The Lexington advertiser., 1961-09-14
Through HozeI Eyes
(Continued from Page One)

l
be built on this property will
undoubtedly pay more taxes to
the county than the lands as
presently constituted. That is
not the point.
We are concerned with the
constitutional right of every
citizen to be secure in his pro-
perty and not to be deprived Of
it by unlawful or unjust means.
Private property can be taken
by force only when it is clear
ly in the public use and of the
most vital public necessity =
and that fact must still be es-
tablished in a court of law.
Why is it that some people
think they are pretty special
and the laws should not apply
to them like ordinary folks?
This is an affliction common
ly held by two-bit politicians,
we have noted.
For some reason these per-
sons think they are above the
law and shouldn't have to abide
by it = and perchance, if an Of
ficer does his duty and treats
them like everyone else, he
earns their undying enmity.
Such, we are told by citizens
in the respective communities,
is what happened in Winons
and Kosciusko where two Mis-
sissippi Highway patrolmen
were transferred away from
their home communities to dis
tant areas
The two gentlemen naively
thought the law was for every
one and that everyone should
obey it alike.
They arrested the wrong per-
sons" and that proved to b e
their undOing an alderman
in one town and member of
the legislature in another.
Outraged citizens have signed
petitions. 5000 names, to get
them back in their respective
communities.
Governor Barnett is due to
hear the case some time this
week. So the final chapter re-
mains to be written.
Why, oh why, must petty poll
tics dominate everything in Mis-
sissippi?
For twenty-five years in these
columns we have talked about
our woodlands and what they
mean to our people economical
ly. We have constantly empha-
sized forestry and proper man
| agement of woodlands with the
thought that trees are a crop
just as much as cotton or any
other commodity and should be
treated with the same care and
management.
We have had the satisfaction
of seeing land that once sold
for $l.00 or $500 an acre put
into trees with the result that
today it is worth ten Or fifteen
times as much.
Aside from the economic gain
and land improvement, it is a
real pleasure to see these beau
tiful young forests growing and
realize they will help to fill the
constantly increasing demands
for wood products for future
generations.
Lexington Garden Club mem
bers Tuesday afternoon were
told that pulpwood sales in
Holmes County during 1859
brought nearly 100000 to land
owners.
Mr. Donald Powell, a forester
with International Paper Com
pany, said 20,554 cords of pulp
wood worth $298, 600 were sold
in 1859 by Holmes County citi-
Zens.
When we realize that every
dollar turns over minimum
of four times in the area we
can easily see where the pulp
wood business is responsible for
about one million dollars OF
more in our economy right here
in Holmes County. 1t is esti-
mated that each pulpwood truck
running is worth about $25, 1000
in business to community each
year.
In nearby Montgomery Coun-
| ty 1854 cords of pulpwood
worth $114,000 were sold during
1859 and other Central Missis-
s:ppi counties also shared m
the business that brought nearly
che billion (billion, not milion)
dollars to Southern land own
erS.
We can all have part in con-
serving our woodlands by pre-
venting forest fires and making
certain the trees are left to serve
the needs of future generations