Newspaper Page Text
VOL. XVI.
Hon. G. G. Strange Write&L
On Convict Labor and Bonds
O
Urges Full Attendance at Meeting Next Monday—
Opposes Direct Tax Levy to Pay Indebted
ness Favors Bond Issue and a Commission
to Expend the Money, and the Building of
Good Roads and Substantial Bridges—Would
Rejoice to See Schools Prosper, Lands En
hance in Value and People Content on the
Farm, and the Indebtedness Paid.
Mr. Editor, if you will allow ine
space in your pajier 1 would like
to say a lew words in regard to
convict lals:r andlionds. It is not
because 1 think my views are so
all important as to lie of any great
service to anybody, but that I
may agitate the question to the
extent that the citizenship of our
county may study and get wide
awake on this, the greatest and j
most important question that has]
ever come up lor the people of our j
county to solve.
The question is, whether or not
the policy of the county shall Ik* to
continue the convict labor on our
county roads, and il so, will it la*
advisable for the county to vote
bonds to pay oil' the present in
debtedness, build substantial and
tasting bridges over our streams,
and put the county's affairs on a
firm basis.
This question is of such vast
importance that in settling it, it
will require the very best thinking,
sober judgment, and the laying
aside of all personal and factional
politics to do it. To settle such
questions, first of all, the citizen
ship should thoroughly understand
the questions they are to settle
and then be alio well to think and
vote soberly, without political
trickery and wire working.
Our ordinary has called upon!
the citizens of the county to meet
in mass meeting at the court house
in Homer July 21st, al 10 o’clock,
to discuss and weigh these ques
tions and advise him as to the ad
Usability of continuing the con
vict labor, and as to what might
be the best method of paying off
the present indebtedness of the
county. It is errncstly hoped
that every citizen who cares for
the future welfare of the county
be present on this date.
Personally I should be glad to
ste the people turn out and advise
our ordinary to continue the con
vict labor and grade our roads. I
would also l>e glad to see the couu
ty tloat bonds to pay present in j
aebtedness and to continue the
grading of our roads.
To stop the work at its present
stage would, in my opinion, t>e
a calamity to the county. In the
first place, our county is not bad
iu debt. A number of our neigh '
i>or counties are far worse in debt
than our county, which in itself is
no argument for our county to be
in debt, but it shows the enter
prise of the people around at suit
us in their effort to have the con
veniences which they need and
the times demand.
There are two, and only two
views to take on this question:
The first, as many of our good cit
izens take, is to do away with the
convict lai>or and levy a direct
tax sufficient to cover the indebt
edness and get out of debt. The
other view is to float bouds to pay
off the indebtedness, build sub
stantial bridges, continue convict
lalror, and have a road and reve
nue commission elected to wisely
expend the county’s money and to
mauage the convict labor to the
best advantage. I am opposed to
the first and advocate the latter
view for several reasons which I
shall try to give.
Surely every citizen would like
BANKS COUNTY JOURNAL
to see our schools prosper, our
lands enhance in value, and our
people content on the farm. All
this, good roads will bring. It
would Is* unjust and unfair to
work some of the roads ol our
county and not work all, unless
the sections of the county where
the roads have been graded pay
the endebtedness. It would be a
great sacrifice and loss to the coun
ty now to dispose of the equip
ment of the camp. lam oppose l
to levying a direct tax to payoff
the debt at present unless every
citizen pay in proportion. \\ ith
our present method of levying and
collecting taxes many of our citi
zens give in their property at a
fair valuation, while many more
give in theirs at little or nothing
comparatively. 1 know a number
of instances where neighbors with
the same grade of land and about
the same improvements, one re
turning his land at an average of
eight or ten dollars per acre and
personal property accordingly; the
other, giving in his at the rate of
two to three dollars.
If you don’t believe this asser
tion, go to the tax book and look
for yourself. Surely honest men,
w hether they return their property
for taxation at a high oi low rate,
do not advocate this method, and
see the injustice of paying our
debt on this score. It would lie
unjust for the citizens who pay
the taxes at pieseut to tax them
selves and build good roads forthe
future generations to reap the beu
elit. I confess that it would be a
i commendable missionary spirit to
| do so, but in public affairs 1 be
lieve all who reap the lienefit to
pay their pro rata share. Banks
county is just beginning to devel
op its agricultural resources, and
ought for the sake of public con
venience for rural life, for the wel
fare of the schools and as a means
of contentment for our people,
build good roads and stay abreast
with the progress of all the other
counties of our state. W ithout
doubt the best means for making
public improvements, as has been
found out and tried by nearly eve
ry state, city, town and county in
the I'nited States is by bond is
sues. Floating bonds is nothing
more nor less than borrowing
money at a very low rate of inter
est for as long a term as you wish
in which to pay it oft'. Interest
on county or State builds usually
runs from 4 to 5 per cent. VV hy
not the county float enough bonds
to pay her indebtedness, build
good bridges and continue the
building of good roads.
Quite a number of our best citi
zens feel as if it would be lietter to
go down in our pockets and pay
out of debt and discontinue the
convict labor. In a recent issue
of the Journal we had an article
from one of our best citizens, Mr.
;A. J. Cash, taking the position
' that it would not be best to float
bonds and get further in debt and
'cited the states bonded indebted
| ness to illustrate his view. I do
! not wish to criticise Mr. Cash’s
line article, but I wish to call at
tention to the fact that he only
gave us one side of the question.
He show ed as the amount of the
State’s bonded jndebtedpess but
Devoted to Giving the News, Encouraging the Progress, and Aiding the Prosperity of BanKs County.
Homer, EJanks County, Ceorgia, Thursday, July 17, 1913.
New Ordinances
Town of Homer
The .Mayor and Council of the
!Town of Homer, (la., in regular
session Monday afternoon, unani
! mously adopted the following
i ordinances:
Ordinance No. 22.
Be it ordained by the Mayor
land Council of the Town of
Homer, Ga., and it is hereby or
dained by the authority of the
same, That from and after the
passage of this ordinance, it shall
bo unlawful for any person or tier
sons, linn or corporation, to buy
or sell, or to offer to buy or sell,
any article of merchandise, pro
duoe, candy, cigarettes, or tobacco,
cigars, soft drinks, canned goods or
other article of value on the Sab
bath day in the town of Homer,
(la., except articles of charity or
necessity.
Any offender against this ordi
nance shall on conviction lie pun
ished as prescribed in Ordinance
No. 1, of the Town of Homer, <la.
This July 14, HUH.
Ordinance No. 22.
Be it ordained by the Mayor and
Council of the Town of Homer,
Oa., and it is hereby ordained by
the authority of the same, 1 hat
from and after the passage of this
ordinance, it shall Ik; unlawful for
any person under the age of eigh
teen ( IS) years to light or smoke
any kind of cigarettes on the
streets, sidewalks, or public places,
or in or around any of the public
buildings, court-house, school
building, churches, or in the yards
of such buildings or play grounds;
nor shall they light or smoke any
cigarettes in the business houses,
| tenant or dwelling houses, out
| houses, or any other places other
than the houses occupied by the
parents or guardians of such
minors; nor shall they have in
their possession any cigarettes, or
palters, tobacco, or any sutwtitute
of the same in or on any of the
above named places named in this
ordinance, except in such house,
or on such place as may be occu
pied by the parent or guardian of
such minor.
Any offender against the terms
of this ordinance shall on convic
tion be punished as prescribed in
Ordinance No. I, of the Town of
Homer, Ga., provided, that for the
first offense only the Mayor may
in his discretion suspend such sen
tence and reprimand the offender.
This July 14th, 1913.
did not show us what the state has
to show for it. If he or any other
citizen will take the pains to in
quire, lie will find that where the
State owes approximately six mil
lion dollars for bonds, she has in
resources as a direct result from
the issue of these bonds, millions
upon millions of wealth to show
for it. One instance will suffice to
show this: The Stab - Railroad
which cost but a few million dol
lars is now worth about twenty
million dollars, more than three
times the amouut of the State’s in
debtedness. The annual income
from this road has been a perpet
ual source of income for the pub
lie schools of Georgia for years,
and the wealth of which no man
can compute in dollars and cents.
The average farmer loses per
haps a dozen days more or less
each year maiketing his farm pro
ducts and hauling his fertilizer.
If each farmer had a good graded
road to market, he could haul
twice the amount at a load, there
by save half the time which in
dollars and cents saved would a
dozen times more than pay his
pro rata mite of interest on bonds.
In this crisis of the county’s af
fairs each citizen should wish to
do the best thing for the county’s
present and future good, if he
knows what that Is. My best
judgment is that it would lie wise
to vote a sufficient amount of
txrads to cover the indebtedness,
build good substantial bridges,
contiuue the grading of onr roads
and elect a commission from the
best citizens of the county to ex
pend the money wisely.
Yours for progress,
l G. G. Strange.
I The BanKs County Sun
day School Celebration
July 2t*tli, the Banks County
Sunday School Celebration will
hold its annual meeting at Homer.
This is about Session No. 32.
The following is the program ar
ranged by the committee in con
vention at Homer July 11th:
Schools to meet at Presbyterian
church at 9:30 a. m., and march
in reverse order to the stand, nu
-1 aer direction of Mr. M. L. Mellon-
Id, acting marshal of the day.
Song—< Coronation.
Prayer by Chaplain.
Welcome Address —C.A. Meeks.
Response—Sam Jolly.
The following schools will take
’ part in celebration io order named:
ML Pleasant,
Hickory Flat.
Address by State School Com
missioned, Hon. M. L. Britain.
Pleasant I lilt,
Webbs Creek,
Homer - Baptish,
Henderson.
Any other schools desiring to
take part in the celebration, win
do so. All that is necessary to do
is to get ready, be here and report
early to the president or the sec
retary. _
Banks County People
Want Unit Dissolved.
With a score of new counties
banging at the doors of the legisla
ture for recognition, one ancient
state unit—the grand old county
of Banks —is through some of its
citizens seeking to be dissolved.
The announcement that Banks
county, oral least some of in inllii
initial citizens acting for it, is ready
' to give up the ghost comes from
Senator W. vV. Stark, of the 33rd
district.
Banks county always has been a
quiet little unit, tending to its own
knitting between the county of
Habersham and the county of Jack
son, where the thriving towns of
Cornelia and Commerce hold forth
and experience occasional real es
tate booms.
Recent real estate spasms have
stirred both towns and some of the
citizens of Commerce and Cornelia
think that their towns should be
county sites and gain the benefits
of courthouses, courts ete.
Senator Stark who comes from
Commerce has been importuned
| with the scheme ol dissolving
Banks county, attaching part of it
to a part of Jackson with Com
merce as county site, and the re
maining part to Habersham county
with Cornelia as the county site of
anew county.
Under this plan the unobetruct
ive county of Banks would cease
to exist and in its place would a
rise two elbowing new state units
with Commerce and Cornelia as
county sites. Real estate prices in
either place would boom, the state
would get more taxes anil every
thing would Ik; merry.
Senator Stark said Thursday that
he did not take too kindly to the
proposition of creating two new
counties fiom Banks Jackson and
Habersham, but he admitted that
there is considerable agitation in
his section in tavor of it. —Atlanta
Journal.
;
Pubic Days in Homer.
MONDAY, JULY 2ist, (third
Monday), Mass meeting to consider
j the advisability of grading roads
l of county by convict labor, and
calling an election for bonds to pay
indebtedness and defray expenses
of county.
SATURDAY JULY 2th, The
Banks County Sunday School Cel
I ebration.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 15th, An
Old Fashion Spelling Match, under
j direction of Banks County Eduea-
I tioqal Association.
A NEW ORGANIZATION
The Banks County Sunday School Association--
The County Divided into Four Districts —
County Association Meets at Homer in a two
day Convention, Septemper 30th and October
Ist.
About two hundred Sunday
school workers of Banks county
met in the Presbyterian church at
Homer last Friday and anew oi
granization was yerfected. This
work will 1h; in touch with the
State Sunday school Association,
arid fiom time to time representa
tives from the State Association
will help to plan and assist in the
work here. As rapidly as can be
done all the counties in the state
will be organized and working on
a co i perative plan, and in a short
while great strides in Sunday
school work will be made.
Banks county has been subdivid
ed into four Divisions as follows:
Div ision No. 1, beginning at Ho
mer embraces all the territory in
Banks county lying between the
Lula road and Cornelia road as fol
lows: beginning at Homer thence
up Lula road to county line thence
county lines to Cornelia road;
thence down Cornelia road to Ho
mer, the beginning point.
Division No. 2, also begins at
Homer and embraces all the terri
tory in Banks county lying be
tween said Cornelia road and the
Ebenezer road which runs by Mrs.
Watsons .1.0. Wards and T. F.
Quilliuns to county line, thence
the county lines to Cornelia road
theuec to Homer the beginning
point.
Division No. 3, embraces all the
territory lietween the Homer and
Maysville graded road and said
Ebenezer road as follows: beginning
at Homer thence the Maysville
graded road to county line—thence
the county lines around to Ebene
zer road; thence said road to Ho
m.er, the beginning point.
Division No. 4, embraces all that
territory lying between said Mays
ville road and said Lula road.
Each division embraces all Bun
day schools in its territory.
The following county officers
were elected:
Hon. G. G. Strange was elected
president of the county association.
Prof. W. Baxter Smith was elect
ed vice-president.
Miss Minnie Turk was elected
secretary and Treasurer.
Mr. C. A. Meeks was elected as
sistant secretary and I reasurei.
Executive Committee:
G. A. Meeks, eha’m.
W. B. Smith.
T. B. Ray.
R. C. Alexander.
L. B. Jones.
The following division presidents
were elected.
Division No. I, W. T. Maxwell
Lula R. 3.
Division No. 2, W. A. Scoggins
Baldwin R. 1.
Division No. 3, G. <’. Glasure
Commerce Ga. R. 29.
Division No. 4, A. W. Henderson
Maysville Ga. R. 27.
The county association will hold
a two-day convention at Homer on
Sept. 30th anil Oct. Ist.
As soon as the State secretary
receives the names and post office
addresses of the Division presi
dents and the county president
sufficient instructions will lie fur
nlshed them as to how to organize
the division and how to plan anil
execute the work.
This organization is a long step
forward in Sunday school work in
Banks county. If you want to be
convinced of the truthfulness of
this statement, come to convention
Sept. 30th, and Oct. Ist.
[Preserve this paper for future
reference. The Editor)
Sunday School Covention
Held at Homer July 11th.
The most instructive and bene
licial Sunday School Convention
ever held in Banks county was in
session here one day only last Fri
day July 1 1 th.
There was no program previous
ly arranged, except that it was
known that Mr. I). W. Sims, sec
retary of the State Sunday School
Association, would be here and
the entire day was given over to
him. Without doubt Mr. Sims is
one of the best Sunday School
workers and organizers in the
State. Mr. Sims has spent many
years of his life in Sunday School
work, lie has traveled extensive
ly in Europe and Africa and lias
attended two of the World’s Sun
day School Conventions in Italy;
several international conventions
in America and many State con
ventions in different parts ol the
Union. He is eminently lilted
for the work assigned him—that of
a thorough organization of the va
lions counties of the State inio
thorough, co-operative, systematic
work. One minister present made
the remark that his thoughts and
the plan of work suggested was
worth one thousand dollars. So if
you were not here you missed your
part of the thousand dollars; but
there is one redeeming feature: il
you attend the two day conven
tion September 30th and October
Ist when Mr. Sims will be here
again you will then have an op
portunity of getting back a part
ol that which lias - been otherwise
last to you. Will you come ?
Hebron Sunday school reported
an enrollment of 142 with an aver
age of 100. Expended for 1 item
ture, #22; for Orphans’ Home,
$l5. This school uses Assembly
Song books. Mr. G. C. Glasure is
superintendent and Mr. Chester
Carson, secretary.
Homer Presbyterian Sunday
school reported an enrollment of
.‘l7; average attendance, 20; collec
tion for literature, #O. Mr. L. N.
Turk, superintendent; Mr. .1. N.
Hill, secretary.
Pleasant Hill Sunday school re
ported an enrollment of 78; aver
age attendance, 40; collection for
literature, $2.05. Literature used
American Baptist; song book used,
J. B. Vaughn’s Nos. 10 and 11.
Mr. S. G. Gaudell, superintendent;
Mr. Elmer Whitfield, secretary. j
Webbs Creek Sunday school re
ported an enrollment of 75; aver
age attendance, 50; collected for
literature, $7.50. Literature used,
Baptist Convention series; song
book, Homes of Glory. Mr. .LA.
Mize, superintendent; J. K.Toney,
secretary.
Mt. Pleasant Sunday school re
ported enrolled, 07; average at
tendance, 30. Literature used,
Southern Methodist; song book
used, Songs of Praise and Service.
Collections, $48.07. Disburse
ments: For missions, $10.95; liter
ature, $11.72; song books, $0.00;
church cleaning, $7.00; record
book, $l.OO.
Money to Loan
Money to Loan on farms at 0
per cent, for any length of time
from 3to 10 years. You cau get
the money now and make the pay
merits due during the fall.
K. T. CAMP,
Caruesville, Ga.
NO. 15