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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.