Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1911-02-23

ttdiA. OS Va sOhhC SSA'ANs w
may get a somewhat better en-
forcement of the law. That is all
We get absolutely.
Those papers ard persons in
serested in getting a job give
figures showing how much fines
and costs each attorney brings to
the county just as ii the attorney
was the whole Magistrates court,
just as if the Magistrates Of the
county never had returned to the
county any fines and costs before
and likewise could do nothing
and would be absolutely helpless
without a county attorney. OF
course, this is for political pur-
poses only; just an excuse TO get
in office, that's all.
You viii see from the above
that there is a limit on salaries,
running from at least $500 per
year up to $1,000 per year. AS a
rule these Offices are filled by
men with little or no practice and
even $50 per month is more than
they can ever make in their pri-
vate practice even after several
years hard work. We know wor-
thy young men who have lsbored
hard in the legal profession for
five or six years, they are well
qualified too, and they r not
making as much as $50 per
month, the county would not pay
him this much if they were to
hire him yet under the law they
have to pay at least $50. per
month.
There is another phase of this
question and that is that the
county attorney does not have
to attend all the courts of the
justice Of the peace, only con-
cealed pistol, selling intoxicating
liquors and felony cases, this
leaves a very large part of the
work for the justices to do with
out the County Attorney. This
should not be; some of these
small cases have more trouble in
them than some OF the larger
cases and the county attorney
should have to attend each JUS.
tice court. This has caused a
great deal of dissatisfaction and
in many instances the county at
torneys are not even asked tc
come to these courts at all, even
when wanted, not for this reason
alone but some of these fellows
feel so large and important when
given these jobs that they make
themselves obnoxious to these
justices.
Taken as a whole the county
attorney ought to be selected az
a man fitted for the place, a man
who can really be OF some SER
vice to the justices, and he
should be required to visit all
courts, and in order TO make the
position az all equal to this large
expense ne should have a splen-
did lawyer for judge of the court
and thus do away with the JUS
tee altogether. II not it is a very
doubtful proposition whether the
county attorneys are of any value.
II we had a good comfy Judge
and then an up to date COUNTY
attorney we feel that a very
large per centage of the Circuit
court work would be settled there
out unless this is done we rather
suspect the next legislature will
abolish the office.
One of the main objections to
this ofhce is the fact that it has
built up a wonderful political ma
chine; the administration has
either a staunch supporter or a
supporter that will aid the ad-
ministration against certain men
IN Mississippi. Almost to a man
throughout Mississippi wherever
you find him is either an out and
out Noel man or else he is fight.
ing Vardaman at every turn;
both ofthese:things have brought
the once in disrepute from the
first.
II the next legislature allows
this Office to live you will find