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BUTTS COUNTY PROGRESS
VOLUME 32.
LARGE MASS MEETING HELD
TUESDAY TO FACE CONDITIONS
SEVERAL SPIRITED
SPEECHES MADE!
Better Understanding of
The Situation
ENTHUSIASM WAS KEEN
Banks Promise to Renew
Notes For Farmers at 8
Per Cent Per Annum-
Record Crowd Present
In what was probably the lar
gest mass meeting in the history
of the county, the superior court
room of the county court house
being packed to the doors, the
citizens of Butts county met here
Tuesday afternoon and went ex
haustively into the cotton situa
tion and present day conditions.
Several stirring talks were
made and a variety of suggestions
looking to relief were proposed.
That a better understanding re
sulted from the meeting and the
interchange of ideas is the gen
erally expressed opinion.
Two things were done:
1. The meeting went on rec
ord as opposing the sale of cotton
at prevailing prices and a reso
lution tendering warehouse re
ceipts to creditors at 10 cents per
pound, basis middling, was pass
ed. It was offered by Dr. R. W.
Mays.
2. A resolution aimed at cot
ton reduction and crop diversifi
cation and a better renting sys
tem in 1915 was adopted. This
plan was offered by Sheriff L.
M. Crawford 'and amended by
Mr. S. K. Smith.
A resolution introduced by Mr.
S. J. Smith, providing that far
mers tender their cotton to cred
itors at 10 cents per pound, in
full settlement of indebtedness,
and that in case creditors refuse
to accept cotton on such terms
farmers agree to sign a pledge
not to sell until the merchants
and bankers do give 10 cents, was
defeated through adoption of Dr.
Mays' substitute resolution.
Mr. L. L. Tison proposed a res
olution asking Governor Slaton
to call the legislature together to
pass needed legislation. This
was -also defeated by adoption
of Mays substitute.
Talks that bristled with feeling
and interest were made by Dr.
R. W. Mays, Messrs. S. J. Smith,
J. W. Benson, L. M. Crawford,
L. L. Tison, S. K. Smith, F. S.
Etheridge and others.
Mr. Etheridge counseled pa
tience, moderation and co-opera
tion. It is a trying situation that
calls for a united pull together,
he said. He stated that the banks
would renew notes for four
months and at the expiration of
that time for another four months
at the rate of 8 per cent a year.
Mr J H. Patrick was chair
man and Mr. L. L. Tison secre
tary of the meeting.
ALL-COTTON IDEA
WAS CONDEMNED
Pay Kents in Grain Crops
Is Stressed
NEW METHODS WANTED
Land Owners Are Asked
to Accept Other Crops
Besides Cotton For Rent
During The Year 1915
A resolution that provides for
breaking away from the all-cot
ton plan was offered by Sheriff
L. M. Crawford and adopted at
the mass meeting Tuesday after
noon. It follows:
We, the farmers of Butts coun
ty, do solemnly agree and hereby
attach our signatures to the fol
lowing resolution for 1915 crop:
1. That to every one-horse
farm will plant 2 acres in wheat.
5 acres in oats, 8 in corn, one-half
acre in sweet potatoes, one-half
acres in sorghum or ribbon cane
and follow our stubble in peas,
corn or other foodstuffs and re
maining portion of land in cotton
if so desired.
2. That with each plow we
will raise one hog to killing time
in fall of year.
3. Any number of plows on
farm shall plant the above stated
acres in proportion as above.
4. That each land owner shall
leave it optional with his renter
as to whether he will work the
land for standing rent or part of
crop.
An amendment to the above
resolution was offered by Mr. S.
K. Smith and passed. It is:
Resolved, That all land owners
contract with their renters to
give the renter the option of pay
ing one-half of his 1915 rent in
corn or other grain crops at mar
ket price at time rent is due.
REOUGED ACREAGE URGED
AT FARMERS MASS MEETING
The following resolution, offer
ed by Mr. S. J. Smith, was adop
ted at the meeting of farmers
in the court house Saturday.
Whereas, there has been a lot
said in congress and out of con
gress about helping the farmer
to carry hi3 cotton through this
crisis; but we find that the most
of it has been wind and wind
jamming, and we believe the
whole thing will end in wind.
Therefore, Be it resolved by
the farmers of Butts county, that
we feel grateful to those who
have met us with a spirit of lib
erality by giving us 10 cents for
our cotton on notes and accounts
and without committing anybody
to plant any number of acres in
cotton next year, we do urge ev
ery farmer to plant enough food
crops of all kinds to do him with
out having any to buy.
JACKSON, GEORGIA, FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1914.
UNKNOWN NEGRO
SLAIN AT CORK
Shot When Advancing on
White Boys
KILLING LAST SATURDAY
Coroner’s Jury Finds That
It Was Case of Justifia
ble Homicide—Andrew
Blessett Did Shooting
An unknown negro man, said
by marks found on his person to
have been a former convict,
was shot and killed near Cork,
last Saturday afternoon, by An
drew Blessett, a young white man
of that community.
With Blessett at the time was
Albert Towles, son of Hon. C. A.
Towles, representative-elect from
Butts county. From the evidence
brought out at the preliminary
hearing, which found that it was
a case of justifiable homicide and
the defendant was discharged, it
seems that the boys were going
along the woods and met up with
the negro and, in some way, a
row was started. It is claimed
that the negro was advancing on
the white boys with a drawn
knife when Blessett opened fire
with a rifle, inflicting a mortal
wound the first shot.
Blesset, who did the shooting,
is a young man some twenty-odd
years old. Despite the fact that
Blessett was held blameless, the
affair is generally regretted.
WHISKERS ARE NOT AS
COMMON AS FORMERLY
Atlanta, Ga., Oct. 8-What has
become of the whiskers of a gen
eration ago? A glance at the pic
tures of famous generals in the
European war and of the mon
archs engaged shows hardly a set
of whiskers worth the mention,
though Franz Joseph does sport
a pair of mudguards and the kai
ser’s upturned mustache bristles
as fiercely as ever. But it is ev
ident that this is a beardless age.
Pictures of the Civil war period
show whiskers galore. There was
not a general without his chest
warmers, not a private without
at least a goatee. A doctor of
twenty years ago who did not
wear foliage down below his vest
buttons wouldn’t have inspired
confidence enough to catch a sick
cat for a patient, but there is
hardly a physician of today who
has not discarded the unsanitary
dust catchers in favor of a clean
shave.
A careful census on the streets
of Atlanta indicates that some
men run to brains and some to
moustaches, and the combination
is exceedingly rare. The mostor
nate specimens of the moustache
are found among the fellows who
are looking for a job.
Mrs. J. W. Bell Dead
The funeral of Mrs. J. W. Bell,
whose home was at Pepperton
and who died while visiting her
daughter, was held at Juliette at
10 o’clock Saturday morning.
BUTTS WINS LAND TITLES BY
SUPREME COURT DECISION
MET SATURDAY
TO TALK COTTON
Farmers Want Acreage
Reduced
SEVERAL MADE SPEECHES
Another Meeting Provided
For And Adjournment
Taken to Tuesday—Res
olutions Were Adopted
Showing their interest in the
situation, a large body of farmers
responed to the call for a mass
meeting and assembled in the
court house Saturday morning to
talk over the cotton outlook. It
was the sense of the meeting that
next year’s cotton acreage must
be cut to the bone and resolutions
to that effect were adopted with
out a dissenting vote.
No plan for bettering the im
mediate situation was agreed on,
though the discussions brought
to light a variety of ideas and
suggestions. About the most
plausible working plan advanced
was that offered by Mr. C. S.
Maddox, who said that “weought
to get something started and keep
things from stagnating.
Talks were made by Messrs.
S. J. Smith. C. S. Maddox, J. W.
Benson, L. L. Tison, L. M. Craw
ford, and others.
Another meeting was called
for Tuesday, the 6, at 2 o’clock
and the officers of the chamber
of commerce and the merchants
were invited to attend the next
meeting. The following commit
tee was appointed t o get out a
large crowd Tuesday: L. M.
Crawford, Will Woodward, Hen
ry Singley, Henry Letson, Gus
Maddox, George Brooks, J. A.
Lane, C. A. Pittman, J. D. Jones,
Luther Carter, L. L. Tison, J. H,
Pope, John Lummus, J. W. Ben
son, C. T. Thornton, W. R. Min
ter, Ben Maddox, W. M. Bledsoe.
Mr. J. 0. Gaston was elected
chairman of the meeting and Mr.
L. L. Tison secretary.
MR. SMITH WANTS MORE
COTTON BUYERS IN JACKSON
Mr. S. J. Smith introduced the
following resolution, which was
adopted, at the mass meeting on
Tuesday afternoon:
It has been known for several
years that the cotton market of
Jackson and vicinity has been
monopolized and controlled by
one firm, and that we demand
that other cotton buyers be al
lowed to come into this territory
and buv cotton.
JASPER LOSES
HER CONTENTION
Litigation Important to
Both Counties
CASE WAS HARD FOUGHT
Decision of High Court
Made Public This Week
—Adt of 1829 Still in Force
Says Court Ruling
Atlanta. Ga., Oct. s—Butts
county has established its title to
land on which the plant o£ the
Central Georgia Power Company
dam and construction stands
through a decision of the supreme
court handed down today.
Jasper county became dissatis
fied with the amount of taxes re
ceived from this property, and
,entered into dispute with Butts
county concerning the matter.
The matter got into the courts,
the litigation involving the taxa
tion of real estate of the power
plant, which is located on real
estate lying between the counties
and in both counties.
The lower court ruled in favor
of Butts, the judgment being ba
sed (1) on the act of 1829, defin
ing the line between the counties
was in force yet; (2) that the civ
il code of 1910, section 1069, is
applicable to the returns of an
electric light and power company,
and (3) that the county of Jasper
was not in laches in raising the
question.
The supreme court held that
the act of Dec. 22, 1829, which
declared “that from and after
the passage of this act, jurisdic
tion of Butts county be and the
same is hereby extended over the
Ocmulgee river and islands on
said river and adjoining said
eountv of Butts,” properly con
strued, places the whole of the
river and islands therein, adjoin
ing the county of Butts as its
boundary line exists at the time
of the passage of the act, within
that county.
The amended code of 1863,
which fixed the center of streams
as the boundary line between
counties, does not have the effect
of repealing special acts or local
legislation, such as that applying
now to Butts.
It is also held that section 1069
of the code of 1910 is inapplica
ble to electric light and power
companies, required under sec
tions of the civil code to make
their returns of property for tax
ation to the comptroller general.
—Macon Telegraph.
NUMBER 41.