The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1949-08-05

hS ROAANA<1s -
Senator Harry F. Byrd of Vir-
ginia has come through once
more and safely elected a gov
ernor, despite stiff opposition.
Senator Byrd is a darling Of
the States Rights movement,
and was talked of as a presi-
dental candidate in the at
tempted Mississippi split in
1914. However, in l948 he was
conspiciously absent from the
front ranks Of the States Right
ers. Possibly this was because
a split in Byrd's Virginia ma
chine would have given the
the Republicans an excellent
chance to carry the state. In
machine politics expediency of
ten comes before principles.
Believe it or not. this is true
even in Mississippi. Incident
ally, Senator Byrd, the staunch
advocate of economy and cut
ting OF payroll by the federal
government, condones what is
possibly the largest state pay
roll on tn ebasis of population,
among the 40 states of the
union. Nothing wrong with that
though. as it comes under the
head of what might be called
political insurance.
. % -
Mississippi's take" from the
illegal liquor racket dropped
ii percent during July to a to-
tai of $72,276.24, but is still
well ahead Of the same month
of last year, Mrs. Thomas l..
Bailey, state liquor tax collect
or in legally dry Mississippi,
announced this week. Col
lections in June this year
amounted to $8l, l66. 81, but in
July of last year we're only
SCI, 562.5l. Speaks well for the
new "streamlined" system of
liquor tax collections under
which the wholesaler is assess
ed a flat So per case, which he
in turn passes on to the retailer.
This eliminates a horde of col
lectors, and at the same time
does away with any possibility
of the retailer holding back a
part of the 10 percent tax as
extra profits. How long are
we going to continue like an
ostrich to hide our head in the
sand? Under the present. sys-
tenn the bootleggers and racks
teers grow fatter and fatter with
the state condoning the illegal
traffic by taxing it. Why
not local option, state control
and an intelligent tax program.
This would eliminate the racke-
teer, da away with the bootleg
dives that line our highways
and Danish the hypocricsy of
the present taxing program.
Republican Senator II. Style
Bridges of New Hampshire
draws $4,000 annually as a
trustee for the United Mine
Workers welfare fund. Asked
about the fat annual compen-
sation. Senator Bridges said
that a substantial part of il
goes to expenses and lawyers
fees. 1t is absolutely necessary
to have the best advice posi-
BILE in administration of the
fund, he said. Well, $35, 1000 a
year certainly should be able
to pay for a large chunk OF
sound advice. Three trustees
administer the fund. Senator
Bridges represents the public,
Ezra Van Horn the mine opera
tors and John L. Lewis the
miners. Each is allowed the
same compensation, $4,000 an
nually. Senator Bridges and
Van Horn both draw the COM
pensation. Lewis does not!
A 70-year-old Negro was tax.
en- from his home near Chat
tanooga and brutally lashed by
a group of masked and hooded
hoodlums. who admonished him
to get out and go to work.
The state attorney general and
the sheriff of the county say
that they will start an investi-
CATION if requested by the Neg
roes That is just about equal
to the same officials saying that
they would start an investiga.
ton of a murder if the dead
man requested ii. News stories
report numerous eye witnesses
to the abduction. Under the cir
eumstanees responsible officials
should move in without delay
and without request. Tennes-
see might well tear a leaf out
of Alabama's book.
.
The Huntsville electric sys-
tenn, which distributes IVA
power in the Huntsville, Ala,
area, reports that in nine years
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