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THE BULLETIN OF THE CATHOLIC LAYMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF GEORGIA
15
INSPECTING CONVENTS
It would be amusing if it was not so pitiable, in
view of the recent outcry against non-enforcement
of the Veasey law to note that the grand juries con
tinue to have the convents “inspected” regularly.
Several of the candidates called heaven to witness
that when elected they would see that the law was
carried out, and one unfortunate was denounced be
cause it was asserted that he had not done his duty
because he had not put Bishop Keiley in jail for
not permitting inspections. Of course, the Bishop
had not done anything of the kind. In making a
test case several years ago and purely in order that
the matter might be brought into the courts, the
Sisters had refused to permit the grand juries to enter
as committeemen, but once that had been done and
the supreme court had decided, the Catholics have
been observing the law.
That this may not be deemed a false statement
A. J.
Augustus Jossey Long, one of those Georgia Cath
olics to know whom is to like and esteem, was born
in Macon, August 30, 1872. And he has lived in
Macon ever since. If there is any one thing of which
he is as proud of as his Catholicity, it is that he is
a resident of Macon, and, in turn, Macon is mighty
proud of him.
He started school at St. Joseph’s Parochial, but the
death of his father in 1884 took him out of the fifth
grade and put him to work with a grocery house
where he remained until 1893, getting meanwhile a
few more months schooling with Father Quinlan at
night school. He next became city salesman with
the wholesale grocery firm of Cox & Chappell, re
maining with them until 1903, when he purchased
the business of A. W. Turner, forming a corporation
operating under the style of the A. J. Long Cigar and
Tobacco Company. With Mr. Long, as president,
were Messrs. Martin Callaghan as treasurer, and
James J. Daly as secretary. And the fact that the
three are still together in the same business speaks
volumes. Today the firm is the A. J. Long Cigar and
Grocery Company, the added word explaining the
addition to the business, which was a success from
the start. The first year the volume was a little over
a hundred thousand, while last year it was over a
million.
Mr. Long has held but one political office, serving
as county commissioner from 1908 to 1912, where he
signalized himself as a friend of progress by being
on three occasions the only commissioner to vote to
give the county board of education the appropriation
believed by it to be necessary. However, Mr. Long
has always taken an active interest in politics, be
lieving that it is the duty of the good citizen to keep
watch upon civic matters.
(there are some in Georgia who will believe nothing
we say), we print below a paragraph from the recent
presentments of the Richmond County grand jury,
as they were printed in The Augusta Chronicle of
November 22d. It should be conclusive proof that
the Veasey law is being enforced in this city, at least.
But why those Catholic places should be termed
“Eleemosynary Institutions” is beyond our under
standing. The paragraph reads:
“Eleemosynary Institutions.
“Your committee made a thorough inspection of
the following institutions and found them to be prop
erly conducted, and the sanitary conditions good:
“Tuttle-Newton Home, Mary Warren Home, Tub-
man Home, Widows’ Home, Children’s Home, Sacred
Heart Convent, Franciscan Convent, St. Patrick’s
Commercial Institute, Haines Industrial School, Paine
Industrial College and Paul Moss Orphanage.”
LONG.
One of the signal achievements of the subject of
this sketch was the organization of the Bibb County
Good Roads Association, which started the agitation
against the convict lease system and which eventually
resulted in the convicts being put to work on the
roads of the State. Mr. Long was one of the chief
speakers before the legislature that passed this legis
lation.
Mr. Long was president of the Macon Chamber
of Commerce in 1917, and was then bitterly assailed
by the most pronounced anti-Catholic in Georgia.
He was also chairman of the annexation committee
in 1910 whose work brought within the city limits
almost enough people to outcount Augusta in that
year.
The new terminal station at Macon was made pos
sible by the work of the transportation committee of
the Chamber of Commerce of which Mr. Long was
chairman and active leader. In this capacity he helped
to secure additional trains and revised rates and other
transportation advantages for Macon, appearing sev
eral times before congressional committees as the
city’s representative.
In a Catholic way few Maconites have had greater
responsibilities than Mr. Long. He was first presi
dent of the Catholic Laymen’s Association and ma
terially assisted in starting it along the path that led
to its world-wide success. He has been prefect of the
Young Men’s Sodality, president and also secretary
of the A. O. H., secretary of the C. K. of A., Grand
Knight of the K. of C. In fact, he has worked long
and zealously to advance Catholic interests.
In 1898 he married Miss Katie Scheich, of Mil
waukee, and ten children, of whom nine are living,
has blessed the union.
CATHOLICS IN GEORGIA