Newspaper Page Text
10
THE ATLANTIAN
SKETCH OFJ. POPE BROWN
NEW QUARTERS
15 EAST ALABAMA ST., ATLANTA, GEORGIA
CAPITAL *500.000
We act as Trustees for Bond Issues and do a General
Banking Business. 4 per cent, paid on Your Savings
We Solicit Your Account.
S. E. Smith, President
W. A. Sims, V.-President
H. S. Miles, Sec’y-Treasurer
W. C. Seawright, Asst. Secretary
DIRECTORS
S. T. Marett S. W. Poster E. B. Stuart J. M. Speer
W. A. Sims H. S. Miles S. E. Smith
from the school taught there at that
time. He completed his academic ed
ucation at the Mt. Zion Select School,
taught in Hancock county, of which
W. J. Northen was the rector. He
attended Mr. Northen’s school for four
years, and, in speaking of the benefits
he received from the instruction given
there, he says: “For your years I at
tended this school, which, it might be
said, was the beginning and ending
of my education. I had not learned
anything up to the time I went there,
and did not learn anything at school
after I left.”
He entered Mercer University upon
leaving Mr. Northen's school and
graduated in 1873. # Mr. Brown bases
his business success upon a short elc-
ture his uncle, R. H. Brown, gave him
immediately uopn his graduation. He
quotes the lecture, as follows: “You
must understand that you are thor
oughly ignorant and do not know any
thing about business. You must go
home and go to work. Do not concern
yourself about the kind of work, so
you work faithfully and honestly. Do
not ask your employer what he ex
pects to pay you, as you are not worth
anything until you learn to work.”
He acted upon the advice given and
took a position in a cotton warehouse.
He slept in the back room of the ware
house, not so comfortable a place as
he now furnishes his farm hands. He
studied business methods very closely
and worked "faithfully and honestly.”
At the end of the season the proprie
tor informed him that he had been al
lowed forty dollars per month for his
services and that he would be ad
vanced to fifty dollars the ensuing
year.
By W. J. Northen, Ex-Governor
of Georgia
From "Men of Mark in Georgia.”
Published in 1908.
The results of the war between the
State were more disastrous to the
agricultural interests of the South
than to any other one industry. The
farms had failed of income for four
successive years. The slaves had be
come freedmen and were taught that
liberty meant' license. They were un
duly embittered against their former
owners. They were averse to work,
although themselves in absolute pov
erty. The currency of the Confeder
acy was then without value and the
South really had no circulating medi
um. Farmers were without the means
for personal support and, of course,
they had no money with which to
employ labor and no hope for income
until crops could be grown. In this
condition labor had to be employed
and supplied with all necessities as
t"> clothing, homes, fuel and provis
ions, upon the bare prospect of pos
sible crops with very uncertain ser
vice.
Few men of that day met the de
mands of the times with success. The
demoralization of labor that followed
has greatly paralyzed this industry
until the present day. Because of
that fact alone, farming, the most
profitable industry at the South be
fore the war, has been the least profit
able since that time.
James Pope Brown has been one of
the very few men to master the situ
ation and make money upon the farm
from the very beginning of his
efforts. This he has done under the
adverse conditions that have confront
ed this section. Mr. Brown has won
derful business ability; unusual
knowledge of the temper, character
and habits of the negro; easy methods
of control and a general executive
force that brings most pleasing and
profitable results.
! He was born about six years before
| the beginning of hostilities between
the States, May 4, 1855. His father,
Stephen William Brown, was a man
of sturdy qualities. He was abso
lutely honest and true. James Pope
was born on his grandfather’s farm in
Houston county. One year after his
birth his father bought a farm in
Pulaski and moved to it, beginning
business for himself.
James Pope attended an excellent
primary school, taught in his neigh
borhood by Mrs. Oliver. He was later
sent to Cave Spring to find a climate
free from malaria and at the same
time have the benefit of instruction
Mr. Brown was quite anxious to be
gin farming, but his parents posi
tively opposed his wishes as the out
look was so unfavorable and the as
sociations so very unpleasant. He in
sisted, however, that his preferences
were strongly that way, in the face of
au hindrances. His father finally ad
vised him to serve an apprenticeship
of two years upon his farm before be
ginning for himself. This he did, ac
cepting stipulated wages for his ser
vices. At the end of the two years he
rented a large farm and began oper
ating on an extensive scale. He bought
fifteen mules, having money enough
to pay for only four of them. His
wagons, plows, com, forage, meat and
meal were bought on credit. The ca3h
price for corn was seventy-five cents.
He paid one dollar and twenty-five
cents per bushel on credit. The cash
price for meat was eight cents. He
paid twelve and one-half cents, credit.
Other credit prices ranged relatively
high. At the end of the year he paid
all of his indebtedness, except *800,
and owned his stock and implements.
At the end of his second year he was
entirely out of debt.
He began buying land and extend
ing his operations from year to year,
until he now has one of the largest
farm properties in the State. He buys
all the land adjacent to him that is
offered for sale, regardless of fertility
or the lack of it. He thinks thin land
makes a better neighbor than a
troublesome citizen. It is conceded on
all hands that Mr. Brown now has the
best improved large farm in the State
and that his labor is the most pros
perous and the best contented.
In order to reduce farm expenses in
the cost of fertilizers, he organized
the Southern Phosphate Company in
1890, with his neighbors as stock
holders. He was made president of
the company. The business of this
organization was satisfactory from
the start and paid good dividends on
the investment.
In 1894 Mr. Brown was elected to
the Legislature. He served two years
and was re-elected without opposition.
He was made chairman of the Com
mittee on Agriculture. Fully cogniz
ant of the difficulties that attended
efforts at successful agriculture at the
South, he determined that great relief
could be found in some well organized
system of education and training. He
believed the one thing the most need
ed by the agricultural people was
knowledge of their business; that is,
agricultural education in all its
branches as applied to the conditions
at the South. He introduced a bill in
the Legislature to establish an agri
cultural college in connection with
the State Experiment Station. His
proposition did not meet favorable
consideration on the part of the Gen
eral Assembly and his measure failed.
Mr. Brown has never yielded his
views upon this question and he still
believes that some such institution as
he proposed would greatly help for
ward the general prosperity of the
State. As he did not find his duties
as a legislator at all congenial, he de
clined re-election.
In 1896 he was made president of
the State Agricultural Society. He
was not in attendance upon the con
vention at the time of his election and
he had not at all solicited the honor.
After two years service in this po
sition, he desired to withdraw, but his
resignation was not accepted and his
continued service as president cover
ed five years. During that time the
interests of the society, and thereby
the interests of agriculture in the
State, were greatly advanced, as Mr.
Brown injected into the general sys
tem some of his own practical com
mon sense methods and business prac
tices.
In 1897 the citizens of Pulaski, Mr.
Brown’s home county, in mass meet
ing assembled, unanimously adopted
a resolution requesting Mr. Brown to
make the race for Governor of the
State. He was a personal friend of
Hon. Allen D. Candler, who was at the
time an announced candidate for the
place, and Mr. Brown declined to
antagonize him. Mr. Candler was
elected. *
In 1900 Governor Candler appointed
Mr. Brown railroad Commissioner to
fill the unexpired term of Hon. L. N.
Trammell, deceased. Upon the retire
ment of Hon. Spencer R. Atkinson, he
was made chairman of the Railroad
Commission. Mr. Brown’s policies as
a member of the Commission gave
him great favor with the people and
made him many new friends. His
term expired in October, 1905, and he
announced in advance that he would