Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1914-03-05
SENATOR LEE M RUSSELI'S
.xxxWEEKLY LETTERxx.x


MMsx Il II u
EDITOR EAGLE:
With the exception OF las,
Monday when many OF the mem
bers failed to show up after their
trip to the coast and Mardi Gras,
we did good week g work. The
senate passed n new bill forbid.
ding the holding OF farm lands
by corporation. This bill ia in.
tended to strengthen the law
passed two years ago; what its
fate will be in the House il hard
to tell. The House il not 90
conservative this session as here
tofore; one can hardly tell what
this body will do upon any
proposition The progressive
and more thoughtful members OF
tho entire legislature are OF the
opinion that it is much better for
this state that we slow in pro-
grcss rather than allow large cor
poratiors to take up all our land.
II this policy had been pursued
BY the legislature fifteen years
agr, the citizens then would have
had millions in their fine long
leaf timber where they have
nothing now. II 10 true they
have few improvements; some
of them have built houses and
improved their farms somewhat,
but in most instances the stran.
ger has come in and gobbled up
all their timber, turned it into
dollars and the landowners are as
poor Is ever, with all their re
sources gone forever. II was
this same principle that caused
the legislature years ago to
squander all the University land.
Had these lands teen kept until
now the University would have
been very rich indeed; it would
have had several millions Of its
own property whereas now it is a
beggar. 1t has to beg the sue.
cessors OF legislatures gone by
for its very daily bread. Such
ought not to be; all natural re-
sources ought to be carefully
conserved.
The Kyle banking bill has not
yet gone to the Governor; II will
do 50, feel sure, within the rex,
two days, This is o Of thu st
pie 49, oi constructive h. -.nto
passed in years.
The Whitman resolution stir
red up a rumpus in the tou.-
last week. AZ will he rem.
bered the investig sting rommi t..
went over 20 Meridiar To- i, v-sti-
gate the charge against judge
Sam Whitman for having alIoa-
ed fee of $50. 600 90 to law, ers
and receivers III q deiunct bark
case. The committee rep .r,ed
that the Judge had allowed n Zee
much too large and censured him
very strongly. The COMMITTEES
also censured him about another
matter. This committee fled its
report with both tho house and
the senate. But the house de.
sired to rehash the whole ma ter
and proceeded to pass a very
scathing resolution on top of the
one already made and filed by
the committe, but when this came
over to the senate tn row was
checked; they took the view that
one punishment was enough.
The bil putting the machinery
in force for the election of all
Judges passed the senate aid il
now in the house for con,idera
ton We hope that this bill will
pass there and become a law at
once. All the appointments by
the Governor are being held up
until this bill il passed-many
senators holding that they have
no right to confirm these appoint
menis at all, that they wer. mada
after the constitutional amend
ment for the election OF judges
had been adopted by the people,
and therefore the Governor had
no right to take this from them.
The new bill, however, will not
prevent the Governor from keep
ing judges upon the bench until
the new ones are elected, and
the new bill provides for an elec-
ton this summer and all those
elected will take their seats in
January 1915.
Another matter that is causing
considerable talk is the fact that
the bill to elbow the Gover,4nr
certain pay for detective efr ces
is having - ''rbugh an ~ s
road" The r. oIu a. u
which the Govern III. !, tti.-
! row this ~ NJ. ard &C unt f,r
same with al iter.ize! -inl M +,
the! c.ain, mas been c5mpi !
Wit; hey stale the Cover OF
has thus lar fsiea u give The
it-mized account Then, tra,
IL seems tne Governor las spe 1
otter money n, authorized T
detectives AMI inve -,iea'i.,l a d
SO this Is b-ing looked into
Some say tn re is politics in all
that. ANY way it caused cunsi
dersble talk and just what the
nilfnnma will IA No nno kno,rn