The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1910-05-25
co. attorneys OFFICE
AN IMPORTANT One
Creation Of the Office by the Lesisla-
ture is Generally Approved, as Much
Good May be Accomplished there
by.
Special to The Ne10s.


Jackson, Miss, May 25.-Open hos
tility to the legislative act creating the
office of county attorney is being mani
tested in several counties of the state,
and in some instances, according to
indisputable evidence, the opposition
has been engendered by factional po-
litical feeling.
The hostility manifested itself in the
refusal of boards of supervisors to ia
the salary of the office at figure COM
mensurate with the work performed.
In only two or three instances, nota-
bly, Washington and Kinds, have the
supervisors fixed salaries at the maxi
mum figure provided by law, $1,000 per
annum In several other counties,
where almost as much work will be re-
quired of the incumbent of the office,
salaries have been fixed at from $500
to $500.
Doubtless some of the boards of SUI
pervisors are laboring under the i'm
preston that the new office is a su-
perfuity, and are naming maximum
salaries because of their belief that
the incumbents appointed by Governor
Noel will decline to serve. Thus far,
however, no designations have been
rendered, and doubtless all of the pres
ent incumbents will be aspirants for
ITe-election at the party primaries next
year.
That the county attorney can make
himself a very important factor in law
enforcement, especially in the suppress
sion of minor forms of felonies, has
already been conclusively shown in a
numbe rof counties where the incum-
bents have succeeded in having fines
land costs assessed amounting to much
more than their salaries for an entire
year, although they have been in of
fee hardly more than a month.
The county attorney is, fact, an as
sistant to the district attorney, an6
with active and Jealous incumbents in
office much of the complaint obou'
laxity in the enforcement of the Law
is expected to disappear. Being il
constant contact with the courts o.
the justices of the peace, and required
to be present at all preliminary hear
t ings of persons charged with felonies
, os u-all nc obaroaa xxrith tba d,,+v ~
| prosecuting persons arrested for mis-
demeanors, the county attorney is thu
l enabled to make the district attorne!
more familiar with the evidence il
criminal cases on the calendar at eacl
court term, and the inevitable conclu
sion is that there will be more convic
tions, fewer dismissals because of lacl
| of evidence and smaller opportunitie
to influence the entry of nolle pross
orders.
All depends, of course, on the zes
energy and ability shown by the il
cumbents of these offices, but Cove
nor Noel made his appointments wit
u exceptlonai care, and II Is believe
s that, in large majority of instances
e he has secured first-class men, VIII
g will prove that this new machinery
o the law is well worth the cost.
e In several counties the boards Of 81
pervisors have not yet fixed the sail
a ries Of county attorneys. but will d
n so at the June meetings. A list is b
is ing compiled showing the salaries ths
II have been fixed in counties where a
E. tion was taken at the last meeting
a, OF supervisors, and these statistic
n will be submitted for the guidance I
s. supervisors in other counties.
Governor Noel is thoroughly co