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BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS
VOLUME 26
MR. ETHERIDGE EXPLAINS ATTITUDE
OF THE JACKSON BANKING COMPANY
Mr. Editor:—Mr. Asbury’s ar
ticle in your issue of last week,
in which he seeks to “defend”
his attitude toward the debts of
Butts county, gives me an oppor
tunity to state our position with
reference to same. Our reason
for not having stated it before is
that our claim was in the courts,
and we did not think it wise to
discuss it in the newspapers.
It has been a well known fact
that for several years the Jack
son Banking Company has
been furnishing the county
authorities money with which to
cash their warrants. The ar
rangement was a highly satisfac
tory one to the people and to
those who had the financial
affairs in charge, as only 7 per
cent was charged for the money.
Here-to-fore these obligations
have been paid, and when it
was learned that there was not
enough money to pay us in Janu
ary 0f1907 it was like “a clap of
thunder out of a clear sky.”
The Jackson Banking Company
was in no way responsible for the
situation, yet, after several con
ferences with the commissioners,
we were willing to adjust our
selves to the situation and simply
asked that they pay us what they
could or had, and issue us war
rants for the balance which we
could hold until such time as they
could be paid. We even went
further than this, and offered to
continue paying their warrants
for the year 1907, so as not to
embarrass them in carrying on
the finances of the county.
Could any more liberal or reason
able proposition be made? Not
withstanding this, to all of our
propositions they turned a deaf
ear, and we could get no proposi
tion from them looking toward
an adjustment.
To further complicate matters,
and in the face of the proposition
above named, we later learned
that they had renewed a note to
Mr. Van Wright for five or six
thousand dolllars, making it
mature in 1908, and in a few days
thereafter took up the note and
issued him a demand warrant for
same, when, at the, same time
they refused to issue warrants to
the Jackson Banking Company
for claims which were past due.
Why this partiality of making
“fish of one and foul of another”
Mr. Asbury does not explain.
While we are sure that Mr.
Wright’s claim is as honest and
just as our own, and we want to
see it paid, yet we did not under
stand the act of the commission
ers. And we felt, after*our propo
sition mentioned above, which
wasso fair and liberal, that we
were being ‘ ‘stoned in the house
of what we supposed to be our
friends.”
Having exhausted every possi
ble means of settling the matter,
and having met with such a cold
reception, we felt that we had
gone to the extreme limit and
had nowhere else to turn but to
the courts, in order to maintain
our claim. The commissioners
admitted our claim as being just
and honest and Mr. Asbury him
self said that he was willing to
vote bonds to pay it. Yet, after
saying this, they employed the
best legal talent of the state to
fight what they themselves ad-
JACKSON, GEORGIA, THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 1908
mitted as being an honest claim.
I have wondered, Mr. Editor,
if it is Mr. Asbury’s plan to em
ploy expensive attorneys to fight
every claim against the county
as he has in this case of the Jack
son Banking Company. To be
consistent, he will have to do so.
I understand that there are others
who have employed counsel to
represent their claims, which, I
am sure, are as honest as ours,
and if he proposes to continue
along this line of council fees, he
will spend enough in a few years
to pay the debt of the county.
In the name of fairness and jus
tice, would it not have been bet
ter to have spent the three or
four thousand dollars our commis
sioners have spent in fighting this
claim-in trying to find a way to
pay it. This certainly would
have been a more honorable pro
ceeding and would have brought
less discredit upon our county.
It is a notorious fact that Butts
county is the only county out of
145 that has ever attempted in
any way to repudiate its just
obligations. Mr. Asbury may
talk as long he wants to about
paying it, but his actions do not
bear him out in his position.
Permit me, Mr. Editor, to
briefly illustrate. Suppose my
son, a minor 19 years of age,
should buy a horse from Mr.
Asbury for $200.00, giving his
note for it payable at a future
date and when the note falls due
and Mr. Asbury presents it for
payment and my son should say
to him, “I am a minor, not of
age, and the note which you
hold is illegal. Therefore I will
not pay you. Nor am I willing
to give up the horse. lam very
anxious to pay you; it is an hon
est debt; but I must have legal
grounds to stand on.”
To carry the illustration fur
ther, suppose the boy, while ad
mitting the claim and its justness
should employ the best legal
talent he could get to defend him
self. He not only fights the suit
but wants to keep the horse for
profit and pleasure. Does it not
look like he would be willing to
return the horse? Would Mr.
Asbury appprove of such conduct
in my son? And yet, this illus
trates Mr. Asbury’s attitude
toward the Jackson Banking
Company.
To carry the illustration still
further, if I, his father, (who
would in this case represent
Butts county) should stand by
and see my son profit by such a
transaction, I would indeed be
equally as guilty as my son. Is
there not a moral law that should
be respected?
In Mr. Asbury’s article he says
something about leaving the mat
ter to a vote of the people. lam
amazed that he should suggest
such a thing, as he ought to
know by this time that such ac
tion would not be legal, and
since he is such a stickler for
legal technical points, makes it
bear the marks of insincerity.
If this matter could be legally
settled by a vote of the people of
Butts county, I would be only
too glad to leave it to them.
After living in Butts county for
twenty-five years and knowing
something of her people and
having had dealings with them
all these years, I think I know
them sufficiently well to believe
that they will not turn their
backs on an honest and just
obligation, even though it should
be a technical one, and that Mr.
Asbury in his attitude is not
representing the people in this
respect.
Permit me to say that, with
one slight exception, the entire
expenses of the county, such as
paying jurors, (grand and trav
erse) bailiffs and road hands,
feeding of the prisoners in jail
and the occupants of the poor
farm, every bridge that was
paid for during the year 1906
was done with money furnished
by the Jackson Banking Com
pany, and we are far from be
lieving that the people want to
receive and accept this as a free
gift from the Jackson Banking
Company.
Judge Pendleton, before whom
-this case was heard in Atlanta,
sustained our injunction proceed
ings, which, of course, main
tained our view point. The com
missioners then carried it to the
Supreme Court. The Supreme
Court has done the same thing
and even gone further by grant
ing our request, that is, that we
stand in the shoes of every orig
inal warrant holder. Now, if
Mr. Asbury and his fellow com
missioners had issued us new
warrants as we requested them
to do, they would have done ex
actly what the Supreme Court
has given us. And they would
have not only saved the county
three or four thousand dollars
but would have saved the Jack
son Banking Company consider
able money.
The law provides as to how
these warrants shall be paid, but
of course, there is not enough to
pay them all. Suppose the com
missioners of any year should
happen to issue warrants in ex
cess of the levy. The question
is “Must the warrant holders
lose their money because the
commissioners failed to do their
duty?” We are sure that no
fair-minded man would uphold
any such position—that the coun
ty shall profit at the expense of
any of its citizens. We are in
nocent holders of warrants issued
by former commissioners and
while some of them will be paid,
as the Supreme Court has de
cided, it is up to the county as
to paying the balance of them.
Grand jury after grand jury has
recommended their payment, and
we have too much confidence in
the integrity of the people to
doubt for a moment that some
plan will be evolved by which all
the obligations of the county will
be paid. Therefore, we are rest
ing very peacefully and calmly
in that high sense of justice and
righteousness which controls the
majority f the citizens of Butts
county.
I trust I have made myself
clear. I have not wanted to do
Mr. Asbury or anyone else in
justice, on the contrary, I have
nothing but the kindest pressed
feelings for him, but write this,
that our attitude should be known
and in order that the public might
know our position. Many have
requested me to do this in the
past, but I have refrained from
doing so for the reason mentioned
above. Mr. Asbury’s letter has
given me the opportunity, and I
thank him for it.
F. S. Etheridge, Pres.
Jackson Banking Company.
MR. GASTON WRITES OF HIS
POSITION ON COUNTY FINANCE
To the Voters of Butts County:
As there is some discussion over
the cotinty in regard to county
finances, it is my purpose in these
few words to state what I know
and where I stand.
On the first of January, 1905,
I went into the work of County
Commissioner. The work was
anew work to me and I was a
young man, Jthe youngest man
that had ever served on the
honorable board of county com
missioners. My colleagues were
men of broad and intelligent
minds and two years’ experience
in the office. But the minutes of
this office does not Show how
much money was borrowed dur
ing the years 1903 and 1904, so I
did not know how much the
county was in debt, or whether
it was in debt at all or not.
The minutes did not show any
thing about the indebtedness.
But I have always been in favor
of an itemized statement being
published in the county papers at
least once each quarter that the
people might see how the county
stands financially. I tried to
have this done and my honorable
colleagues voted me down. So
no one knew how the county
stood but the chairman of the
board who borrowed the money.
So I went on and did the best I
could for the county in the dis
charge of my duty.
But on the dawn of 1907 the
whole thing had to be unearthed.
In round numbers the county was
found to be in debt $30,000 and
but SIO,OOO in the hands of the
treasurer to pay it with. We
continued to issue warrants for
the county’s debts as long as the
funds of 1906 lasted, and when
they were exhausted we stopped,
upon the grounds that we had no
legal right to levy a tax in 1907
to pay the debts of 1906, amount
ing to $20,000, which is nearly
one year’s taxation. We issued
warrants to the creditors of the
county as the accounts were pre
sented. We have been censured
with partiality which is false.
We gave one warrant to J. V.
Wright for borrowed money.
The minutes of the commission
ers showed that Mr. Wright had
loaned the money to the county
which he claimed. The Jackson
Banking Company presented to
us several thousand dollars worth
of promissory notes on Butts
county signed by the Chairman
of the Board of 1906. And none
of these appeared on the minutes
of the commissioners.
The President and Vice-Pres
ident of the Jackson Banking
Company came before us and in
sisted that we give them war
rants for the amount of the notes
which they held against the
county. We told them as we
we understood the law we had no
legal right to issue warrants for
1906 after the funds of that year
were exhausted. We asked the
President of the bank to carry
the question to the / people and
let them say how it should be
paid, without any cost to the
county or the bank. Then we
were asked to keep this matter
inside the office and that it was
no question for the people to
settle.
Think about it—what is every
body’s business is nobody’s bus-
NUMBER 13
iness. This thing has been go
ing on for years and has been
kept from the people and carry
it on until you can get out of this
hole. We told the creditors that
we would like to see all the debts
of the county paid and we were
willing to do what we could to
pay them and. regretted that the
county was in debt; that we
would pay the debt with great
pleasure if the people would pro
vide a way. But as we told
them, we had no legal right to
give them a warrant for these
notes.
We think the people should
know just how and where the
county stands. So far as lam
concerned, I have done nothing
but what I am willing for you
all to know concerning my
official duties as county com
missioner.
Now, fellow citizens, should
you see proper to re-elect me to
the office of commissioner I shall
be found standing by the law,
using every effort to execute the
law with equal rights to all and
special privileges to none.
Respectfully,
J. O. Gaston.
March 24th, 1908.
ALEXIUS COMMANDERY OF
KNIGHTS ARE INSPECTED
On Friday night last, Alexius
Commandery, No. 22, Knights
Templar of Georgia, was in
spected by Rt. Em. Sir John R.
Dickey, Grand Commander of
Georgia, assisted by Sir Knight
Generalissimo, Geo. E. Argard,
of Atlanta Commandery No. 9.
The Order of the Temple was
conferred in a manner which
reflected great credit on the
officers of this young Command
ery. The inspection was very
rigid in every detail of the work,
formation of lines and sword
manual.
The Grand Commander, in
speaking of the work and pro
gress of Alexius Commandery,
complimented them in the high
est terms and said he predicted
that in a short time this Com
mandery would take high rank
among the Commanderies of the
State.
Eminent Commander F. M.
Allen then thanked Grand Com
mander Dickey for his kind
words in behalf of the Command
ery and was followed by Sir
Knight Y. A. Wright in a very
eloquent address who accepted
for the Commandery a photo
graph of the Right Eminent
Grand Commander. After this
the conclave was closed and
formed in line and marched to
Hotel Buchanan by Captain Gen
eral Geo. E. Mallett where a
banquet in four courses was
served in honor of the Grand
Commander.
The banquet hall and tables
were beautifully decorated with
cut flowers; large bouquets of
red and whjte carnations being
prominent.
The menu was carefully pre
pared by Mrs. Buchanan who
excelled her usual skill in that
direction. At an early hour the
guests departed for their homes.
Grand Commander Dickey and
Generalissimo Argard each ex
pressed great pleasure in this
visit and will always receive a
hearty welcome in Jackson.
Up-to-date printing—the kind
the Progress office does.