of the Boards of Supervisor
and county officers.
The Attorney-General certainly ha
as many official duties to perform a
any of IL State officials, If mo- more
and he has assiduously applied himsel
to the faithful discharge of the numei
GUS requirements which the law DE-
mands at his hands.
1t is not often that a wet town con
plains of the "wetness." But there ar
varieties of wetness. and the partic,
lar kind from which the town Q
Charleston is now suffering calls 70
the sheriff's immediate attention. TIL
water from the artesian we'll has S
tremendous a flow that it cannot b
utilized, and SO foods the streets. TIL
supervisors recently ordered the sheri