Newspaper Page Text
laxfeson Trogrgss-^rgus
J. D. Jones Publisher
(1908-1955
Doyle Jones Jr. Editor and Publisher
(1955-1975)
MRS. MARTHA G. JONES PUBLISHER
VINCENT JONES EDITOR
Published Thursday at 129 South Mulberry Street, Jackson,
Georgia 30233 by The Progress-Argus Printing Cos., Inc. Second Class
Postage paid at Jackson, Georgia 30233.
Address notice of undeliverable copies and other correspondence
to The Jackson Progress-Argus, P.O. Box 249, Jackson, Georgia 30233.
gIL NEWSPAPER
tmw iih
NNA SUSTAINING
MEMBER -1975
One Year $6.24
School Year $5.20
Editorials
Make Christmas Bright
The tragedy of Christmas is
that, in a world filled with Christ’s
spirit which for a brief moment
overcomes our poorer selves and
leaves us breathless with love’s
overwhelming power, there are
some in the world without hope.
For the impoverished, the
lonely, the bitter, the anguished,
even Christmas can have a hollow
meaning. They are out of touch
with a world that seems so full of
happiness and love, peopled with
smiling faces and laughing voices
shouting the season’s greetings.
No magic wand yet invented by
A Sales Tax Or
A Tall Tale Act?
In the fall of 1975, the citizens of
Butts County voluntarily voted to
tax themselves one cent on each
dollar’s purchase, in order that
property owners of the County
might have some relief from high
ad valorem taxes.
Collections of the one cent levy
were begun in April, 1976 and the
history of these collections in
dicates clearly that Butts County
can anticipate a return of at least
$150,000 from this source. This is in
addition to that portion of the sales
tax which is divided among the
municipalities of Jackson, Jenkins
burg and Flovilla. The total income
for the County has been estimated
at $306,000.
Under the law permitting
counties and-or cities to tax
themselves in this manner,
counties may collect the tax for one
year before granting tax relief to
their citizens. They are then
required to reduce advalorem tax
revenues by an amount equal to the
revenue raised by the one cent
optional sales tax.
This is not a one shot thing and
this relief must continue for so long
as the County continues to collect
the one cent levy.
Cities, however, are required
The Fight Goes On
The contest for supremacy in
president-elect Jimmy Carter’s
hierarchy would be amusing if one
could escape the fear that it might
be indicative of things to come.
The jockeying of trusted
lieutenants to see which shall sit on
the right hand of the president-to
be is not child’s play at all, but a
naked grab for power that shall end
only with the inner circle’s ties
being forever broken.
One cannot help but feel that a
Advance Subscription Rates, Tax Included:
TELEPHONE 775-3107
OFFICIAL ORGAN
BUTTS COUNTY AND
CITY OF JACKSON
Six Months $3.91
Single Copy 15c
man can instantly bestow the joy of
Christmas to everyone. The world
can’t solve its people problems, not
even in the magic of such a glorious
season.
But we can bring hope to every
child’s heart in Butts County and
we can be sure that not a single
hearth escapes a visit from Santa
Claus on Christmas Eve.
We can do that by supporting
the local Jaycee chapter in its
Empty Stocking drive, with toys if
we have them, or with money, if we
do not. Or with both, if we want to
truly show forth the birthday of
Him whose birthday we celebrate.
to grant property tax relief for only
one year, after which they can use
the additional tax funds generated
by the sales tax as they see fit.
A county has the option of
collecting the tax for one year
before granting tax relief, or
granting such relief after a few
month’s collections have establish
ed a definite revenue pattern on
which reliable estimates can be
made.
Lowndes County (Valdosta)
passed the one cent optional sales
tax at the same time Butts County
did. According to a recent story in
the Atlanta Constitution, its
property taxes for the current year
(1976) are being reduced by
one-third.
Members of the present County
Commission helped sell the sales
tax locally with talk of a property
tax cut of about 25 percent. No
iron-clad promises were made, as
even estimates were lacking, but
there was talk of a substantial tax
cut.
Instead, our citizens find
themselves saddled with a 31.75
mill tax levy, up 8 mills from 1976,
and a County sales tax of one cent
to boot.
It is enough to dampen even the
strongest Christmas spirit.
stronger hand by the soft-spoken
Georgian would keep the hirelings
under control and that a more
definitive charting of authority and
responsibility would long ago have
alleviated the need for such a
struggle.
For a man who has promised to
reorganize the entire federal
government, the inability, or
inattention, to properly organize
his own staff does not augur well.
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON. GEORGIA
The Last
Straw
BY
VINCENT IONES
Like life itself, history
moves in circles often
repeating itself so that at
times it is difficult to
distinguish the new from the
old. Natural disasters, wars,
diseases re-occur in certain
rhythmic cycles and man
seems to have little control
over their coming and going.
Fashions, and fads, move
in the same circuitous
manner. The old string tie
will be back in style some
day, if the moths don’t get to
it first. The gaudy ladies hats
with the pheasant feathers
rising from a cluster of
grapes will be resurrected by
the stylists.
Nostalgia accounts for
most of these fashion
reversals. Age can some
times make the past seem so
appealing, that even the
young wish to indulge in a
fling at the good old days.
There are times, however,
when economics is the
stimulating force that dic
tates a return to things of the
past.
The old pot-bellied stove
that heated many a one-room
schoolhouse, business and
home 50 years ago, along
with its companion, the
coal-burning grate, were
once consigned to the dump
heap as vanished relics of a
lost age.
Exorbitant heating costs of
the modern fuels, however,
have, given them anew
breath of life and, once
again, smoke may begin
curling from chimneys as
systematically as it did a
half-century ago.
With the vast resources of
coal and wood available in
this country, how much
longer are Americans going
to pay through the nose for
foreign oil before they begin
to assert their basic birth
right of independence?
The coal scuttle and the
kindling box were once
scourges of young boys, fop
their appetites were in
satiable and one or the other
was always empty, especial
ly when the gang was on its
way to the nearest vacant lot
for a football game.
A born leader of men could
occasionally get help from
his friends to accomplish the
urgent task of filling the
endless bottom of the wood
box or the scuttle, but more
often than not he did it alone
and was rewarded by a smile
from a benevolent, grateful
mother.
Almost faded into fancy is
the memory of the wood
shed, where grandpa can tell
you he was taken when he got
a little too big for his
breeches. But there really
were wood sheds, to protect
both the wood and the bearer
from the elements.
Many modern homes do
not possess chimneys and
many that do choose the
artificially-lit log to the real
thing. There is just some
thing to bringing in firewood
and toting out ashes that
today’s homeowner seems
allergic to.
But economics can often
overrule lethargy and to
day’s switch-turner may
very well become tomor
row's wood chopper.
There are indications that
the pot-bellied stove, the
wood burning heater, the
coal or wood fireplace are
once again to become
fashionable and a vital part
of our home’s decor and
energy source.
For some of the more
fortunate of us, their return
will go unnoticed, for we
have been enjoying them all
the while.
M OF GAS STATION: l
L "POSITION OPEN 1
Y FOR MECHANIC \
m WITH HONEST FACE'A
| A Stroll Down
Memory Lane |
News of 10 Years Ago
A large frame house on the
Watkins Park and Pool Road
onwed by Miss Lilia Watkins
was destroyed by fire
Tuesday morning. The Ful
ton Greer family occupied
the home but no injuries were
reported.
President Henry Asbury
reports that records publish
ed in the Georgia Kiwanian
reveal that Jackson’s Ki
wanis Club led the state in
attendance during the month
of September when the
Jackson Club had 100 percent
attendance at each meeting.
Miss Karen Garr was one
of 10 members of the
sophomore class at Wesleyan
College elected to “Splint
ers", an honorary auxiliary
to the Athletic Board.
Dr. William R. Whitaker,
son of Mr. and Mrs. James
Whitaker, has been promoted
to Captain in the U. S. Air
Force.
Cadet Andrew J. Fuqua,
son of Mr. and Mrs.
Benjamin Fuqua of Athens,
has been named “Cadet of
the Month” in the Athens
High R.O.T.C. program for
the month of October.
Bernard Maddox reports
growing several Red Top
turnips this year that topped
the five pound mark.
News of 20 Years Ago
Dorothy Ann Griffin, 16, of
Buchanan Street, died en
route to the Griffin Hospital
Saturday night after a
stabbing incident at the
Three-Minute Grill. A 16-
year-old Jackson girl is being
held in connection with the
murder, said to have
occurred during a dispute
over a mutual boy friend.
Burglars took about S2OO of
merchandise from the store
of E. R. Edwards in Flovilla
on Saturday night.
Deraney’s Department
Store is giving away two
bales of cotton to lucky
shoppers during the Christ
mas season and it has been
announced that Santa Claus
is coming to Jackson on
Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
The William Mclntosh
Chapter, D.A.R., met at the
home of Mrs. Morris Red
man with Mrs. John Hunt
and Miss Ruth Middlebrooks
as co-hostesses. Miss Lois
Biles told the story, “The Gift
of the Magi”, by O’Henry.
Deaths during the week:
Mrs. Sara Elizabeth Jolly, 79.
News of 30 Years Ago
Maurice Carmichael, Ev
erett D. Briscoe and Rufus
Adams were seeking incor
poration of a business to be
known as Farmers Service,
Inc.
Mrs. R. F. Faulkner
brought an Easter lilly in full
bloom by the newspaper
office this w'eek, another
evidence of the unusually
mild fall weather this section
is enjoying.
Mrs. Mike Allen will again
head the Christmas Seals
promotion in Butts County.
A scarcity of quail, rabbits
and squirrels in the County
has been blamed on an
overabundance of fox by
many of the more experienc
ed hunters.
The auto trim shop of
Carter Motor Cos. was
destroyed by fire early
Wednesday morning.
Southern Bell had applied
for a rate hike in Jackson for
business phones from $3.25 to
$4.00 per month, and on resi
dential phones from $1.75 to
$2.00 per month.
Deaths during the week:
Miss Alice Smith, 82.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1976
News of 40 Years Ago
A Community Christmas
Tree will be placed on the
court house lawn this season
and a Christmas pageant will
be held, directed by Mrs. L.
M. Spencer.
Prof. Van Fletcher, who
will retire January Ist as
county school superinten
dent, was honored at a
banquet given Friday night
at the Hotel Buchanan by
teachers and education
board members.
Miss Agnes Childs has
resigned as teacher in the
Tussahaw Consolidated
School to accept a position
with the Social Security
Administration in Baltimore,
Md.
A cord of fire wood was
advertised at $3.00 delivered,
$2.00 at the farm.
Deaths during the week:
Seaborn Lee King, 74; James
Gordon, 93, born into slavery
in 1843 and a resident of
Dublin District for over 50
years.
News of 50 Years Ago
Hope was being expressed
that the Farmers and
Merchants Bank of Jackson,
which closed December 3rd,
could be reopened shortly.
Mrs. J. M. Currie, presi
dent, announces that the
Butts County Education
Association will hold its
December meeting at Stark.
Mrs. Hugh Mallet, will speak
on “The Aims of Education.”
Bidding was quiet at the
public sales on Friday but
one tract of 50 acres went for
S2OO and another of 73 acres
was bid in at SSOO.
The Jackson High Glee
Club presented a snappy and
interesting program to the
Jackson Kiwanis Club on
Tuesday night.
Richard Dix was starring
in “The Quarterback” at the
Jackson High Auditorium on
Friday and Saturday nights.
Admission was 15 and 25
cents.
Deaths during the week: J.
J. McKibben, 60.
Fact Fillers
By 1985, almost half of the
population in this country
will be living in suburban
areas around central cities.
Educational attainment of
rural adults lags behind that
of urban adults by almost
three years. The maternal
mortality rate in this coun
try is tenth highest in the
world; infant deaths are
seventeenth highest. One out
of every six teenagers in this
country becomes pregnant
out of wedlock.
Courthouse Squares
" -x
THE MOST ARTICULATE
MAN IS THE GUY WHO
can give Directions
l, .. VI, '
BUPDYRUFF
/ A nVcE YJ&I ) I MUST MA * E / 4 euSt a ,SANX A
1 )
Amm
By Mrs. Cindy Brown
CHRISTMAS AND ME
The usual Christmas rush
has now begun. I have been
besieged by my children with
ists of $20.00 toys to be
delivered by Saint Nick. (My
children feel that any toy
which retails for less than
$20.00 must be defective.)
Now, I haven’t told my
little darlings this yet, but I
intend to: Rumor has it that
Santa has declared bank
ruptcy. Poor Santa - I know
just how he feels.
One of my crew asked me
last year if the Old Saint was
a subsidiary of Fisher-Price
and Mattel. Now, ain’t that a
heck of a question for a
six-year-old?
My Mama used to tell me
that money doesn’t grow bn
trees. I tell my boys that
money doesn’t grow on trees.
My Husband tells ME that
money doesn’t grow on trees.
Now, my question is, if
money DOESN’T grow on
trees, where does old St. Nick
get all those toys?
1 figure that the old
Jj"j ‘Whatsoever
Things'
Donald E. Wildmon
THE MAN WHO CHANGED THE MAILORDER BUSINESS
I picked up a mail order catalogue the other day and
placed an order. It was a simple process, and it never entered
into my mind that I would not get what I had ordered. For all
of the reputable mail order houses today have guarantees
that the merchandise will be as described or it can be
returned for full credit. Time was when that wasn’t true.
Back before 1872 if you placed an order from a catalogue,
your changes of getting what you ordered, merchandise as
described in the catalogue, were slim. For up till then
chicanery, deception and outrageous fraud were more the
rule than strict ethical dealing.
But in 1872 a man, who later was to become famous
because of the mail order business, published his first
catalogue. It was a one-pager with 163 items listed. That
man, and his catalogue, were to change the course of the mail
order business.
By 1875 he had increased his catalogue to 72 pages, and
the 1875 catalogue carried in it an ironclad commitment to
his customers. That policy, which still stands, read like this:
“We guarantee all of our goods-if any of them are not
satisfactory after due inspection, we will take them back,
pay all expenses, and refund the money paid for them.”
Later that man included “not satisfactory” to include even a
whim.
The pledge, now commonplace, was unheard of in those
days. And it wasn’t long till his competition joined in line.
They were dismayed by the move, and felt certain disaster
would result from it, but they had no choice. One man did
what he believed right and best. The others had to join in or
get out.
Why is it, not only in business but in other areas as well,
that we are afraid to do that which we know is right and best?
Why is it that we accept politics, and other institutions, as
crooked and deceitful? Why do we think we have to do that
which is wrong simply because everyone else does it or
because it has always been done?
A man who goes against tradition and does what is right
can expect opposition. It is bound to come. But the odds are
on his side that in the long haul his method of honesty will
prove successful.
1 can recall an incident when the Galilean went into the
Temple and upset the tables of the money changers. What
had begun as a good service had, over a period of years,
become one filled with graft and corruption. He dared to be
different. He would not fall into line with dishonesty. And
before long that system He attacked disappeared.
A person doesn’t have to be dishonest simply because it is
the accepted way. Every person can do what he knows to be
right. It may not be easy and he may not be accepted by his
peers-but he will be right. And being right is worth far more
than being accepted.
Today the mail order business is a multi-billion-dollar-a
year concern. And it continues to grow about eight per cent
each year.
The man who changed the mail order business into one of
respectability and honesty was Aaron Montgomery Ward.
His company still does business today.
(Tour the Holy Land and Switzerland with Mr. Wildmon
on his 11th tour. 11 days. Departs March 15. For more info
write him at Box 68, Southaven, Miss. 38671)
The first of the original 13 states to ratify the U.S.
Constitution was Delaware, on Dec. 7, 1787.
white-bearded fellow must
have a darn good financial
advisor. I wonder if it’s Mrs.
Claus? After all, she must be
a pretty bright lady to have
HIM for a husband.
And the thing about Santa’s
toys that really, really gets
me is the fact that my kids
only enjoy them a little while.
Actually, those angels of
mine can get just as much
enjoyment from playing with
cardboard boxes, homemade
airplanes, and the like. Why,
when you get right down to it,
toys ain’t what Christmas is
all about. Somewhere in the
shuffle of pretty paper,
rainbow-colored ribbons and
Christmas Bells, an old story
has been lost: you know the
one- it concerns Wise Men,
Shepherds, a manger, two
poor parents and a Babe
wrapped in swaddling
clothes. We parents might do
well to give our children the
same faith and love evidenc
ed in that particular account
ing in lieu of gimmicky toys.
A Joyous Holy Season to
One and All.