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BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS.
VOLUME 27
Power For Jackson Assured
Says Mr. Massee of Macon
President of Central Georgia Power Company
Meets With Committee
From Chamber of Com
merce Friday—Will Take
Stock in any New Con
cern That Locates at
Jackson—Work on the
Trolley Line to be Tak
en up Soon-Only Wants
Rights-of-way and Will
Risk Selling Power-
Says Jackson Will Doub
le Her Population in
Two Years.
Jackson is as sure to get power
from the power plant on the
Ocmulgee river as the dam is to
be built and that is an assured
fact beyond all doubt. Before a
committee from the Chamber of
Commerce on Friday President
W. J. Massee of the Central
Georgia Power 'Company of Ma
con. made the unqualified state
ment that he would furnish
I power to Jackson. The trans
mission line will be run into the
city and he will risk selling the
power after he gets here. The
only thing he asks is that his
company be granted a right-of
wav into the citv.
This is the first assurance the
people here have had that Jack
son would get power. This has
had the effect of keeping the
people in a state of uncertainty
and doubt. Power could not be
promised for any new eneter
prise that might want to locate
here for it was not known if a
pole line would be run into the
city. Now all doubt has been
wiped away and as many new
industries can locate here as
want to with the knowledge that
they will get all the cheap elec
tric power they desire. This has
boosted Jackson spirit several
points and things look brightei
than they have for some time.
This city is in the class of the
favored few. Forsyth had to
contract for a thousand horse
power before a pole line was as
sured for that place, and Monti
cello had to go further and raise
stock for a cotton mill before
that city could get power from
the Central Georgia Power Com
pany. All that the people hre
have to do is to give the right
of-way for the transmission line
and it will be run into the city.
Mr. Massee stated he would
rather sell power to Jackson than
to any other plaee.
“You people in Jackson are on
the front seat, the amen corner ”
said Mr. Massee, ‘ ‘and should be
benefitted more by the power we
are now developing than anybody
else. The population of your
town should double in two years.
Take the example of Columbus,
Ga. Before they had cheap
power there Columbus was a big
over-grown country town. In
the winter the merchants moved
on the sunny side and played
checkers. There was nothing
doing and it was one of the slow
est towns in the state. Things
are different now. They don’t
play any more checkers for the
merchants are busy. You will
get run over if you dont’ look out.
Things are humming in Columbus
and the population of the city has
doubled itself in a very short
time.
“What cheap power has done
for Columbus it will do for Jack
son. Every day or two our com
pany receives letters from the
North and East asking about fac
tory sites. They want to locate
where they can get cheap power.
Jackson has the call over any
town in the state because it is
close to the finest power plant in
the South and the development
that takes place here will be
greater than in other place that
gets power from our company.
Jackson and Butts .county cer
tainly have a future if the peo
ple will only realize what great
opportunities are before them and
will go to work in the right
spirit.”
Mr. Massee was accompanied
to Jackson by his personal coun
sel, Roland t: Ellis, Esq., and
those present at the meeting
were Mr. Massee, Mr. Ellis, F.
C. Sheppard, chief engineer in
charge of the work, Mr. C. M.
Preston, and Messrs. W. E. Wat
kins, J. H. Carmichael and J. D.
Jones from the Chamber of Com
merce. After the meeting Mr.
Massee was introduced to a num
ber of the business men in the
city. He was given a cordial re
ception and evidenced his pleas
ure in being able to meet and
talk with the people of Jackson.
In addition to promising power
for Jackson, Mr. Massee went
further and stated that he would
take stock in any new concern
that wanted to locate here. This
is considered a very fair proposi
tion and the offer may be accept
ed. Recently he took $12,000
worth of stock in a cotton miil at
Monticello and said he stood ready
to do the same thing here.
This week a pole line is being
surveyed from the power plant
to Monticello. The company did
not intend to run a line to Monti
cello and it took some hard work
on the part of the people of that
town to get power at all. It was
not until after they had sub
scribed the money for a cotton
mill that they were able to get
the assurance of power.
It is given out that the Central
Georgia Power Company will
spend a total of thirty-six million
dollars in water power develop
ment in Ga. An immense dam
will be built across the Oconee
river in Baldwin county near
Milledgeville. It is stated this
plant will generate forty-five
thousand electric horse power.
A plant will be built across the
Flynt river in Taylor county near
Reynolds. Both of these plants
will be larger than the one being
JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, APRIL 9, 1909.
built here.
Work on the dam on the Ocmul
gee is progressing well after the
hard rains of the last few weeks.
Labor is somewhat scarce but all
is being done possible to rush the
work to a rapid completion. The
fourth section is now being put
in. The contractors hope to have
the dam copleted by the first of
January 1910.
Mr. Massee stated that work
would begin on the trolley line
from Macon to Atlanta within a
few weeks. Asked about the
interurban line from Macon to
Indian Springs and Jackson he
said he saw no reason why it
should not be built within the
next few months. “lam willing
to bo anything in my power to
boost Jackson and will co-operate
with you people in anything you
undertake,” said Mr. Massee.
Continuing he said “You people
have got more to work for and
expect than any other place.”
HEREDITY TRIUMPHS OVER
ENVIRONMENT IN DEBATE
Interesting Clash of Literary
Societies at the Auditorium.
On Last Friday Night-
Youthful Speakers Meet
In Fierce Forensic Con
test—Large Crowd Hears
Speeches and Applauds
Debaters.
Before a crowd that comfort
ably filled the school auditorium
the Phi Kappa and Kappa Mu
literary societies of the Jackson
Public Schools clashed in debate
Friday night and in a fierce
forensic contest fought out the
question “Resolved that Environ
ment has more to do with build
ing of character than Heredity.”
The negative or heredity side was
awarded the decision.
The debate w&s good as debates
go. All of the speeches showed
careful thought and preparation.
The contest was a hard fought
one and it was not until after the
judges decision had been an
nounced that the winner could
be selected.
On the affirmative were Messrs.
Joel Mallett and Dave Spencer
and Miss Mary Land, while the
negative was championed by
Messrs. Smith Settle and Charles
Land and Miss Nelle Hendrick.
Prof. W. H. Butler was master
of the ceremonies. The judges
were Rev. James Bradley and
Messrs. Homer Carmichael and
C. Whitehurst.
The yells of the societies proved
one of the drawing cards. These
served to inspire the speakers on
to greater efforts. There was a
liberal sprinkling of the societies’
colors and flowers were presented
at the conclusion of the different
speeches.
MEETING A SUCGESS.
The first of the Saturday af
ternoon services planned to be
held on the courthouse square
were held Saturday when Rev.
S. P. Wiggins preached to a fair
sized crowd. The wind was
blowing a gale and for that rea
son the congregation was not as
large as it would otherwise have (
been.
Butts County May Get Big
Holiness College In Future
Chances Good For Securing Denominational School.
Gathering Data For The
Interurban Railway Line
f
Editor Progress: You will
please allow me space to say to
my enquiring friends that my
healthjis gradually improving and
I hope before a great while to be
able to partake of the exhilarat
ing influence of the smiles of my
Butts county friends once more.
I read your paper and take great
interest in what is going on.
I was greatly shocked when 1
read of the sudden death of my
good friend Robinson, as I always
considered him one of my best
friends.
You can say to those who feel
an interest that from correspon
dence and interviews had—with
parties interested—since I have
been here under treatment that
I am more hopeful of the success
ful consummation of my plans
for the trolley line and other de
velopments than I have ever
been.
My son S. P. Smith will begin
this week to take the census of
population along our contempla
ted line from Griffin to Monti
cello and Social Circle and if our
friends will give the matter a
little thought they can aid him a
great deal by estimating the num
bers in the families of their
neighbors without his having to
call on so many.
Our promoters and capitalists
in Indianapolis and New York
want an approximate estimate of
the population for three miles on
either side of our line as well as
Griffin, Jackson. Pepperton, In
dian Swings, Floviila, Monti
cello, Mansfield and Social Circle,
besides the transient population
that visits Indian Spring and the
Camp Grounds each summer.
This is a part of our work and
you can see he has quite a job
and will have to rely a great deal
on our friends for information.
Remember friends there was a
great many things that had to be
done, that looked useless or silly
to our home folks, to get the
necessray capital to develop the
great power plant. So it is with
the trolley lin^s.
My good friend John B. Thom
as, from whom I bought the first
power for the power plant, said
to me : “What in the world do
you keep surveying for?' Why
don’t you build your dam and see
where the water will go and then
pay for what you have covered?”
Well, that did look like the short
est way out of it but how were
our friends at the other end of
the line to know how many acres
they were paying for?
And so how are our friends at
the other end of the line to know
who lives here to patronize the
trolley line unless we tell them?
How are they to know of the
beautiful stretches of country
(Continued on Page
College in Kentucky Burned and
May be Rebuilt at the Camp
Grounds—Fifty Thousand Dol
lars Has Been Promised For
The College to Locate Here—
Would Bea Great Thing For
This County-Speakers Secured.
The chances are good for
Butts county to secure a big col
lege. To any one acquainted
with what this means the an
nouncement will be received with
interest and enthusiasm.
Some time ago the Holiness
College located atWillmore, Ky.,
was burned. When the school is
rebuilt it may be upon the Camp
Grounds near Jackson. It is
practically assured if the people
will do a little work.
The offer has been made by
Mr. J. A. Betts, a wealty lumber
dealer of Ashbum, Turner coun
ty, of fifty thousand dollars for
the school it it were located on
the Camp Grounds in Butts coun
ty. This was some time ago but
it is supposed that the offer still
holds good. In that case it is up
to the people of Jackson and
Butts county to get busy and
land the big college.
The site is considered a good
one. Schools and colleges located
in a place bring in as much or
more revenue than big industries.
College towns are always cultured
towns. The University of Geor
gia has been the making of
Athens. The city has grown up
around the University. Take a
college with an enrj)lln|ent of
four hundred students spending
a minimum of twenty dollars a
month and in a year’s time a
pretty nice sum is turned loose
in a town. This is looking at the
matter from a cold-olooded busi
ness standpoint. What it means
in culture, prestige and refine
ment* cannot be estimated. It
means everything. The schools
and colleges of the country are the
nation’s rarest possessions.
The matter will be taken up by
the Chamber of Commerce and
the business interests of the
town and county.
For the camp meeting which
i meets in the summer some very
j fine speakers have been secured.
The Rev. “Bud” Robinson, one
of the most unique characters in
evangelistic work, will be one of
the leaders. Dr. Joseph Smith
of California, now in charge of
the theological department of the
Meridian, Miss., college, will be
one of the speakers. Next year
the famous Dr. Chadwick of
England will be a leader.
WEEK OF PRAYER.
A week of prayer meetings
have been going on at the Pres
byterian church, beginning on
Monday evening. They will con
tinue through the week. The
| time of the meetings is 8 o’clock
in the evening. There has been
a good deal of interest in the
meetings which have been largly
attended and productive of much
good.
NUMBER 15