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THE SEARCH-LIGHT
is. RUSSELL mmi
EDITOR AND PROPRtBTOB.
Official Organ
Decatur County and Bainbridge
Entered tn the Font Office, at Huinbridge
aH necoud-elawi |matter. *
Hainbridoe, Ga., May 8. 1003
Atlanta’s baseball aggregation
seems to have struck a winning
streak recently.
Brag on your town and county.
Tell everybody you meet of its
splendid future and historic past.
Georgia should have bi ennial ses
sions of the legislature, and June
next is the proper time for this
measure to be passed,
The United States Supreme
Court has recently rendered a de
cision that it is not a crime
against the United Slates statutes
to buy negro votes.
The Greater Bainbridge spirit
is rapidly manifesting itself. The
old town is wide awake and is
destined to astonish the state by
its rapid growth in the future.
An exchange remarks that while
Mr. Roosevelt was on his western
trip he kissed hundreds of babies,
yet among the entire number was
not to be found a single black one.
Quite a war Is being waged
among the girls of the upper set
as to which is more becoming,
stockings or socks; and the editor
of the Rome Tribune pleads tp be
made umpire in the matter.
Florida’s House of Representa
tives has passed a bill similar to
one now before the Georgia As*
sembly, calling for a division of
the public school funds between
the races in proportion to taxes
paid by each,
You can even catch the echo of
that short summer session cry that
somebody somewhere started up
for some purpose. If the coming
session winds up the business now
on the calendar, it will necessitate'
the entire term.
Mark Hanna has announced
that Mr Cleveland will be the next
nominee of the democratic party.
Mr. Hanna seems to have solved
the problem easier than the demo
crats themselves can do. We are
waiting for him to name the leader
of his own party in 1904.
Says the Atlanta News: John
Pieper, a Hamilton, Ohio, man,
has invented a razor which will cut
corns, toe-nails, wire, kindling and
any other antique thing without
losfcg its whisker edge. John must
have been a hired girl when he
was a little boy.
The Augusta Chronicle has
beeen purchased by H. H. Cabi-
nesS and Thomas W. Loyless, of
Atlanta. This is one of the old
est and most historical papers of
Georgia. Pat Walsh was one of
the last of its great editors and by
him its power and prestige was
maintained. The Chronicle has
for years been a household god to
the people of eastern Georgia. To
it they looked for words of wis
dom and guidance, particularly in
politics. No doubt its new own
ers will rejuvenate it and bring it
once more to the front of Georgia
Journals. Mr. Loyless is the most
brilliant editorial and paragraph
writer in the State. The Chroni-
cle was established in 178$.
SPRINGTIME, YOUTH AND TRUANCY.
This is the merry month of May
with its birds and its bees, its buds
and its blossoms.
The small boy has laid aside his
accustomed hindering foot gear,
and light-hearted he bounds to the
meadow bent on the chase of the
butterfly or the robbery of the in
nocent nesting birds. Books and
schools are none of his; the hewing
of wood and the drawing of water
are things to which he has not
time to devote. The world forget
ting, he chooses bis own paths,'
whistles his own tunes, and builds
castles of which, mankind has not
known.
In his search for that unbridled
liberty which only nature gives, it
might be added that the world’s
sorrows are none of hii. Difficul
ties he surmounts, obstacles over,
comes, and as the summer’s sun
climbs the sky, so climbs he life’s
rugged steep, cheeks ablaze with
vigor, a brightness in his eye and
a warmth of soul which youth
alone can give.
Though he loiter by the way-
side to steal the eggs from the in
nocent birds, let us remember that
at the same time he is plucking
the sweet scented flowers from
the field, and in after yeais they
will bkssom in the golded garden
of his memory. Though lessons
missed at school count mightily to
his discredit at examination time,
yet has he learned lessons from
the woods that are not printed in
books, and listened to music that
man has never set to note. The
swelling buds, the buzzing bees,
the waving corn, the whispering
treetops, and the mild eyed lambs
in the meadow join in making life
one bright sweet reality.
Is it a wonder that thus sur
rounded he should flee his
chores and escape if possible those
distasteful creations from which
boys and girls must learn their
letters, but not always the most
useful lessons of life. Thus envi
roned there is much to hope for a
boy, for unconscious of his sur
roundings he absorbs those less
sons for which ^men of. maturer
years are wont to make dilligent
search.
Let us remember that after this
manner the world’s greatest men
have lived, and lived to bless man
kind.
SITUATION IN MANCHURIA.
Manchuria is now looming up as
a bone of national contention in
the far East. Russia has made
demands on China in regard to
this territory which she is begin
ning to regard as her own, which
if acceded to will almost annihilate
American trade. At present
America has an enormous trade in
Manchuria, especially in oils and
cotton goods. Russia is eager to
counterfeit American goods and
supplant them with her own. To
accomplish this end it is Russia’s
purpose to get contro 1 of the ports
and close them to American com
petition. These rumors have
caused our State department to
prevent this threatened evil to our
trade in the East. Russia was
quick to make disclaimer of any
such intentions, but all the world
knows Russian duplicity. v
Our leading article this week
presents some interesting facts
about the annual r&ources and
expenditures of the county. The
showing is highly creditable. We
have the best county in the state
in every particular.
TAXING OF CORPORATIONS. i
The new law to be enforced this
year for the taxing of corporate
franchises is perplexing not only
the state officials but the mana
gers. It seems to be something so
intangible that no one is able to
get at it and define it and say
what it is worth. A franchise
must be the mythical "nigger in
the wood pile.” At least the state
has been unable so far to bring
him out and tax him.
The primary meaning of fran
chise is the right to or privilege of
doing a thing. The railroads con
tend the franchise is inseparable
and indistinct from the physical
property and has no value apart.
Nearly all the railroads have made
their returns valuing their phys
ical property and variously estimat
ing the values of their franchises
But in every instance the sum of
the two fall short of the values in
the returns of the phyisieal prop
erty above last year’s, showing
that they have put a nominal
value on franchises and deducted
it from the physical values.
The Comptroller’s position is
that before the enactment of the
franchise law the railroads object
ed to a higher assessment of their
properties because the value of
their franchises were not included
not being taxable, and that now
since the law taxing them has
been passed they must value fran
chises over and beyond their phys
ical properties. Since there is
such a considerable difference of
opinion between the roads and the
Comptroller the whole question
will have to he referred to arbitra
tors. It is doubtful if the state
will realize much advantage from
her .taxable franchise law.
One amusing feature of the sit
uation is the reply of the G. J. &
S. railroad, which seems to be an
insolvent road* It says its fran
chise is worth nothing and the
state ought to pay it something
for compelling it to operate a road
that is a losing game; in other
words to enjoy .a privilege that is
not enjoyable.
mm
A PACKING HOUSE.
Dr. J. A. B. Sikes, of Iron City,
was here last week. Dr. Sikes
has been a successful man. Not
only is he a good physician, but is
a practical, up to date farmer, His
ideas expressed in course of a
conversation, on the subject of
cattle and hog raising, are worthy
of consideration He thinks one
of the sources of the greatest
profit to the farmer is the raising
of hogs for the markets. There is
always a ready sale for them either
on the hoof or in bacon and hams.
Hogs can be fatted in this country
with less expense than anything
else.
The curing and saving of the
meat is the greatest difficulty at
present. It is a somewhat hazard
ous business for the farmer to un
dertake this himself. The doctor
suggests that a cold storage and
packing house located at Bain-
bridge would encourage this in
dustry and make a ready and easily
reached market. This is a splen
did suggestion and should be put
on foot at once. Why could there
not be formed a joint stock com
pany for this purpose composed of
merchants and farmers? It will
not require a great outlay of capi
tal and the investment will b e safe
and profitable.
The esteemed Atlanta Constitu
tion’s write-up of Bainbridge got
at least one thing right when it
stated tnat the town had a “salu
brious climates.” An accurate dis
play of the city’s advantages would
have been more inviting. We fear
that the best things were left Un
said.
MELTON & DUKES’
Edwin Clapp and
Janies A. Banister
S3 SHOES ft,
FOR MEN, -
Are a t tiellahead of anything else in Bainbridge
The Dorothy Dodd
is the best wearing woman’s shoe in the
world and always gives satisfaction.
4* 4 4 -
From Man to Child
we have the best fitting, neatest, easiest
wearing shoes for the least money.
You are invited to call at
Melton & Dukes,
Bainbridge,
THOS. J. WILLIAMS, Manager.
J. T. LANE,
IRON CITY, GA.
?
Invites you all to call and inspect
his immense line of Spring and Summer Goods.
SHOES I SHOES!!
Large shipment of Shoes just in.
Low cuts—and cuts very low in prices.
Slippers for men, women and children, and the
very latest styles.
MILLINERY!
Yes, I have Hats of every description,
from the 25c Sailor to the #>5.00 pattern
Hats. Also a complete line of Men’s Straw
Hats. Misses Sailors, etc.
CLOTHING!
I wish to call attention to my complete
line of Clothing, for this is my strongest line
I sell more Clothing than any two stores in town.
I have Boys and Children Suits ranging in price from
50c to £10.00 per suit. Men’s Suits from #3.00 to jhS 06
Any price and any style you want I can furnish it.
FARM' IMPLEMENTS!
I also make a specialty of Farm Imple
ments, Cotton Planters, Guano Distributors,
Planet Jr. Cultivators, Mowers, Rakes, Reapers
“ and Binders and Binder Twine carried in stock at a.l
times. Please give me a triaL
YOURS TO PLEASE,
T-.TL
XZESOZLT OI T , Gh-A-