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BUTTS COUNTY PROGR ESS. VOLUME 27 WHAT OTHER COUNTIES ARE DOING FOR GOOD ROADS UK BIIHS COUNTY SUPPORT I CHAIN GANG WITH FINDS At Present Available ? The Experience of Other Counties Says She Can. The Comparative Cost of Free Labor aud that of Convict a Striking Com parison. Can Butts county maintain a chain gang with the present funds available? This is a matter worth looking into. The experience of other counties says she can. The comparisons of free labor with convict labor brings out some striking facts in the good-roads movement. Take, for instance, Bullock county with an area of more than 900 square miles of territory to only 179 in Butts county. For a number of years Bullock county has supported a chain gang. She has at present a total of thirty five convicts at work on her 900 miles of public roads. Recently eleven convicts were secured from Meriwether county. She will secure 23 felony convicts from the state on the first of April, making her total number of convicts well over fifty. There is invested in mules, machinery and equipment about twenty thousand dollars. Yet Bullock county has never found it neces sary to vote a cefit of bonds, the income from the advalorem and commutation taxes being suffi cient to support and maintain the chain gang in that county. Rockdale, a county no larger than Butts, supports a chain gang. At the end of the year, after paying all expenses, she had in the treasury, approx imately, eight thousand dollars. She supports a chain gang. She spent on the chain gang and for road improvement last year $7,955.38. A comparison of convict labor and free labor in that county shows the following: December expenses—convicts, Feeding all convicts, two guards, sup’t and blood hounds, including fifty pounds snapper fish for Christmas $ 75 77 Salaries for sup’t and guards for Dec 102 00 Total $ 177 77 Nine free laborers at price have been paying, $1.25 per day, would have cost for 26 days. .$292 50 Salaries for 2 bosses 1 mo. 75 00 Total $ 367 50 Difference of $189.73 of con victs, including snapper fish for Christmas dinner. If Rockdale county can sup port a chain gang of eleven con victs at a cost of a little over seven thousand dollars, can’t Butts, with a larger income for road improvement, maintain a chain gang? It would seem so. But the opportunity for securing convicts this year has slipped by. The date was out on the 10th. It will be some time now before Butts county has a chance to se cure convicts. Personally, a bond issue of SIOO,OOO for road improvement is preferred. The grand jury of Floyd coun ty has gone on record as favor ing an issue of $200.000 worth of bonds for road building. Other counties are going forward in the matter of improving their thoroughfares. Butts county simply cannot afford to lie idle when this great question of in dustrial development is so im portant. Large Sum Raised for Emory Endowment. Following the addresses of last week and the sermon of Presi dent J. E. Dickey of Emory col lege Sunday at the Methodist church a large sum was raised for the Emory endowment. Be tween SI,OOO and $2,000 was the total amount raised in Jackson. A good deal of interest was shown in the meetings and the addresses were largely attended. During the week, addresses were made by Dr. T. D. Ellis of Macon, Rev. J. T. Daves of Altanta and Dr. Dickey, all the remarks be ing along educational lines and being a plea for the Emory en dowment fund. The meetings were productive of great good and created a lively interest. Death of Mrs. Wright. Mrs. B. A. Wright, one of the best known women in the coun ty, died at her home at Indian Spring Sunday night at 8 o’clock. Her death was due to old age and a complication of diseases. She had been in failing health for some time and her death was not * unexpected. The funeral was held Monday afternoon at 3 o’clock at the In dian Spring cemetery, the serv ices being conducted by Rev. W. H. Arnold. Mrs. Wright is survived by one son, Mr. B. A. Wright, of Indian Spring; three daughters, Mrs. F. M. Lawson of Flovilla, Mrs. Watkins of Texas, and Miss Mary Wright of Indian Spring. Death of Infant. The two-year-old child of Mr. Jimmie Davis, living a few miles west of Jackson, died Sunday night The funeral was held at -County-line church Monday, the services being conducted by Rev. Mr. Vaughn. Mr. J. A. Joyner, for many years in the newspaper business, and recently in the grocery bus iness in this city, has accepted a position with the Butts county Progress. He is a royal good fellow, and has hundreds of friends who will welcome him back into the ranks of newspaper work. JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 1909. ROAD COMMISSIONERS MEET With Jackson Chamber of Commerce—Are Favorably Impressed with Idea of Having a Road Expert TO BUILD MILE OF MODEL ROAD. The Committee on the Promo tion of Public Interests from the Jackson Chamber of Commerce, composed of W. E. Watkins, chairman, Wm. T. Powers, J. D. Jones, A Homer Carmichael and R. J. Carmichael, appeared be fore the County Commisioners Monday afternoon in the interest of good roads in Butts county. At the last meeting of the Chamber of Commerce this committee was instructed to take up with the county commissioners the matter of having an expert on good roads come to Butts county for the purpose of giving a demon stration in the building of modern highways. At a called meeting of the county commissioners, the entire board being present with the exception of Mr. W. L. Wilder, the matter was taken up. The commission'ers heard the proposition with attention and interest and received the com mittee most cordially and evinced the keenest enthusiasm in the question of good roads. No ac tion was taken in the matter, probably due to the fact that one member of the board was, not present. The commissioners took very kindly to the sugges tion that a road expert be secured to build a mile of sand-clay road. It is probable that favorable ac tion will be taken on the matter at once. A letter from Roswell H. Drake, chairman of the county commissioners of Spalding coun ty, stated the approximate cost of sand-claying a mile of road after it had been graded was $250. Including the topping and grading of a mile of road under a road expert will cost between S3OO and SSOO, it is believed. E. L. Smith Will Build Handsome Residence. Mr.' E. Lee Smith has let the contract for a handsome ten-room house, corner McDonough and King streets. Mr. P. E. Dennis of Macon, is the architect and Mr. H. F. Gilmore the contractor. Work will'begin at once and the contract calls for the work to be completed by the first of August. The architect was in the city this week and drew the plans for the building. The work on the building will be done by Mr. G. L. Maddox, Jackson’s popular and efficient contractor. This residence will, when completed, be one of the hondsomest in Jackson and this section. It will be elegant in all its appointments. On the Mc- Donough street side will be a porte-cochere or driveway. This residence will add much to the appearance of that part of the city and will be a substantial ad dition to the attractive homes of Jackson which is noted for its beautiful residences. AROUND BANQUET BOARDS HON. JOSEPH M. BROWN TOASTS JACKSON AND BUTTS COUNTY. r DISTINGUISHED GEORGIAN GUEST OF CHAMBER OF COMMERCE A LARGE CROWD HEARS Address in Court House. Fa vorably Impressed With Jackson Mr. Brown Sings Its Praises. Hon. Joseph M. Brown was the guest of the Jackson Cham ber of Commerce Wednesday and Wednesday night, being the guest of honor at a banquet at Hotel Buchanan. Mr. Brown ar rived in the morning from Macon and was met at the depot by a committee from the Chamber of Commerce and escorted to the hotel where he received a large number of his friends. At 11 o’clock Mr. Brown made an ad dress in the court house. He was introduced by City At torney W. E. Watkins in a few well chosen and appropriate re marks. Mr. Brown spoke for little more than half an hour. He discussed important issues in a plain and business-like manner, making no attempt at oratory or eloquene. He said he would track the law while governor and that he was the tool of nobody on earth except the tool of the whole people and that the three bran ches of government, exective, judicial and legislative, would be kept separate while he was at the head of the state. The superior court room was well filled, quite a number of ladies being in the audience, and a number were left standing. J. R. Smith, his campaign manager, a native of Butts coun ty, having moved from Jenkins burg to Atlanta several years ago, was present and made an appeal for good roads and good schools for this county. “The church and schools follow good roads which have the effect of putting the country in town,’’he said. Governor-elect Brown was en tertained at luncheon at the hotel by the Chamber of Commerce and in the afternoon a committee from that organization took the distinguished Georgian for a drive over the city. The drive included a trip to the Pepperton Cotton Mills, said to be the larg est and best equipped plant of the kind in the South. He shook hands with quite a number of the mill operatives and chatted pleasantly with them. He evinced the keenest interest in the workings of the machinery and was taken into the engine room where the gov ernor-elect was introduced to the “governor” that keeps the map chinery of the big plant running. The banquet given by the Chamber of Commerce was a pleasant and brilliant affair, probably surpassing everything of the kind ever attempted in Jackson. Given under the auspices of the newly organized Chamber of Commerce it reflect ed great credit on the young or ganization and gave promise of still greater things to follow. President T. H. Buttrill of the Chamber of Commerce was toast master and presided with grace and tact over the gathering. Mayor S. O. Ham welcomed Mr. Brown to Jackson in behalf of the city. He made a few ap propriate remarks that had for their keynote a greater Jackson. Mr. F. S. Etheridge pointed out some of the things Jackson needs, a trolley line and new industries being in the number. Rev. Rob ert Van Deventer spoke of the moral and social life of Jackson. Mr. J. H. Carmichael responded to the toast, “The future of Jackson. ’ ’ Governor-elect Brown, won by the cordial hospitality that had been extended to him, sung the praises of Jackson and Butts county in a few happy and catchy remarks. James R. Smith responded to the call of his numerous friends and made a hit in pointing out the possibili ties that lie before Jackson and Butts county. Those present at the banquet were: Governor-elect Joseph M. Brown,, T. H. Buttrill, Miss Ella Sheppard, Hon, and Mrs. S. O. Ham, Miss Alice Maddox, W. P. Watkins, Mr. and Mrs. R. N. Etheridge, Dr. and Mrs. H. W. Copeland, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Carmichael, Mr. and Mrs. S. H. Thornton, A. H. S. Davis, W. W. Wilson, T. G. Willis, Dr. Robert VanDeventer, Mr. and Mrs. F. S. Etheridge, C. M. Compton, Miss Bertha Carmichael. Jack Dempsey, Miss Rosa Newton, A. Homer Carmichael, Miss Cleo Carmichael, W. E. Wat kins, Miss Bessie Ham, J. D. Jones, Miss Jane Ham, Mr. and Mrs. J. T. Warthen, Miss Tallie Jolly, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Settles Misses Grace and Estelle Jarrell, John Hacking, S. H. Mays, Judge B. P. Bailey, Judge J. H. Ham, C. Whitehurst, D. J. Thax ton, J. W. Robbins, Dr. J. B. Hopkins, J. G. Ward. R. J. Car michael, C. S. Maddox, Mr. and Mrs. H. L. Daughtry, Mr. and Mrs. B. F. Watkins, Dr. J. Lee Byron. Mr. Brown expressed himself as being well pleased with Jack son. ‘‘You have some fine people and some fine residences," he said. “This is one of the best lit tle cities in the state. I hope to be able to visit you again when I can have more time to spend with you." He visited the Jackson school Thursday morning, and left on the 9 o'clock train for McDon ough, where he spoke to the peo ple of Henry county on that day. Jackson Baptist Church. Feb. 14.—Dr. VanDeveater will preach at 11 a. m. Subject: “The Missionary Significance of the gift of Tongues." 7p, m.— * “The Second coming of Christ and Our Future Life." 9;30 a. m.—Bible school. Good music and good teachers. 3 p, m. Meeting for boys and girls. NUMBER 7