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BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS.
VOLUME 27
CHANCES GOOD FOR BUILDING
JACKSON TO BE ON THIS EXTENSION
The Railroad And What It Means For This Section.
Great Possibilities 0! Jackson And Butts
County Pointed Oat In Interest
ing letter By Mr. Smith.
The Work Now Going On Between Bibb And The Camp Ground Is a
Part Of The Electric line To Griffin. What will
Jackson Bo In Granting Privileges Etc ?
Will Our People be Forced to Let
This Line Benefit Them ?
Editor of The Progress:—l
read your editorial in last week’s
issue headed “Jackson’s Oppor
tunity. ’ ’ I thank you for the in
terest manifested, and I want to
make some explanations and sug
gestions.
The work I am now doing be
tween Bibb and the Camp
Ground is a part and parcel of
the interurban line to Griffin.
What I am doing now is to pre
vent the destroying of crops la
ter. I don’t expect to see the
line built to Jackson in time for
‘this season’s business, but I do
expect to see it built this year. I
have my heart set on building
that electric line to Griffin, and I
am continually at work at it, but
I know there is going to be a
good many heart-aches before it
is done. Do you ask me why?
Then I will tell you that I know
we have got to force some peo
ple to let us benefit them.
And again we have got to get
the consent of the people
to lay our tracks through the
streets. Then when that matter
cmiesup some good meaning fel
low will make a move to grant
the privilege, provided we will
guarantee to have it done in
twelve months. So it goes
through with that restriction
tied on to it.
As I have said before, the
great development now going on
out at the river is the result of a
farichise givtm to me while Char
lie Beauchamp was mayor of
Jackson. He secured for me a
franchise to lay tracks in the
streets, and also a franchise for
lighting. But it was burdened
with that time limit, and now it
it is dead. Had I had other en
terprises connected my work
would havs been entirely lost.
Mr. Beauchamp begged them
not to put on that burden of a
time limit, but his counsel did
not prevail, and it is not known
yet to what that short-sighted
ness may effect Jackson.
I have been invited to go north
to confer with the largest pro
moters of interurban railway en
terprises in the world, and they
have asked me to bring all of our
maps and profiles, showing for
right-of-way, municipal fran
chises for right-of-way and ter
minals, etc, but I have been
afraid to ask Jackson for a fran
chise until I was sure the line
could be completed inside of
twelve months, for fear that
someone would bob up and tie
that limit on again. When I was
trying to show up all the things
that would help to interest cap
ital to make the development on
the river I could not use my fran
chise in Jackson on account of
the time limit, because they
would say at once that it was no
good to us, because we can not
possibly put in that plant and
build the track in twelve months.
I just simply allude to these
things to show how little the in
fluence of Jackson has helped me
and how greatly it could have
been if properly directed. With
no one in town agreeing to take
power, and with a dead franchise
killed by the time limit, you can
see how it effected me. My own
good little town of Flovilla drove
away the best opportunity ever
offered them because some of my
good friends would not allow me
to double the value of their prop
erty without paying them a cash
premium to do so.
lam glad you have said that
Jackson could help me very
much. You are on the right
line and your paper has the true
ring about it, and I expect the
hearty cooperation of Jackson
later on.
In developing any great enter
prise for our section, there are
certain things we have to do be
fore we can.get outsiders to join
us with the bulk of the cash, and
these things I am now doing.
There are a lots of people
ready to help you when you are
at work at the big end of a thing,
but very few who are willing to
take hold while you are at work
on the little end.
My purpose is to go on through
Jackson and to Griffin with as
much certainty as to go to Bibb.
I don’t invite any man to put a
dollar in it that don’t believe it
will pay, All I ask is, if you
can’t help me, don’t roll any
stone in the way-just step aside
and let me go* by. Remember
“Large streams from little fount
ains Alow; and tall oaks from lit
tle acorns grow.”
W. F. Smith.
* *
*
The above card from Captain
W. F. Smith makes plain his po
sition on the matter of the rail
road extension to Jackson.
There is every reason to believe
that not only the line will be
built to Jackson via of Bibb, but
that the trolley line to Griffin
and Monticello via of Jackson,
will follow in the course of a few
months. Those who know Cap
tain Smith best are acquainted
JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 1909.
ELECTRIC LINE FROM GRIFFIN TO MONTICELLO
with the fact that he always
knows more than he tells His
plans for the building of the iti
terurban railway are well defined
and are being worked out now.
The prospect for a railroad
from Indian Spring to Jackson
has caused general rejoicing here.
It is regarded as one of the best
things that the city has ever
had. The prestige and the busi
ness it will bring Jackson f om
the thousand of summer visitors
at Indian Spring is the matter
that causes the proposition to be
looked wpon with enthusiasm.
As soon as the rights-of-way
can be secured, the work of ex
tending the line to Jackson will
be taken up. Captain Smith is
now figuring with this end in
view. The work of extending
the line to Bibb has already been
taken up and is being pushed.
Well known real estate men,
and those in position to know,
say that property along the line
of the proposed road from Jack
son to the Camp Ground will be
doubled and trebled in value. It
is almost certain that the terri
tory between here and the Camp
Ground would be developed and
put in condition for building lots.
A boulevard would naturally fol
low, and there would soon be a
solid stretch of cottages from
Jackson to the Camp Ground,
filled with tourists . who come to
this section to bo woed and won
by the delightful climate and
balmy air that acts like a tonic.
It is estimated that the build
ing of this line and the construc
tion of the trolley line to Griffin
and Monticello will put Butts in
the forefront of all the counties
in the state. This is a develop
ment that will naturally follow
the building of the immense
power plant on the Ocmulgee
river.
Captain Smith says in his card
that all he wants is a little help
from the people of Jackson. It
is believed that he can get all the
help and cooperation he desires.
The people of Jackson are wide
awake to the importance of this
road being built.
When so much depends upon
the building of this line Jackson
can not afford to sit idle. The
matter has been taken up with
the Chamber of Commerce, and
some action will be taken to try
and land this line for Jackson
immediately.
BASE BAIL PARK WILL
BE ENCLOSED AND
Grand Stands To Be Ruilt
..
Fans Preparing To But Out
Good Team. Schedule Will
Include Games With Lead
ing Teams In This Section.
As the warm days follow the
cold of the past several days, the
thoughts of the fans turn to the
great national game, and the lo
cal enthusiasts are .preparing to
put on one of the best teams in
the history of Jackson.
A baseball park has been se
cured near the' residence of Mr.
J. T. Warthen and the grounds
will be enclosed and grand-stand
built. The total amount to be
expended will be between two
and three hundred dollars. This
will give Jackson one of the best
ball parks in the country.
Manager W. L. Etheridge will
being soon to arrange the sched
ule for the coming season. This
will include games with the lead
ing teams in this portion of the
state. The fine showing of last
season will be surpassed, if pos
sible, and that will take some
going to accomplish that much.
At the Central Georgia Power
Company’s plant, on the Ocmul
gee river, a team will be put in
the field. There are a number
of good players at the camps and
they opine they can make it in
teresting for any aggregation in
this section. The camp physi
cian, Dr. S. D. Brown, a native
of Royston. the town made fa
mous by Ty Cobb, is some chunk
er of the sphere himself, having
been with the Augusta team of
the Sally League at the same
time Cobb performed there be
fore going with Detroit. He is
a pitcher, and held down the rub
ber for two years with Augusta
before giving up* base ball to
sludy medicine. It is likely that
this team and the local bunch will
clash this season.
The line up of the locals has
not been worked out yet, though
it will be doubtless be something
like the following: Thurston c;
Maddox p Etheridge lb; Edwards
2b; Patrick ss; Finley 3b; Nutt
rf; Mallett If; Biles c f.
STREET PREACHERS
CENTER OF ATTRACTION
A street preacher and evangel
ist, who gave his name as John
Elen burg, together with his wflfe
and several children, occupied a
liberal slice of the center of at
traction Saturday.
Their method of conducting
street meetings were much the
same as that of a Salvation army.
Meetings were held on the streets
in the morning and again in the
evening. They left the city
Sunday morning to prosecute
their work in other fields.
Mr. Leveritte to Fill Impartant
Engagements.
Rev. Z. M. Leveritte, of In
dian Spring, financial secretary
of Locust Grove Institute, will
speak on Christian Education at
the Worthville Baptist church
Saturday, February 27, at 11
o’clock. He will also speak at
Bethany church, Henry county,
Sunday, February 28, at 11
o’clock. Everybody is cordially
invited to be present and hear
these addresses.
It will be interesting to the
friends of Christian education
to know that Mr. Leveritte has
not had a single church to give
less than one hundred dollars
since he has been in the field. It
! is a matter of general interest
I and rejoicing that the people are
'waking up to this important
ENTHUSIASTIC SESSION
S. S. WORKERS HELD
In McDonough last Week
Sixth District Sunday School
Institute Has Three Days
session. Prominent Work
ers Present.
By Miss Bessie Bloodworih.
A Sunday School institute was
held in McDonough on the 25-26
and 27 by Dr. Henry B. Mays,
of Atlanta, and Mr. Vaughn, of
Kentucky, who are sent out by
the Sunday School Association of
Georgia for three weeks, to help
organize Georgia for Sunday
School work, in order that the
three hundred thousand children
now outside of the schools, may
be brought to Christ.
Mr. Vaughn is one of three
laymen who have done field work
in Kentucky, the best organized
state in Sunday school work in
the south.
The International Sunday
School Association was organized
in 1832. but only in recent years
have there been a forward move
ment in Sunday school work in
the south. Many northern states
have been organized fifty years.
Dr. Mays gave a talk on “All-
Round Sunday School Work."
speaking of the organization of
Sunday Schools First —It should
be Graded Second —Have Teach
ers’ Committee Third—A Sun
day School Committee." Then,
under the educational head he
spo|ce of “Bible Study—Teacher
Training and Temperance Les
son—Under the Extension—Cra
dle Roll—Home Department and
House to House Work," origina
ted by Durham of Kentucky.
Under Evangelism—Decision
Day and Missions, he spoke of
the fact that 85 per cent of the
church members came from the
Sunday schools, and said on one
of his Decision Days he was
given ten minutes after the Sun
day school and thirty members
; made their decission for Christ
and joined the church.
Mr. Vaughn gave an instructive
talk on the work in different de
partments. In the House to
House work he was asked if it
paid, and he said yes, “if any
one was brought to Christ and
the church it meant so much
spiritually to the worker. A
Sunday school could not do with
out it. ’ ’
Dr. Mays then gave a talk on
how to teach and the teacher’s
aim, and in the afternoon Mr.
Vaughn taked on the Child and
its training.
Flovilla has had the pleasure
of having Mr. Vaughn for sever
al days, and his Institute work
was both inspiring and instruc
tive and was indeed a rare treat
for Flovilla.
phase of Christian work.
Rev. Mr. Leveritte is one of
the ablest young ministers in
this part of the state, and his
work is being watched with gen
eral interest.
NUMBER 9