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About The Butts County progress. (Jackson, Ga.) 18??-1915 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1914)
BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS VOLUME 32. BUTTS WINS COMPLETE VICTORY JASPER IN IMPORTANT Supreme Court Aftirms Judge Robert T. Daniel’s Decision Butts Will Get All The Power Company Taxes in The Future —This Means Several Hundred Dollars Extra For This County Annually—High Court Holds That Bank of Ocmulgee Is The Line DECISION GIVEN OUT MONDAY CITIZENS HERE ELATED ✓ Case Has Been Hard Fought Throghout Through a supreme court deci sion handed down Monday, Butts county wins a sweeping victory over Jasper county in the litiga tion to establish the boundary line between the two counties. The decision of Judge R. T. Daniel was affirmed by the high tribunal, and Butts county gets not only that part of the taxes of the Central Georgia Power Com pany that she has been getting, but in addition all the taxes re turned in Jasper county. The act of 1829, establishing the east bank of the Ocmulgee river as the boundary between Butts and Jasper, was held to be in force. Every contention of Butts coun ty was sustained by the higher court. It is a splendid victory, but was won only after a hard fight. Much of the credit is due to Hon. W. E. Watkins, who from first to last defended this county’s interest with vigor and marked ability. He fought against considerable odds and by pluck and perseverance was able to wrench an epoch-making vic tory from the opposition. Last summer, it will be recall ed, an act was passed in the gen eral assembly giving Jasper coun ty the right to proceed against Butts with a view to determining the exact boundary line. Pro ceedings were brought in the superior court to prevent Butts from collecting a large part of the taxes of the Central Georgia Power Company. Jasper county among other things claimed that 73.6 per cent of the dam was on her side of the river and that she was entitled to a larger per cen tage of the taxes. Commissioner J. O. Gaston through County Attorney Wat kins resisted this plea. A coun ter plea was made by Mr. Wat kins that Butts county was not only entitled to the taxes she had been receiving but to all the returns on the power plant, on the ground that the county own ing the power house and ma chinery really owned all of the dam of any value. This view of the case was sustained by Judge R. T. Daniel. An appeal was therT taken to the supreme court of the state. The arguments werelmade saver al months ago, but a decision has just been handed down. There is much of vital impor tance in the decision to the peo ple of Butts county. It will be remembered that Jasper aounty was perfectly satisfied with the east bank of the river as the boundary line between the two counties until the completion of the dam, when that countv had a chance to secure a larger slice of taxes. Jasper by trying to hog it all, loses all, and Butts county will get some two or three thou sand more dollars out the power company. Approximately $200,- 000 is the value of the power company’s property returned for taxation in Jasper county. Since this litigation'has been in progress the power company has held up the payment of taxes due Butts county. The amount in volved is between $6,000 and $7,000. This money will now be paid over to Commissioner Gas ton at an early date. In making its returns this year the power company will also return all the power plant and land covered by the reservoir, in Butts county. The decision has caused much satisfaction here. No litigation started in recent years proved of keener local interest. By being unable to collect the power com pany taxes, Commissioner Gaston has been prevented from paying some county warrants. He will get these matters adjusted as fast as possible, he states. Though Butts county has tri umphed unequivocally over her neighbor to the east, winning all all she contended for and more besides, it is not likely that Jas per county will iest satisfied. The fight will probably be taken to the legislature and the people of Butts county must see to it that they have a full sized man on the job in the House and Senate. Jackson Boy Honored at University of Georgia Mr. Thomas J. Collins, a mem ber of the Senior class at the University of Georgia, has been chosen as a member of the Senior class base ball tean. He will play second base in the game Satur day with the Seniors against the Faculty. Mr. Collins is an ar dent participant in all forms of atheletics. and his playing bas ket ball is especially fine, having made several trips with the team this year. He stands well in all his classes, is captain of Com pany E, one of the best compa nies, and a member of the Ten nis Club. He is the son of Mr. J. M. Col lins, Surveyor of the County and is very well known and popular here. JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, MAY 1, 1914. OVER TAX LITIGATION WISE RE6AROEO AS SURE WINNER THIS YEAR Macon, Ga., April 26. —(Special to The Constitution) —So far John T. Boifeuillet has made no an nouncement as to his intentions relative to the congressional race in the Sixth district. It is said that he came back to Georgia from Washington to look over the situation here, having been told, it is said, by Congressman Bart lett that if he (Boifeuillet) wan ted to run he would keep out of the race. Since his arrival in Georgia Colonel Boifeuillet has been offered the management of the Felder campaign and he is understood to have said that if he does not run for congress he will accept the Felder manage ment. It is pretty certain, however, that J. W. Wise, of Fayetteville, will not be permitted to walk off with the office without opposi tion, for if neither Boifeuillet nor Bartlett care to run, some other Macon man, probably W. D. Mc- Neil, state senator, will get in the race, though there seems to be a pretty well defined senti ment hereabout that this is to be a Wise year and that the Fayette county man will win over any man who gets in the race. In the last race against Bartlett he was beaten by only 200 votes. He has been campaigning ever since then and has been making new friends and supporters ev ery day. adv Two forest officers, in Wash ington and Oregon, are writing popular descriptions of trees on the Crater and Mt. Rainier na tional parks, for the use of visi tors to the parks. MRS. E. R. MERRITT PASSED TO REWARD After an illness of several weeks, Mrs. E. R. Merritt died at her home in Jenkinsburg Thursday afternoon of last week. Death was due to bronchial pneu monia, Mrs. Merritt was one of the most prominent and beloved women in the county and had a large circle of friends who were grieved at her passing. She was an excellent Christian character and her loss is regretted by all who knew her. Surviving Mrs. Merritt are her husband, Mr. E. R. Merritt, four brothers, Messrs. J. 8., Charlie, Doc and Jim Childs, The de ceased was about 40 years of age. The funeral wa§ held Friday afternoon at 3 o'clock, the ser vices being conducted by Rev. T. H. Vaughn. The pallbearers were Messrs. T. W. Moore, W. J. Bankston, J. J. Jenkins, Jim English, J. H. Mills, and W. M. Glass. Interment was in the Jenkinsburg cemetery. CLEAN UP DAY SET FOR MAY 26 Civic Improvement League Is Active DESIRED Premises Will Be Put in Spotless And Sanitary Condition—League Will Wage War on Filfth Tuesday, May 26th, has been set apart by the Civic Improve ment League as “Clean up Day” in Jackson. At that time every resident of Jackson, both white and colored, will be expected to thoroughly clean up theirjpremises. All trash paper, cans, litter of all kinds will be gathered together and burn ed and the backyards as well as frontyards put in a sanitary and attractive condition. This movement will doubtless have the hearty response of the people of the entire city. It is one of the most important steps that any community can take. Once a year, at least, the premises should be thoroughly gone over and mnde spic and span. This is but one of a number of improvements the members of League have set out to accom plish. At the Saturday after noon meeting a resolution was passed calling for the enforce ment of the city ordinance as to the putting of trash in barrels. Other movements that mean much for the civic betterment of the community will be aimed at. Now that Jackson succeeded in installing a modern system of sewerage, the movement for a “clean up and paint up day” is most timely. If the city can be made spotless and with a sanita ry sewerage system, sickness should be reduced to a minimum this summer. The ladies composing the Civic Improvement League, whose membership is constantly grow ing, will spend the next few weeks in thoroughly advertising “Clean up Day” on May 26. Texan Sports Four-Foot Beard Jenkinsburg, Ga. April 30. Mr. H. C. Rawls, of this place, a Confederate veteran, attended the reunion in Macon two years ago. While there he met one of his comrades, Mr. W. R. Stephen son, of Winnsboro. Texas, who was a member of Company F sth Texas regiment. This man was five feet and seven inches and had a beard four feet long. Mr. Rawls has this statement of facts in Mr. Stephenson's own handwriting. Mr. Rawls states he will attend the Confederate reunion in Jack sonville, Florida, and hopes to see Mr. Stepenson there. Nearly 4,000 acres were refor ested in Montana and northern Idaho during 1913, at an average cost of $7.50 an acre. GEORGIA NATIONAL GUARD IS READY Recruiting Stations Are Kept Busy TO MOBILIZE - IN MACON Every Company in State National Guard Ready to Go to The Front on Forty-Eight Hours Call Atlanta, Ga., April 30.—The hostilities with Mexico have re sulted in a rather remarkable situation in Georgia. This time last year, with the dove of peace hovering over the whole western hemisphere, interest was lax in the state militia, and it was mighty difficult for the national guard officers in this city and in other sections of the state, to keep their companies up to the required minimum. As for the U. S. recruiting station in At lanta, it did practically nothing. But this spring, with war in the wind, the militia and the U. S. recruiting station are both being literally beseiged by men who want to join the militia or enlist with the regulars. Colonel Orville H. Hall, com manding the Fifth Georgia regi ment, National Guard, with headquarters here, says he be lieves that every company in the regiment could be recruited up to the full war strength with-in forty-eight hours if the call came to actually go to the front. Letters received by the adju tant general from other parts of the state indicate that the same condition holds true everywhere throughout Georgia, so that if things become still more serious and the militia is actually called on for Mexican service it seems certain that Georgia will not only be one of the first states to re spond, but will be able to put one of the heaviest volunteers bodies into the field. EVERY COMMUNITY HAS FAVORITE SON RUNNIN6 Atlanta, Ga., April 30. —The big cities of Georgia are not the only ones that are figuring strong in politics this year, and Atlanta can no longer claim the “cam paign headquarters” for all the important candidates. For the first time since the days of the successful race of Henry D. McDaniel for governor, a state campaign headquarters for a state house office has been estab lished in the town of Monroe, Ga. The Monroe candidate is Clifford Walker, for solicitor gen eral of the western circuit and one of the best known young lawyers in the state. He is in the race for attorney general, and it is in hi3 interest that the headquarters have been estab lished. By an interesting coin cidence, Mr. Walker is a close relative of the former distin guished governor whom Monroe furnished to the state. NUMBER 18.
