The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-02-01
MERIDIAN, MISS.

Meridian, Miss January Sf-tSpe-
 cial. )-The criminal term of the Lau-
 derdale county circuit court will be convened in Meridian Monday morn
 ing by Judge R w. Heidelberg of
 Shubuta. The term is expected to last
 for the full four weeks. as there are
 a large numberfof jail cases to be dis
 posed of and the grand jury is ex-
 pected to provide considerable grist from probes it is said will be made
 into various alleged violations since the last sitting of the body. Rumors have been rife all through the week since the meeting of the Anti-Saloon League last Sunday afternoon, when two ministers and a lawyer, in ad- dresses to the audience that almost Ifilled the city hall auditorium made statements criticising the police de- pertinent and officials higher up of alleged non-enforcement of law, es- lpecially the prohibition laws, that possibly the grand jury will be called on to make an investigation as to the truth or falsity of the information said to be in the possession of the Anti Saloon League members. The time of the grand jury is not expected to be taken up with small matters as a
 majority of the misdemeanor cases are disposed of through the two justice courts, since the county has been pro- vided with county attorney.
 It is not unlikely that during the coming week sufficient number of names will have been secured to the petitions that have been in circula-
 tion for the past several weeks re- questing the city council to call an I election to determine the will of the electors on the question of discardng the commission form of government for return to the aIdermanic and Icouncilmanic method of municipal gov ernment If the names are secured the petitions will be presented to the council at the following weeks meet ing. Following comparison of the petitions with the names of the city registration books to determine if sufficient number are qualified cleo 1 tors an election will be called and the campaign that will follow is expected ! to be one of the hottest ever held in l this city with the exception of the election changing to the present form | Of government was held. The vote at that time was close, commission form or government advocates winning by | only S5 votes. However, many of 1 those who were leaders in the move
 ment to discard aldermanic govern
 ment at that time, little over six years ago, are just as anxious now to [ l government they helped to defeat. 1 Marked interest has developed in the better chicken" movement that has
 been inaugurated in this county with the organization of the Lauderdale County Poultry Association during the
 week. Following the announcement
 that a poultry show on an extensive scale will be given in this city dur 1 ing the month of February word has come from many parts of the county that fanciers will participate and ai-t ready space is being applied for for the exhibition of from five to one dozen pairs of birds. The building in which the poultry show is to be held has not
 as yet been selected, officials of the association delaying the matter until they can get a fair estimate of the extent of the exhibits. John E. May one of the best known chicken men I in this section of the state is president of the association and County Agent | J. D. Howerton is secretary. Either | of these gentlement will furnish any l information wanted with reference to the coming poultry show
 All arrangements will be completed , during the coming week for the mid winter reunion of the Scottish Rite bodies of Mississippi, to be held in this city at the Sottish Rite cathed- rial February 9, 10, II and 12 A large class comprising members from practically all parts of the state will ! take the degrees from the fourth to the thirty second during the reunion. Be- sides members of the class many Masons of high and low degree from throughout the state and from many l near other states are expected to be 1 here.
 EoIror,;nor tba ro,,,fo.. rr,,,a... rrox. I pie will conduct one of the most elab- | crate Shrine ceremonials ever held in ! it's Jurisdiction, expecting to entertain | the imperial potentate and other dis | tinguished Shriners on the occasion The Shrine patrol band is practicing 1 nightly in preparation for the cere- monial festivities and all business | houses have been requested to deco-
 rate in honor of the occasion. which | is believed will be a gala day long l to be remembered in this city and by I all those who participate.
 l The Matty Hersee charity hospital here will shortly pass from the hands | of private owners to the municipality, being a gift from the Board of Trade
 and Cotton Exchange which has about raised the necessary fund for it's pur- ] pose and transfer. The Board of Trade ! feeling that an appropriation suffi-
 cient for proper maintenance of the institution as a charity hospital for
 Meridian and eastern Mississippi could lnot be secured from the legislature as | long as it was privately owned. con- ceived the idea of buying it outright and presenting it to the city. The transfer is expected to be made in the next few days, or just as soon as | all necessary papers are prepared. When the institution passes into the | hands of the city vigorous efforts will 1 be made to make the hospital one of the most important institutions of the kind in the state.
 All gambling devices and games that | in the least resemble games of chance will be barred in this city from street fairs in the future, according to a determination just reached by the city authorities. Complaints of gambling at street fairs are made on all oc- casions when there is such an attrac- ton in the city until the authorities have finally concluded to put the lid on