Newspaper Page Text
VOL. XVI.
POSSIBLE ELECTRIC R. /?.
Anderson, S. C., to Atlanta, Ga., via Old Blount Survey,
Hartwell, Carnesville Homer and Gainesville.
No town on earth is more favored
thau Homer. We have already
hail as many railroads to Homer
as we have fingers and toes. These
have been built on paper. Now as
little as you think about it there is
a plan now being considered for a
trolley line via Homer. This is a
line that will connect Anderson,
8. C., and Atlanta Ga. There are
three routes being considered and
Homer and Carnesville are on the
west route. That this road will
be built is a certainty. As to the
route that depends. Danielsville
and Jefferson are on the middle
route. Danielsville to Athens and
’ Watkinsville is the east route.
Other sections will make a strong
light for this line. If this
line should conic this way
it would doubtless follow the old
Blount survey; that being the old
survey of the Atlanta & Charlotte
Airline. Railway, between Gaines
ville, Ga., and Anderson, 8. ('.,
(now the main line of the Southern
lrom Atlanta to Washington.)
A meeting was held in Ander
son, S. May 24th, when one
hundred citizens from Athens and
other points were present pressing
the claims and advantages afforded
by the Athens route. Nothing
definite was done as to route.
This matter is open. It is ueoes
sary to furnish the capitalists be
hind the road with statistics
showing that the building of the
road will lx* more than a venture.
Here we can show a territory north
and south from Cornelia on the
Southern to (Aimer on the Hea
lioard, and east and west from
Lula to Bowersville a vast territory
here of about <>2 miles north and
south by 40 miles east and west,
an area of about 2,500 square miles
ot as good farming land as a north
Georgia crow flies over. This is a
line section that needs development.
This would be an exceptionally
good investment. The proposition
is tine.
This is railroad No. 21 on paper
for Hoiner; but if we go at this
with the same willingness, the
same liberality, the same interest
and the same desire that we did
with the 8. A. & N. Railway when
Col. Cecil Gabbett was here solic
iting subscriptions, the promoters
will not turn a deaf ear to our
showing until a thorough investi
gation is made.
Two things the capitalists linan
cing this road will want to know:
One is what the people along the
route will do to get the road by
Homer; the other is what will they
do after the road is built. There
will be an organization perfected
which will have representatives go
iug through the section to be trav i
ersed by this road, whose object
will be to gather this information.
When they come be prepared.
Give them the statistics presented
in such form that the promoters
can hardly refuse to come our way.
No 1 >etter farming lands to be found
In the country. Our streams af
ford excellent water power. Fine
shoals on the Chattabojchee River
two miles from Lula, fine shoals on
creek west of Gillsville, fine shoals
on Grove River this side Maysville;
also Hurricane Shoals just below
Maysville on Jefferson road. Here
at Homer north of town on Hudson
River is the Chambers mill shoal;
two miles east of Homer there is at
Quillians mill an excellent shoal
where a dam 40 to 60 feet high
could be constructed. Any amount
ol development could lie made
along this west route. If there is
juiy profit in building atrollej line
BANKS COUNTY JOURNAL
Devoted to Giving the News, Encouraging the Progress, and Aiding the Prosperity of Banks County.
in an undeveloped section, here is
the place.
Coming to Homer this route
would traverse a great undeveloped
growing section with its great rural
resources almost untouched with
• nature’s bounteous gifts scattered
in profusion everywhere along the
line. This town would soon spring
into a smalt city of 1,000 people.
Other towns would spring up along
the line as if by magic. The de
mand for labor would come as it
does in the development of any
new section. A greater demand
for farm products and a closer
market. Make the comparison.
Sec what your imagination will
show you. There is a reality in
the extension of the interurban line
from Anderson to Atlanta. How
bad do you want it this way f
The following paragraphs are
clipped from the LavoniaTimes:
“The hum of an electric engine
drawing from fifteen to thirty
freight cars through our city daily
would make Lavonia a city of
much greater possibilities than
now'. A line traversing the coun
try from Anderson through Town
ville, Fair l’lay, Lavonia, Gaines
ville and other points westward
would develop as tine a section of
country as this country has and
would be a great convenience to
towns having no railroad facilities
as well as to towns having a rail
road.” ~
“No railroad lavs been promised
Lavonia or any other tow n west of
Anderson. A railroad is being
considered from Anderson to At
lanta. This road would be an ex
tension of the interurban which
connects Charlotte, Greenville, An
derson, Abbeville and Bell tun.
The road is backed by ample capi-
tat to make the extension and a
proposition is being considered by
the company to go westward.
The formal launching of the
proposition was made in Andersen
on Friday night of last week when
a meeting of the railroad officials
and the citizens along tiie proposed
route was held. Fair Play was
represented as well as Lavonia and
Carnesville. Exactly one third of
the registered voters of Carnesville
were on hand and co operated in
extending an invitation to the com
pany to build westward. Those
representing Lavonia at the meet
ing were Mayor J. R. Dortch, I)r.
S. R. Yow, R. T. Poole, A. B.
Vickery, .J. N. Slaton, O. I). Can
non, .1. N. Shirley, Walter N. Har
rison and Rush Burton. The rep
resentatives from all the towns were
very cordially received by the citi
zens of Anderson.
Nothing definite was done ortried
with reference to the construction
of this road. It was a meeting to
formally open the question as to its
building and to its proposed routes.
The following are paragraphs
taken from the speeches made as
published in the Anderson (S. C.)
Daily Mail:
“Mr. W. S. Lee of Charlotte,
who successfully promoted the
electric line from Anderson to
Greenville and its extension to
Spartanburg, was presented as the
principal speaker of the evening.
The most significant thing that-
Mr. Lee said was that no man in
j Anderson felt a greater love for
this city than he does and no man
| here would try to do more for her
! upbuilding. However, to secure
• this proposed road will require
| work and patience. All of the
plans of the G. S. & A. were made
! a year in advance of the actual
starting of the work. Flowery
speeches will not build railroads.
Homer, Banks County, Ceorgia, Thursday, June 5, 1913-
Three Routes to Choose
From for an Electric R. R.
The following article is taken from The Daily Mail, published in
Anderson, 8. (’., and should awaken our people to look well to their
interests and accept the opportunity, while it is at hand :
“An Anderson man who has been studying the situation as to an
extension of the interurban between Anderson and Atlanta has pre
! pared statistics showing there are three avenues open to the G., 8. & A.
to biing two mighty good cities together. The first is described as the
Fast, the second its the Middle and the third as the West route.
“The population statistics are not accurate, being taken from the
census of 1900,-but by adding 50 per cent the present population is no
doubt accounted for, and the tables are submitted merely to show the
relative population along the routes rather than the actual. The towns
marked with an x are county seats.
“The contour maps ot the lAnted States government on tile in
Washington show that by any of these throe lines the G., 8. & A.
could got into Atlanta on a one per cent grade. Furthermore there are
17 miles of road leading this way from Atlanta that are available al
ready, on all three of the proposed routes.” The tables are ;
EAST ROUTE.
For. Pop.
Towns Counties Towns Count!kh Distance
x Anderson Anderson 11,000 55,728 10.0
x Hartwell Hart 1,072 14,492 20.0
x Danielsville Madison 194 13,224 17.5
x Athens Claike 15,425 17,708 12.5
x Watkinsville Oconee 700 8,002 7.5
xMon roe W alton 1,840 20,942 22.0
Logan ville Walton 431 —.’.
x Lawrcnccville Gwinnett 1,800 25,586 7.5
Stone Mountain Delxalb 835
x Decatur Dekalb 1,418 21,112 14.0
xAtlauta Fulton 100,000 117,303 3.0
157,011 294,750 114.0
MIDDLE ROUTE
x Anderson Anderson 11,000 65,728 10.0
x Hartwell Hart 1,072 14,492 20.0
x Danielsville Madison 194 13,224 17.5
xJefferson Jackson 720 24,039 20.0
xLawrencevilW Gwinnett 858 25,585 23.0
Stone Mountain Dekalb 835
x Decatur Dekalb 1,418 21,112 14.0
xAtlauta Fulton 100,000 117,303 3.0
110,703 241,643 109.5
WEST ROUTE
xAndersou Anderson -11.009 55,728 10.0
x Hartwell Hart 1,072 14,492 20.0
Bowersville llart 294 ~ ,
xCarnes ville Franklin 305 14,000 17.0
x Homer Banks 221 10.545 17.0
xGainesville Hall 4,382 20,758 25.0
Oak wood Hall 100
Flowery Branch Hall 120
Buford Gwinnett 1,352 ’25,585 23.0
Suwanee Gwinnett 247
Duluth Gwinnett 330
Norcross Gwinnett 797
x Decatur Dekalb 1,418 21,112 14.0
Edgewood ’ Dekalb 1,285
xAtlauta Fulton 100,000 117,303 3.0
123,829 279,583 129.0
It may require years to accomplish
these things. Anderson was six
years getting the present interur
ban system. People don’t need a
railroad that would be a failure.
If you build a railroad, stand by
it, support it, keep it going. This
country must have railroads if it
must go forward. The demand of
the public is for faster freight and
for better service. Operating ex
penses are increasing and the rail
roads are worried.”
“Mr. Elias Earle, of Townville,
got the attention ot the crowd with
a good joke and then proceeded to
tell some things that revealed the
strength of Townville as a strategic
point. He declared that one of
the best things about Townville is
the men it has produced—and lie
pointed with pride to Mr. W: 8.
Lee as a native of that section. He
stated that Townville spends every
year $33,000 in freight charges for
fertilizers alone; produces 2,600
bales of cotton; and hauls a great
deal of fertilizer 9, 14 or 16 miles,
as the case may be. He appealed
for a line to open this great terri
tory. He described graphically
the tome life and the beautiful
country homes of that section —and
declared somewhat pathetically
that all of this is without a rail
road.”
“Mr. J. R. Dortch, of Lavonia,
said: We need you, we want you,
we will do everything we can to
make your undertaking a success
il you will give us the chance.”
“Mr. G. L. Goode, of Carnesville,
made a very thoughtful speech.
He made an eloquent statement
about the unsurpassed conditions
of rural Franklin county which is
populated by hard working, intel
ligent, thrifty white people. They
would stick to this road.”
“Mr. J. F. Lee, of Royston, de
clared, we want the road and are
willing to help. The road must go
by the home of Ty Cobb.”
Homer was not represented at
this meeting. It can be said that
Banks county is the birth place of
Ty Cobb; that in the fall one hun
dred and sixty-five bales of cotton
passed through this town in one
day hunting a market, and that
more than one hundred wagons
passed through in a day this spring
loaded with guano.
“Mr. J.H. Skelton; of Hartwell,
declared that if the G., S. & A.
would build to Hartwell they would
get to his check at any moment for
si,ooo and he would see that there
Continued on Lat Pate, 3rd Column.
Come to the Mass Meeting
BUSY TIME WE KNOW,
BUT YOUR PRESENCE IS NEEDED
If there ever was a busy time
with tire farmer it is now. If
there ever was a question that ef
fected his personal welfare, it is
up now. If there ever was a time
when his presence was needed it is
now—at Homer, Saturday after
noon, June 7th at 2:30 o’clock.
Will you come ? It is worth your
while. Don’t stay away. You
may think you are too busy to
come; but later you might regret
your staying away. The other fel -
low is coming, to do or not to do
something, why not you come and
take a hand with the boys. This
is your interest and that of your
children and grand children that
is to be looked after. Are you in
terested in them or yourself? This
day, Saturday, June 7th, may be
the most profitable day that you
have used in a long time. (iime to
the meeting!
This mass meeting that has been
called to meet at Homer, June 7th,
is called on short notice. The ob
ject of the meeting is to decide now
whether or not the convicts shall
continue to be worked on the pub
lic roads or whether they shall be
turned back to the State. The
second object in view, in case the
working of the convicts on the
roads is continued, shall an election
for bonds be called, and when!
Does either of these effect your
welfare 1 If so, come to the meet
ing and speak out. sou are busy
we know, but don’t you think you
can come and spend one half day
discussing the most vital question
that has confronted the people of
Banks county in years.
The question in its last analysis
is this: Shall we go forward
building good roads, building good
bridges,, enhancing the value of
your property, placing you nearer
to market, inviting the best citi
zenship, increasing the attendance
of the public schools (and by the
way do you know or do you re
member where Banks county stands
in illiteracy as ranked with the
other counties of Georgia! If you
will inform yourself you will find
that we stand from the top, num
ber J 42. Do you want to raise the
stauding of intelligence in Banks!
If so will you do anything and ev
erything that is within you to in
form yourself and to educate your
own children and “help thy neigh
bor as thyself”! Do you want it!
Will you do it)! This digression
has gone far enough.
Shall we keep pace with the
counties around us! It is not lar;
go to the camps in the counties
near by and see what they are do
ing. If they arc building good
roads, why not we build them too!
It may be that our system is not
right. It that’s true, get to work
to remedy the system. Find the
fault and correct it. Experience
teaches a dear school, but it is bet
ter to learn it in that school than
not to learn it at all.
>V r e ought to build a mile of good
road just as cheap as any county
around us can build it. We say
we ought to do it, and, if we can
do that, wc can afford to continue
the working of the convicts. II we
can not build a mile of good road
just as cheap as our sister counties,
something is the matter. Set to
work to locate the cause. Having
located the cause, set to work to
apply the remedy. Having applied
the remedy, we can afford to build
good roads, if we can get value re
ceive! for every dollar spent.
One objection to the continuance
of the working of the convicts on
I the roads now is the fact that so
I few are being worked, there being
now about thirteen or fourteen in
cluding cook, trusties, etc. The
expense of warden and guards
is about the same as if there were
twenty-five or thirty convicts being
worked. This shortage on con
victs increases the cost of the
building of a mile of good roads.
The expense is not double, but is a
matter to be well considered.
The main objection advanced
against the working of #he convicts
on the roads is the fact that wc
can not afford it at all; that the
cost is greater than w e can bear;
that the county will be bankrupted
if we continue the use of convicts
on the roads, that we can not af
ford to keep them at all; that the
county must not be run into fur
ther debt; that to work the roads
will leave a debt for our children to
pay.
Building good roads on credit is
like buying land on credit. If you
find a bargain, take it. Roads
can be bnilt at so many dollars
cost per mile; and, if we can get
a mile of goo I roads for every cer
tain number ot dollars, we can af
ford it.
The farmer who is ten miles or
sixteen miles from the railroad is
at greater expensein marketing his
crops than the farmers who are in
two miles or four miles of market;
but the crops must lie marketed.
The farmer farthest from market
needs good roads more than the
farmer nearest the market.
Should the convicts be disposed
of now, it would be done at a sac
rifice in so far as the equipment is
concerned. Other counties are
supplied and there is no market for
the tools, cages, machinery, etc.
The mules could be disposed at
perhaps a reasonable price. To
set the tools and machinery aside,
rust would eat on them. The road
work stops to a stand still. The
other couuties around us continue
to build gootl roads. For example,
look into the future of Banks
county five years or ten years
hence. What do you see! The
hills on the roads have be
come higher, the hollows have
become deeper, and the inud holes
have been packed so lull with rock
that they stick up above the
ground. Children have been kept
away from schools on account of
bad weather and the per cent of
illiteracy will increase until we
become foot. Five years or ten
years go into other counties around
us. 8(50 what has been done.
Good roads have been built from
year to year. They have been top
soiled, or sanded, or clayed.
Farmers can do their marketing
or other hauling in the winter time
and other times when they can not
run their plows or do other farm
work. Children in the country dis
tricts attend school. Teams can
draw heavier loads with greater
ease. There is a saving of time
of farmers in making trips to mark
et. All this happens in the coun
ties around us in five or ten years
time. Many a poffnd of flesh has
Ijeen saved to stock, many a repair
has Been saved on vehicles and
farm wagons. Many a farmer has
put a double load on his wagon
and the team carried it with the
same ease as before.
Can we afford to stop, stand
still, do nothing while all this is
going on in the adjoining counties
and other counties over the State!
How would be the general appear
ance of things in Banks ! Doubt
less her citizens would decide to
keep up with her sister counties.
A inass meeting would be called
Coatinacd on Lait P<e. 4th Calnmn,
NO. 9