Newspaper Page Text
PAGE FOUR
Coffee County Progress
FRED RICKETSON,
EDITOR AND MANAGER.
Published Every Wednesday
By the
PHOUKENS l’l HUSHING COM PAX V
Official Organ of Coffee County.
Entered at the postoffice at Douglas,
Georgia, as Second-Class Matter.
Subscription SI.OO a year in advance;
Six months, 50 cents; single cop
ies 5 cents,
Adveitising Rates on Application.
GROUCHY
Oozum love woozum
Anri also snoozum,
On the couch;
Good spirit in fact
Shows best tact
Discard that grouch.
Spring is suggestive,
The maiden protestive,
To the faint;
Good humour to he plain
Will make you gain
What a grouch “cain’t”
Help boost a permanent Douglas
band.
, The need of a union depot in
Douglas is still evident.
No, Douglas is not perfect in sev
eral ways, but that is no reason why
the stock law should not be rigidly
enforced.
Johnny Spencer is good, ’tis true,
but who writes the Macon News’
“Stuff?” This fellow ought to get
at least a Ford salary, ’cause he’s
got ’em ail beat.
The trying ne .'d of a swimming
pool is being well de nonstrated now.
A few dollars expended in this di
rection would be a paying proposi
tion for some one.
His Honor, Judge W. E. Thomas, i
was in the city Thursday of last
week, shaking hands with the im
portant vote of Coffee county. “Is
your heart right?” was the main
query of his stay.
With a little more light on the
streets, maybe there are several
things we could see better. It seems
the old arc lights that have served
their time for fifteen years have
seen their best days.
The city hall and Sweat Memorial
building is nearing completion. It
will fill a long wanted need, add ever
so much to the appearance of the
city, besides signa'ly honor the name
of Mr. F. L. Sweat.
No matter how the governor's
race terminates, down here in this
Eleventh, we are going to have one
congressional race, with one or two
dark horses affording surprise, sen
sation and thrill.
It is believed D mglas is better
prepared for the house fly this year
than ever before in her history.
People are well abiding by the
screening ordinance and every one
seems to be following the slogan, so
often heard, “swat the fly.”
Vegetables are scarcer this year
than they have been in some time,
the cause of which is the unusual
dry spring. The merchants have
been considering themselves lucky
to have any of the garden produce
on hand at all.
Albert Sweat comes out with a
forecast of the result of the eleventh
congressional race. If the Nash
ville Herald can be taken as any
thing like a successful prophet, our
advice to the candidates would be to
get busy in the counties not ceded
to them by this most worthy sheet.
HARD HIT
We understand that them folks
over in Coffee county are guiag to
bond their county in order to build
a ciav road from Douglas to Jack
sonville, Fla. A good idea, have a
road all to themselves as it will take
at least one good size road tojhoid
the average Douglas man returning
from the Fiori la metrop >iis. Huzle
hurst News. At anv rate a good
r«»ad will be a consolation and aid
the Douglas man consiberabiy. As
to how the Haziehurst man will get
back, we .r.abie to state.
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE
FARMERS’ UNION DEAL
It can always be said that there are
| two sides to every Question, but in
J giving the facts concerning the loca
j tion of the so-called headquarters of
the Farmers’ Union in Douglas it is
not our purpose to undertake to
vindicate, or justify anything or any
one or to take either side of this
question, but to deal fairly with tl e
people of Douglas and Coffee county,
j who were instrumental in making a
j trade wi h the officers of this or
ganization as well as with the farm
ers of this county as well as with all
other counties, who have aligned
; themselves with this organization
! with a view to bettering their con
] dition as a class.
It is the general opinion that the
farmers cannot be organized. This
may be true. It is also true that
the agitation and co-operation
among the farmers for the past few
years has been of vast importance to
them and the Farmers’ Union is a
laudable organ’zation if its purposes
could be accomplished.
This, however, is not to the point,
and does not follow the caption of
this article.
To begin with the removal of
“headquarters” to Douglas was a
series of misunderstandings upon
the part of the city of Douglas and
the state officials of the Union. The
organization had lapsed into a state
of lassitude or inactivity and new of
ficers were elected to replace the
ones who had permitted the Union
to literally fall to pieces. The writer
was appraised only a short while
before the state convention at Du v -
lin in January, 1915, that the secre
taryship would be offered. It was
also understood that J J. Brown
was to be state president. Perhaps
Mr. Brown knew more of the real
condition of the Union than we did.
We are inclined to believe he knew
little more. A new executive com
mittee was elected and organizers
put over the state and hun’redsof'
pledges were offered to help in a
great reorganization. The whole
purpose was to make such an effort
as had never been made to rebuild
what had been lost and a great deal
more.
A new location for offices was to
be looked for. Some leading citi
zens of Duglas took the matter up
and apprised the chamber of com
merce. and a few conferences were
held and Douglas was to put up some
money to secure the offices. Upon
the removal of the offices to this
place Douglas was to secure five
hun lred dollars for subscriptions to
the National Field, the official Union
paper. They were to take $1,500
worth of advertising space in that
paper and the money was to be paid
all at one time. This contract was
with the National Field and not with
the state officers; who, how * er,
were instrumental in making the
trade.
It was at about this stage of the
proceedings that Mr. J. It. Overman
attended the state convention in ses
sion at Doublin and extended an in
vitation upon behalf of the people
of Douglas to remote headquarters
to Douglas. Other points made a
pull for the offices but Messrs.
Brown and Barrett brought them to
Douglas. Other points offered to
do as much as Douglas would do.
Then ci m i the actual work of
moving to Douglas. As secretary it
was our duty to go to Union City
and load and ship the property ot
the Union to Douglas. Upon our
arrival, it is tri e, we were a little
shocked at what we saw and this,
perhaps, bespeaks the feelings of
the people of Douglas when the
goods arrived. However, there was
work to be done and the matter of
making a settlement with Douglas
! was most important as there was not
sufficient funds to defray the e.\-
! pense of moving on hand. Mr. Bar
rett put up his eheck to pay freight
| but was a little later reiipbucsed.
It is not necessary to name the
dates and amounts that were paid
| over. However, up to September
Ist, 1915, S3OO of the subscription
money ha i been paid over and be
tween thirteen hundred and four
teen hundred of the advertising
money had been paid over in various
sums from S4O to $250 at tiie time.
The people acre realized t.ial the.
had not got what they expected,
l’he Union did not get the money as
they expected and the contract as
agreed upon was not carrie 1 out as
agreed upon by either party.
At no time was there sufficient
fan s 1 1 defray the expense of the
COFFEE COUNTY PROGRESS
office and when the state conven
tion was called the state president
had received a little more than S2OO
more than his actual expenses in
cluding as his expense money the
Ford automobile given him by Doug
las. There was about SSOO short < n
i the expense of the secretary. There
I was other deficiencies as most of the
I funds received were expended in
| postage and circularizing the state
I with literature so far as the fun<’s
would go.
Not being financially able to work
with compensation vve refused to
stand for re-election to the secreta
ryship and a new man had to be se
cured and when Mr. Mills, a gentle
man from Butts county, was elected
he found the salary insufficient to
move to this county and thus was
the final climax reached and the con
tract fuitier broken.
Thousan Is of farmers were in
duced to join the Union and while
the number was increased material
ly not enough remained in to make
the Union self-sustaining.
Our first duty is to Douglas and
Coffee county and while those who
so generously subscribed to the fund
to secure new enterprises for Doug
las might have made a mistake, we
do not regret having been associated
with the Union, but do sincerely re
gret that it could not be rebuilt and
Douglas become the headquarters
in reility of the grandest organiza
tion throughout the entirestate.
A mistake should not deter the
enterprising citizens and while we
feel that *ve have contributed as
much as any one to the success of
this enterprise, we are not prone to
condemn any one in particular as a
clearer understanding should have
been had all the way round.
The office furniture and office sup
plies are in Douglas but the state
secretary resides at Jenkinsburg,
Butts county, and spends most of
his time out trying to organize.
What the Union expects to do is a
matter of conjecture so far as we
are concerned.
THAT STOCK LAW AGAIN
Cows and other stock are at large 1
on the streets of Douglas, just the
same as if we had no stock law.
There seem to be some hitches in
the enforcement of such a law.
We have waited and tried to get
on the inside of this question and
learn whv it is Douglas can’t do her
duty by citizens as well as cows
In the first place, we learn, it is
impossible to keep a stock man em
ployed. Everyone that assumed the
job quit, he claims, because the city
did not back him up in the enforce
ment.
For instance, cows and hogs would
be caught on the streets and taken
in by the impounding officer, and it
seems, several owners on learning of
the impounding, became enraged,
went to the city pen, knocked down
the fence and drove their stock
honr e, without paying the fee or at
least without seeing the proper man
in charge.
The impounders claim the city i
failed to stick by them in cases of |
this kind at police court, and with
people willingly violating law’s in
this manner, unmolested, their jobs
are rendered payingless.
Lately, people coming to recog
nize the slight enforcement, swarms
of cattle have been loose, playing
havoc with produce at stores, gai
dens, fl >wer yards and the like.
Many contend that in so much as |
other laws, some of which have to
do with the morality of the city, are ;
daily violated, their cows should and
will be permitted to run at~ large on
the streets, if so desired.
However, this can be said for the
city that none of the above referred \
to laws are violated so far as it is -
the power of the city as a whole to
prevent.
We believe the city can and will
enforce this stock law, even if the
expense for the first three months,
or until people become use to the
law, is considerable.
We know of no reason why the
people should not abide by that
w’hich is a law T and which can be en
forced.
When will Douglas citizens stop
their small town tactics?
People in Douglas prefer sweet to
buttermilk, and judging from the
• nterest recently shown in stock
| raising pure-bre 1 at that there
should be no worry for lack of na
ture’s nourishment and booze’s sup
plement, in any form, ir. Coffee
county.
The Most Efficient work for the least
COST
IGNITION
SUPPLIES
The vital parts of
Auto Machinery are
like the vital parts of
the body- - -They need
Skillful Attention.
You -First-Class Giraje Service
The Douglas Auto Co.
FISHERY
m
A Big Fishery will be had at
SEARS FISH POND
One Mile below PEARSON, on
Friday and Saturday
MAY 26-27th.
This pond has not been
opened for seven years
and plenty of fish are
there for everybody.
Parties coining on train
will find ample means of
getting to pond.
ADMISSION FOR TWO DAYS
WILL SE SI.OO *7Xr
The Best of Service in
the Shortest Time.
Tne Skill of Exper
ienced to work on your
Car.