The Lexington advertiser., 1940-01-25
Current Comment
BY HENRY WILLIS


a mans part in the trying times Of re-
construction. He knew those times OF
real hardships, never ending anxiety,
when no man dared leave his home un-
guarded at night. When the horses
hitched around the race tracks showed
empty holsters at the saddle bows
empty because the pisols we're IN the
owners belts. He served in the Sheriff's $
office at time when desperate, reck-
less men we're many and evil negroes,
led by far more evil carpetbaggers, we're
a steady menace He had part>>n that
stirring year 1875 in the late summer
Of which the carpetbaggers left between
suns and the few bad negroes ceased TO
trouble. Beginning a business life with
a small stock of groceries and staples,
by close attention, fair dealing, he slowly
built up a considerable fortune in lands
and securities. Liberal in spirit, loving
his fellowman, his private and public
benefactons were many and his sincere
desire was to leave the world better,
though it be but little bit, for his
having lived here. desire he achieved.
Many men will miss the wise and kindly
counsel of Mr.. George Stigler.
Columbus Is Building An Armory to
house a unit Of the Hath Field Artillery
1t will cost about s40,000.00 and will
have an Auditorium to seat a thousand,
club rooms for the men. basketball
court with two sets of showers, stage,
small-bore rifle range, an adequate
and well-found kitchen, burglar-proof
storage for valuables and records. The
city defeated the project once before
awakened to the Importance and advan-
tage Of keeping the battery there. 1t
one Of their best pay rolls. 1t sug-
gests that our school needs space for
the Manual Training and Home Train
ing departments. The city needs
Mayors Court space. The High School
needs an assembly hall badly. All could
be secured by building new armory
and turning the old over to the school
and the city departments. The High
School gym would be easily converted
into an ample hall. Basketball would
be carried to the armory and since the
new armory would have a court also it
would be possible to have two games
on at the same time, which would help
speed the tournament games. The new
building would be on ground already
OWueu, tHc City tIuShs civ WatCi ohu
gravel would be used. Altogether ex-
cellent and needed facilities would be
had at a minimum of cost. 1t would be
like fairy story come true to Super
intendent Bill Kenna and Principal Nick
Walker who give so much able thought
to teaching the young idea how to grow.
Cost to the town? Approximately
$12,00000.
Registration OF All Guns is a subject
that pops up whenever Congress or a
State Legislature is in session. Sounds
like such an easy way to stop the gang
sters and the rural murderer. Why
should any honest man object to de-
claring his gun and securing permit
to own it? All as simple as that. Think
little further. Just what class would
be disarmed? One would have to be
pretty tolerably-rather intolerably---
simple to think it would be the gang
sters, the underworld The decent, law
abiding people would be disarmed and
the lawless ones, caring not one whit
for the possibility of fine or even a
Jail sentence, would continue to have
and carry guns and be much bolder in
the certain knowledge that the good
people were disarmed. Those of us who
like to own guns and trade them from
time to time do not care to be licensed
and ticketed and finger printed and re-
quired to report like criminals. Further
it is a step toward disarming the people
and disarmed people fall an easy prey
to military dictators. Probably there
are not as many fire arms among the
eighty million subjects of Hitler-other
than weapons of the military-as there
are in Mississippi. They have no chan ce
to resist oppression by the few in power.
Our constitution says "the right of the
people to keep and bear arms shall not
be abridged" Mississippi has the con-
cealed weapon law which is quite ample
to take care of pistol toting. The
gradual lessening of dangers has as
gradually lessened the carrying of
pistols There is no reason for any fur
ther restrictions. All attempts to make
us good by law are bound to fail.
Trained p o Ii G m n Birdsong relin-
quishes command of the Highway Patrol
to trained electrician. 1t was hard to
get highway police force in this state
partly because of the use of state
constabulary in Louisiana by the late
Senator Long in way that caused us
to fear that body of civil police under
partisan control might be used to the
disadvantage of the masses of the people
So the duties and authority of our high
way patrolmen was strictly limited and
they were forbidden to take any part
in politics. In about two years the
Patrol has developed into very eff
cient and courteous force.
Some Novel Patents Recently Granted
A frankfurter with the mustard sealed
in tube inserted in the middle of the
product. When the frankfurter is to be
eaten the tube is withdrawn and squeez
ed at the same time, this squirts the