The Neshoba Democrat., 1922-11-02
|. NEWS AND VIEWS
From The
/ STATE CAPITAL
BY F. r. Birdsall

grand juries to inquire into the condi-
tion of public highways in the various
counties, and IL they find them bad
to apply the remedy prescribed by
law for failure to properly maintain
the public roads. It is said that in
some counties judges are asking grand
Jurors to find out why county and dis
trict attorneys have failed to enforce
the orders Of boards Of supervisors
against heavy logging trucks and 9TH
or heavy vehicles with narrow tires
which have ruined many public roads
and which have violated the orders of
supervisors by hauling. logs and other
heavy loads within the specified hours
after a rain. 1t is reported that mill
lions of dollars worth of public high
ways have been practically destroyed
In Mississippi by such heavy traffic
In flagrant violation of orders OF
boards OF supervisors which have all
the force and effect of law, having
been drawn strictly in conformity with
the law to protect public highways
against destruction.
Boards of Supervisors throughout
the state continue to pass resolutions
urging constituents to vote to rat
ify the constitutional amendment TAX.
ing the trunk highways out of the
hands of boards of supervisors and
placing them under the control of the
state highway department 1t seems
to be well understood now that unless
this amendment is ratified and be-
comes part of the state constitution
Mississippi will lose millions of dol
lars annually appropriated by the fed.
eral congress for the maintenance and
construction of trunk highways in Mis-.
sissippi. The country people seem to
be thoroughly aroused on this amend
ment because they appreciate the fact
that good roads are more necessary to
them than to the people of the cities
and towns, who already. have good
streets and who do not have to travel
\ miles through mud roads to the mar
ket to the various towns throughout
the winter months.
The whirligig of time is making
some strange political discoveries.
Under the constitution of 1890, in or
der that ministers of the gospel of reg
uarly organized churches would not be
denied the flight to vote, the constftu-
tion provided that such ministers of
the gospel could vote provided they
had been citizens of county for six
months. The constitution requires two
years residence in the state and one
in the county to make one qualified
elector in Mississippi. At the same
time that the constitution was adopted
women had not been given the suf-
frage, and now 1t is discovered that
ministers wives, where the ministers
change their charges yearly, as is the
case In many instances, are not quail
flied electors and cannot vote. There
is no way to make them qualified elect
ors unless the constitution shall be
changed to fit the cases of minister's
wives the same as it does ministers.
: q .i
The awful catastrophe near Bovina
station, in Warren county, where some
eight of ten children and the driver
of the truck were killed by freight
train and others of the twenty
children all injured but four, is enough
to make civilization shudder. The
friends and relatives of those whose
children lost their lives while the auto
mobile truck was contesting the right
OF way with freight train, have the
sympathy not only of the people OF
the capital city of Mississippi, but of
all people of the state. DDrastic legis-
lation must be had to punish needless
and reckless drivers of motor cars
who disregard the danger signals at
railway grade crossings. Such legis-
! lation was urged by the press before
the assembling of the last legislature,
but 1t seems that no adequate steps
were taken to prevent such tragedies
as the horriblet one which occurred
near Bovina.
Visitors from all parts oR xne state
who attended the state fair In the capi.
tai city went hom- delighted and pro-
nounced 1t the best fair they have at
tended. T:he agricultural and live
stock exhibits seem to crafty the peo-
pae who live both In the cities and the