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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