The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-10-01
USELESS OFFICE ID BE ABOLISHED Banks May Take Places of
 County TreaSurers BURNT ROADS ARE TRIED Experiments Are Being Made In Low lands of the Delta In Improving
 the Bad Roads-Petitions
 for Pardon.

Jackson, Miss, September 30 --(Special) There is a movement on foot to have the office of country treasurer abolished by law. In order to do that 1t is necessary for the legislature to order a vote on 8 constitutional amendment, but there is very litle doubt that 1t would carry with a great whoop A county or city treas urer is as useless as a fifth wheel to wagon He is nothing but figure head, and the salary attached to the office is a free gift.
 Under the present system treasurers are elected largely through the influence of some bank which has in advance se- cured the promise of the deposits of the funds that would come to the treasurer 5 hands and the real treasurer does not see the money he is supposed to handle. The payments are made by the tax col lectors directly to the bank and the bark pays it out on the certificate of the clerk of the county Of course the bank makes the treasurer's bonds and has the use of the county or city funds during the tenure of office of the supposed treasurer. This system costs the taxpayers of the state more than $lo0,000 in the way of com missions to treasurers who never see or handle any of the money, and is an eX- pense that could be gotten rid of and done without just as well as not The bank would be only too glad to make the bond and act in the capacity as the treasurer of county or city free of charge. The idea is d good one. and if properly brought to the attention of the legisla- ture would have numerous supporters no doubt.
 Campaign Against Snuff.
 A great hue and cry has been raised here and elsewhere over the state against the use of snuff. This agitation was be- gun by the labor unions of Jackson as blow at the tobacco trust, and those newspapers and others that have taken up the cudgel seem to have lost sight of the real cause of the warfare. It was not born of any desire to stop the use of snuff generally, but Of one particular brand of snuff, but those who have fallen into line seem to think the fight Is against all snuff and was born of high sense of morals and demand for cleanliness There is no doubt the habit of dipping snuff is nasty one. It is praeticed chiefly by negro women but thousands of the best old mothers and grand mothers in the state are addicted to It's use. and they will never give it up. Why should they give up their snuff when their husbands and fathers are chewing tobacco and splitting all over the hearth or sending curls of smoke and a disagree able odor from a nasty pipe over the house? The chances are that the very men who have started this crusade chew the nasty weed and smoke. In fact it Is understood here that the author of the resolution uses the big, thick, juicy, navy plug.
 Burnt Roads,"
 Further experiments are being made in the Delta counties with burnt roads. ' Congressman Humphreys having secured the services of an expert from Washing ton to conduct the tests. The city of Greenville raised 5000 or 5000 and the work of constructing a decent mile of dirt road is under way. It Is claimed that this burning makes the top of the roadway so hard that it lasts several years. The roadway is first plowed up from one end to the other, narrowed and shaped as desired, drainage attended to, and then covered with cords of wood,