Newspaper Page Text
NIMBER 29.
BAINBRIDQE, DECATUR COUNTY, OEOROIA FRIDAY MAY 8, 1903.
$1.00 YEAR IN ADVANCE
®fflclaL®tflan of Decatur County ant) tbe Cltg of Balnbrtbqe.
SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS.
Reliable Compilation of Facts and Figures
Relating to Our Growth.
l"°”
■mg
x digest of Decatur cuun
i2 shows some interest-
llosures that are but little
iutside oi official circles,
otal value of taxable prop-
liis county for last year, as
ntary returns for taxation
,406,897. Compare this
same values os letumed
and it shows a gain of
250,000, ana with those of
of more than £75°-'
here is not a county in
. that has increased in tax-
ies more than three quar-
a million dollars in the
ace of two year??' Of the
last year nearly $4,000,-
returned by the whites
2.000 by colored. There
1.000 acres of wild lands and
r oo,ooo acres of farm lands,
e are 2,395 white polls and
:olored. There are sixteen
i, twenty-three doctors, one
im is colored, two dentists
ie president of a corporation,
to the digest, in the pro-
lal column.
bank stock of the county is
at $100,500. Capital in-
in shipping and tonnage,
all other stocks and
$3,350. Money and debts
inds amount to $364,000,
this amount $368 is return-,
the colored people. Mer-
lise is $310,000 and house-
ind kitchen furniture $245,
re is invested in manufact-
enterprises about $200,000.
iople of Decatur are not
of expensive jewelry since
eturns for that item show
■ 8,000. But the values of
and cattle show large, more
half a million dollars, and car-
etc,, $100,000
inbridge shows up with the
; st returned values $1,547,.
Attapulgns, $235,207; Whig-
*203,742; Pine Hill, $191,.
Donalsonville, $162,682; Iron
*■58,340; Climax, $137,092,
in their order.
tax rate for 1902 was
the thousand, fifty cents
r ’han the preceeding year,
county’s pro rata of this was
which should have prpduced
enue °f about $23,000, but
e w as a larger number of tax
s issued than usual. In addi-
to this source the county re
ed about $5,000 from the rail
s and a little more than that
,UDt from the hire of her
150
the
he superior court costs
nty about $3,500 a nd the-city
JJ* ut s 3.000 a year. About
i°°*as spent last year in main-
in S bridges, and the
se cost about the same sum.
? a s and c °nvicts had to be
bended, prosecuted and cared
'an expense °f about $ 4 ,
j ro ° U ., ° f tlle revenues deriv-
sources last year the
urt house is being built,
completed on about the
same rate tffis year. The county
will own a magnificent court
house, as handsome as any in the
state, not a bond will be issued or
a dollar borrowed, and the tax
payer will hardly feel the burden.
This fact speaks well for the busi-
ness skill and ability of the board
of county commissioners.
There is one department of the
county government that costs the
county nothing, that is the public
schools. The state returns to us
more for educationtional purposes
than the county pays the state in
taxes. Last year the board of ed
ucation disbursed $ 19,282 towards
the public schools. There were 72
white and 54 .colored schools con
ducted by 86 white and 53 colored
teachers. The schobl census taken
in 1898 shows in the county 3.930
white pupils and 4,502 colored pu
pils of school age. A new school
census will be taken during this
year which will undoubtedly show
a much larger number.
Mr. Bra#well, the county school
commissioner, is in charge ot the
educational work. He is well
qualified by reason of his long ex
perience, zeal for the esuse, splen
did character and proficiency. He
really needs assirtance on account
of the large number of pupils en
rolled and the big territory that he
has to c6ver to make the public
schools as efficient as he desires
them to be.
In addition to the schools the
state disbursed in Decatur county
through Judge Maxwel, the ordi
nary, last year about $5,700 ii
pensions to Confederate soldies
and their widows.
The foregoing facts and figures
prove beyond a doubt that Deca
tur county is in a very prosperous
condition. That her people are
industtious and frugal and that the
end of every year finds them more
prosperous and therefore with more
happiness.
The spirit of thrift and enter
pri§e is taking hold of them, and
with the energy born of ambi
tion they are reaching out and
developing the many and inex
haustible sources of wealth
comoetence that nature has
dowed them with.
They proye another thing, that
the county’s affairs are in the
hands of and administered by as
clever and capable a Set of men as
can be found anywhere in the
United States. They are execut
ing well and wisely the trusts
committ to them by and surely
deserve the plaudits ot the peo
pie.
Union Meeting.
The Union Meeting of the
Southwestern Association will cor
vene with Salem church, Desser,
Ga., the fifth Sunday in May, Fri
day and Saturday before. All
please take notice and give u 1
lull delegation and lets have
good time. A. R. Reynolds.
Desser, Ga., May 4, 1903.
Inspection for Co. “I” by
U. S. Officer.
The officers and men of Com
pany “I” and the regimental band
have received orders from head
quarters to prepare ior an Inspec
tion on May 19th, at eight o’clock
in the evtning by a! United States
army officer, Major Francis H.
French, of the 16th Infantry, U:
S. A., has been appointed for this
duty.
Major Sam Hawes ih speaking
of the purpose of this inspection
said that it was to be made in
pursuance of the Die* bill passed
the last session ot congress. That
if the company comes up to the
requirements they will receive all
the benefits under that bill in the
way of being armed and equipped
by the Uiyted States government
and having an annual encampment
at the expense of the government,
which will be very probably at
Chicamauga Park, near Chatta
nooga.
Company I will without doubt
make a good showing and pass
muster and the same will be true
of the band. They are both in
fine shape and are the pride of the
county. If accepted under this
new law it is to be supposed that
they will be incorporated immedi
ately into the National Guard and
receive their new equipments and
go to the encampment this sum
mer.
Col. Obear, ot the State troops
will be here also and take part in
the inspection.
Change in Prominent
Firms.
FOR BI-ENNIAL SESSIONS.
Prominent Legislators Favor Sessions in
Every Two Years.
Announcement has been made
that Hon. J, M. Slaton, of the
county of Fulton, will introduce
at the coming session of the gen
eral assembly, a bill calling for m-
ennial sessions of the legislature.
Mr. Slaton is one of the most in
fluential members of the house,
and his support of such a measure
ure would mean a great deal in
the direction of its passage.
It migh also be added that a
great many of the leading mem
bers of the house have recently ex
pressed themselves as favoring
such a change, as it is to be sin
cerely hoped that a bill such as
Mr. Slaton suggests will be passed
at the June session, There is no
earthly use for annual sessions
of the general assembly to create
annual changes in the code, an
nual changes in the government of
local commnities and, as we have
before stated, annual excursions to
the legislature and annual expen
ditures of $70,000, cost of the ses
sion,
It is but just to Mr. Brinson,
one of the representatives from
Decatur county (and we hppis to
be pardoned for bringing this mat
ter to the attention of the public)
to state that at the recent session
of the legislature he introduced a
bill calling for a constitutional
amendment changing the sessions
Mr. E. J. Willis', ot the firm of
Willis & McRee, wholesale gro
cers, has told his interest in that
business to Mr. J. W. Callahan.
Mr. Callahan who was the sole
owner of the Grenada Drug Co.,
sold his drug business to Mr. Wil
lis, which amounts practically to a
swap of positions and business
interests between Mr. Willis and
Mr. Callahan.
Both of these gentlemen are
popular and enterprising business
men. The change comes some
what in the shape of if surprise to
the public.
There will be practically no fric
tion attendant upon the change
and both houses will continue on
as heretofore.
Better Telegraph Service.
The management of the West*
ern Union have decided to im
prove their telegraph service at
Bainbridge. The business at this
office has grown so large that one
operator could not handle it. Mr.
J. W. Ware, who is now in charge,
is a very efficient, and obliging
young man. After this week he
will have as his assistant Mr, W.
A. Hair, who until this change
was manager of the office at Vien
na. The patrons of the office can
now be assured of the very best
service. The office will be kept
open from 7:30 in the morning un
til 10 o’clock at night.
This much need d improvement
w.t* brought about by the Board of
Trade, which has been in corres
pondence with the management
I regarding it for some time.
of the house from annual to
bi-ennial sessions. At the time
the measure was introduced the
daily papers made considerable
comment on the importance of tUe N
bill. However the measure went
to the committee on constitutional
amendments, where it still remains
to be acted upon pX the summer
session. Whether the bill is fa
vorably or unfavoiably reported it
will at least be brought before the
house, and if passed by that body
and the senate, and signed by the
governor, it will go to the people
for their ratification.
The time for holding the ses
sions ot the legislature is fixed in
the connstitution of the state, and
before a change can be mane it
will be nedessary for the, people to
pass on the change. However,
there can be little doubt that the
people of the state—the tax pay
ers—will sanction any change that
will cut down the annual expenses
of the government without doing
violence to the interests of the
people of the state.
The bi-ennial session bill of our
local representative should pass
the house at the coming session
without serious opposition, and it
is to be hoped that Mr. SUton and
others who favor the change jrill
give the bill their earnest sup
port.
Our Military at Albany.
Those who attended the Albany
(Jhatauqua Governor’s day and
saw the splendid display made by
Company “T\ the crack company
of the 4th Regiment, returned
very much enthused over the
showing A few days before leav
ing the boys "had received their
new uniforms, which were not
worn until that day. This gave
the company a dressy appearance.
It was said by hundreds who wit
nessed the parade, that barring
the Barnesville Cadets, Company
"I” made the best appearance and
showed the best drill work of any
company in the regiment.
And while every one was protid
of our military company at Albany,
they were none the less so of our
local military band. In fact the
band was on its metal and did not
fail to elicit favorable comments
upon all sides,
We are proud of our military
company and our band, they go
hand in hand. We believe that
the citizens of the town should
come to their rescue £nd contrib
ute to their support more liberally.
Maj. J. W. Warren, the veteran
secretary of the executive depart-
mant, was run over and instantly
killed by a train in Atlanta this
week, Major Warren was seven
ty-seven years old and held the
same position continuously for
31 years, and had served under
ten governors, beginning with Jas.
M. Smith, in 1872. He was well
known and beloved throughout
tbe State.
Bob Taylor’s Lecture.
The Bainbridge opera house was
crowded Thursday night to hear
the lecture of Gov. Bob Taylor, of
Tennessee, on “The Fiddle and
Bow.” Theri was not a dull sen
tence during the whole time. The
large a.-dience was responsive to
the magnetic influence of the
speaker from start to finish. He
drew upon his infinite store of
knowledge of nature and nature’s
own people, the Tennessee moun
taineer, also his experiences on the
hustings during his several vic
torious races for governor. He
ran several times as the nominee
of the democrats against and de
feated his brother, who was the
nom inee oft he republicans,
The whole lecture was replete
with thrilling bits of oratory, bril
liant flashes of wit and deeply
touching pathos.
A portion of the proceeds from
the sale of seats was generously
donated to the public library and
quite a neat sum was realized.
Bicycle Thief.
Bob Harper, alias Bird Stephen
son, a negro, rented a bicycle from
Stansel Bros, here on May the 1st
and immediately lit out for parts
unknow. He was tracked as far
as Cairo, where the trail was lost.
Tbe bicycle was finally located in
Quitman in a repair shop where it
had been sold to a negro for a dol
lar. The wheel has been recov
ered but tbe thief escaped.
