The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-06-03
No Action, No Lew!

AS we pointed out last week, Attorney General Greek
L. Rice has said fatty that the State of Mississippi now
intends to take no action in establishing the Alabama-Mis-
sissippi state line between Jackson and Mobile counties.
This statement from General Rice comes three years after
he drew a bill for this purpose, which was passed by the
1916 state legislature together with an appropriation of
$4,000 for expenses in a friendly" suit between Alabama
and Mississippi to end the century-old state line dispute.
Despite his assertions, many conferences with the Ala
bama attorney general, and assurances that the matter
would be settled, General Rice now says "t would cost so
much money and, from my investigation, found no real
need for the re-establshment of this boundary line. The
Governor and agreed that the suit should not be brought"
The $4,000 appropriation has, of course, reverted back
to the general fund because it was not used.
That leaves us right back where we started from.
The Sage Patch Club. a gambling establishment that
provides dice tables, slot machines. king size binqo pots
and almost any other game an interested gambler might
want to indulge In, continues It's uninterrupted operations
immune from the law.
1t can't be bothered by local law enforcement officers,
we are told, because of the uncertainty as to whether it is
in Alabama or Mississippi.
1t 1T is raided and is in Alabama, law enforcement of
ficers would be liable for suit on their bonds.
First we would like to point out, as we did last week,
that the Sage Patch Club and the Sage Patch Cafe, across
Highway 80 from each other, are carried on the 1949 Jack
son County assessment rolls as follows.
Sage Patch Cafe, $500 assessment for stock, furniture
and fixtures.
Sage Patch Club 1900 for the same items.
The two buildings are assessed at $4,000.
This makes a total Jackson county assessment of So. 900.
The furniture, stock and fixtures assessment is made
up largely on slot machines in the two establishments.
Now what puzzles us is this. The assessment blanks
were signed in the name of the owner by the manager of
the establishments. This would indicate that the owner,
II no one else, believes he is located in Mississippi. Other
wise we hardly believe he would agree to a $4,000 ASSESS
ment.
We are no lawyer, but it also seems to us that. if there
is uncertainty as to whether the establishments are in Mis-
sissippi or Alabama, that uncertainty works both ways. If
the establishments are in Alabama would it not then be up
to them to prove it if they were raided?
To prove the establishments are in Alabama, the state
line would have to be established. If, as General Rice saws.
this would cost SO much money that it is not justified for
the state, then on the other hand ii would cost SO much
money that 1t would not be justified for the owners of the
establishments.
We lay no claim to legal talent, and perhaps this is
not feasible. We do believe, however, that a way could be
worked out to bring these establishments under the iuris-
diction of the law.
Suppose they wore hold up? Suppose a serious crime
was committed in front of or In one of the establishments.
What would be the result7 Could the perpetrator of the
crime simply stay there and be immune from the law7
He certainly would be If, as we are told, neither the law
endorsements officers of Alabama or Mississippi can in
terfere with tho present open law violations which are the
stock-in-trade of the establishments
AS we have often remarked before, we believe in uni
form law enforcement a law of laws and not a law of
men. If the Sage Patch Club pays assessments in Jackson
county and operates as a wide open gambling house. then
other establishments should be allowed the same privilege.
If other establishments are regulated according to the law.
then the Sage Patch Club also should be brought under the
same control