Newspaper Page Text
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J. D. Jones Publisher
(1908 1955)
Doyle Jones Jr. Editor and Publisher
(1955-1975)
MRS. MARTHA G. JONES PUBLISHER
VINCENT JONES EDITOR
OFFICIAL ORGAN BUTTS COUNTY AND CITY OF JACKSON
Published every Thursday atl29 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.
One Year, in Georgia $6.24
Six Months, in Georgia $3.91
Editorials
Common Sense Is Not Common
There is a close correlation
between good common sense and
good government. It is rare indeed
to find one present and the other
missing in any public agency.
The present system adopted by
the Butts County Board of
Commissioners, the Tax Commis
sioner and the Tax Assessor Board
of having property owners make
tax returns to the Board of Tax
Assessors makes sense to the
County’s property owners.
Since the tax assessors will
eventually have to scrutinize each
piece of property any way, why not
begin with them and let the
taxpayer check his holdings
against the tax records, and
provide the board with a list of
machinery, buildings, livestock,
improvements and other pertinent
The Belt Tightening Continues
The effervescent Democratic
Senator from Wisconsin, William
Proxmire, who is about as
persistent as a south Georgia gnat
when it comes to ferreting out
Washington bureaucratic waste,
has honored a distinguished
Georgia with his latest “Golden
Fleece” award.
The Senator monthly points out
areas of wasteful federal spending
and awards the “Golden Fleece” to
those who dare expose the
Washington hierarchy’s idiotic and
prodigal habits.
The latest honoree is Max
Cl eland, of Atlanta, a triple
amputee of the Vietnam War, who
heads the S2O-billion-a-year Vete
rans Administration.
His rank entitles Cleland to a
chauffeur-driven limousine. In
stead he drives himself to work
each day in a specially-equipped
car with over 160,000 miles on its
speedometer.
In honoring Cleland, Proxmire
pointed out the difficulty in
eliminating this one government
perquisite. He also asked a
pertinent question that demands an.
immediate answer by every
ablebodied servant of the public in
Georgia Power for Georgians
With their pocketbooks still in
the recovery room after an
intensive and lengthy struggle with
the rigors of a woeful winter,
Georgians are naturally not
ecstatic over the announcement
that Georgia Power Company is
seeking a $l9B million rate increase
that will raise residential rates an
average of 19.6 percent.
The Company needs $3.0 billion
for construction and S4OO million
for an environmental program,
according to a spokesman.
Which is understandable, if this
expenditure is going to serve
Georgians and not the three other
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data, the fair market value of
which the assessors will then be in
a better position to judge.
This initial meeting between the
assessors and the taxpayer also
affords both parties an opportunity
to better understand the devices
used to determine fair market
value and its applicability to a
particular piece of property.
Although the practice does not
guarantee immediate satisfaction
to either or both parties, still it
offers a face-to-face forum in which
reasonable men and women can
resolve most of the difficulties that
would otherwise have be be settled
in court.
Here is a case where good
common sense is being applied to
an area that is too often fraught
with volcanic tensions and bruised
personal feelings.
Washington:
“If a triple amputee who holds
both the Bronze and Silver Stars
gets himself to and from work
every day, how can any admini
strator, director, commission
chairman, undersecretary,
admiral or general or other self
proclaimed Washington big shot
hold up his or her head when being
carried to and from work in a
government car?”, he asked.
Like no other president in our
life time, President Carter seems
determined to remove some of the
frills and hijinks that have been
traditional trappings of the Wash
ington scene.
If he can’t get the high-livers to
Plains, he is at least bringing some
of the Plains common sense to an
official Washington that has been
too pompous and over-stuffed, too
adroit in the art of self-indulgence
and too hesitant tp relinquish the
heraldry of its vaunted power.
Senator Proxmire and Presi
dent Carter are on the right track.
And the people are behind them all
the way. Neither Washington, nor
the nation, will suffer as a result of
this program of deflating egos.
states served by the Southern
Company, of which Georgia Power
is an operating affiliate and chief
income producer.
For years the Alabama Power
Company, also a member of the
Southern team, has had its profits
and its ability to expand capacity
restricted by the State’s regulatory
agency which has been reluctant to
grant rate increases.
The Georgia Public Service
Commission would do well to
inquire diligently into the inter
state pooling of power within the
Southern Company system and its
policy on cross-state transfers of
THE JACKSON PROGRESS-ARGUS, JACKSON, GEORGIA
The Last
Straw
BY
VINCENT JONES
Reprints of old editorials
are often used by editors, not
because they believe their
words immortal, but rather
to illustrate the point that the
fundamental things of life
still apply and change very
little.
At the request of a friend,
we are repeating an editorial
that appeared in this news
paper on February 27, 1947
under the same column head,
in which we attempted to set
down some of our basic
beliefs. It went as follows:
“People daily are becom
ing lost in the hurly-burly
maelstrom of a slightly dizzy
world; propaganda is seek
ing to distort the truth and
personal philosophies of life
are failing to meet the, test.
In the midst of this chaos,
many people are wandering
around, leaving their think
ing to others and picking up
second-hand thoughts that
have become dulled by their
use. Many have adopted the
abject philosophy of “I don’t
know what to believe.”
We like to hear a citizen
express himself with the
words, “I believe.” We like
independent thought and not
the kind that is half-assimi
lated from the latest editorial
page or gleaned from a
scrambled account of a radio
commentator’s opinion.
We believe that ideals, like
stars, should be the govern
ing forces in our lives and
that each of us would do well
to learn, and follow as closely
as humanly possible, at least
some of the following as a
personal code of ethics:
To believe in the Majesty of
man and the Immortality of
God.
To love truth as a dog loves
a bone, no more ardently, no
less eagerly.
To find, pleasure in the
simple things of life: a cat’s
gentle purr, the whack o( a
dog’s tail on the carpet, a
child’s belief in Santa, the
glory of a sunset.
Not to praise people for
their goodness, nor admonish
them for their badness, but to
love them for their whole
someness.
To find peace within
ourselves, the only sensible
place to look for it.
Not to waste our time and
substance seeking happiness,
but to open our eyes and
hearts to discover that it
surrounds us.
To find solace in prayer
and comfort in the kind
words of friends.
To respect Death as much
as we love Life.
To believe blindly only in
religion as the one philosophy
not intended for mastery by
man.
To believe in Independence
Day, Thanksgiving Day,
Memorial Day and other
national holidays that repre
sent sacrifice, fortitude,
spunk and courage.
To treat knowledge with a
certain degree of humility as
all great things must be dealt
with meekly.
To believe that the 10 per
cent of man that isn’t animal
can rise above the 90 per cent
that is.
To hate a deceiver as
earnestly as a small boy
hates a bully.
To believe in all things
close to your heart worship
fuliy, knowing that from
nothing will you receive
more than you give.
To lighten every friends
load a little each day.
To keep an inward trust,
deep within your secret
heart, that the one life you
have to live tvill be. the best
one within your power to live.
electrical energy.
It is one thing to ask Georgians
to finance adequate earnings and
power-generating capacity to serve
the state. It is another thing
altogether to ask Georgians to
l Tv
i
A Stroll Down
Memory Lane
News of 10 Years Ago
Butts Countians have con
tributed $1,121.00 to the 1967
Heart Fund drive, according
to Miss Dorothy Thomas,
chairman. This is $124 short
of the $1,245.00 goal.
Western Auto Supply Com
pany has presented Fred G.
Raney, owner of the local
Western Auto Associate
Store, with a handsome
plaque in recognition of his 10
years of community service.
Philip Westbury has been
named an Area Director of
Georgia’s Civil Defense
program.
Buford Mitchell, of For
syth, has been elected
president of the Flint Bar
Association. Richard W.
Watkins, Jr. was elected to
the Board of Governors of the
State Bar of Georgia.
At a recent birthday party,
members of the Jackson
Business and Professional
Women’s Club honored its
past presidents, Mrs. Helen
Spencer, Mrs. Jane Powell,
Mrs. Mary Sasser, Mrs.
Gladys Wilson, Mrs. Maymie
Coggins, Miss Elizabeth
McMichael, Mrs. Jewellene
Polk, Mrs. Lucile Ridgeway,
Miss Dorothy Thomas and
Mrs. Maurine Shields.
Sixth District Congress
man John J. Flynt, Jr. has
bagged a buck the hard way,
with his car Thursday night
on the read between Eaton
ton and Monticello. For
tunately, neither the Con
gressman nor Mrs. Flynt
were injured.
Deaths during the week:
Oscar Taylor, 57; Robert C.
Knowles; Mrs. Emma
Turner Britt, 86.
News of 20 Years Ago
The Rev. Sidney L.
Waterhouse, associate pastor
of the Oakland City Baptist
Church in Atlanta, has
accepted a call from the
First Baptist Church in
Jackson and will begin his
ministry here on April 14th.
The T. A. Nutt Insurance
Agency has moved this week
into its new building on Byars
Street, adjacent to Superior
Cleaners.
Miss Patsy Jones, daugh
ter of Mrs. Edith Jones, has
been named the champion
speller of Butts County and
awarded a $25 Savings Bonds
by the Atlanta Journal.
Lindsey Powell, son of Mr.
and Mrs. M. L. Powell,
landed a 17-pound bass on a
fishing trip to Charleston.
There was doubt, the father
said, “whether Lindsey was
fishing for the bass or the
bass was fishing for Lind
sey.”
N. E. Walker, principal,
announces that Josephine
Jones has been chosen
Teacher of the Year for the
Henderson High and Elemen
tary School.
Jackson High head football
coach Hank Powers an
nounced that flu, baseball
and track practice will
postpone spring grid drills.
Chris Tillery, promising
sophomore halfback, suf
fered a broken leg in practice
last week.
Deaths during the week:
George Whitaker, 7; Grover
Cleveland McClendon, 69; J.
H. Jackson, 82.
News of 30 Years Ago
About 50 citizens gathered
at the S. J. Ireland farm on
subsidize operation of a sister
company of the applicant in this
case, that has long been guilty of
foot-dragging.
Georgia power for Georgians,
yes. For Alabamans, no.
THURSDAY, MARCH 31, 1577
Saturday to watch a demon
stration on the best methods
to combat the fox infestation.
V. W. Cole, Indian Springs
park superintendent under
both the Talmadge and
Arnall administrations, has
been reappointed by Govern
or M. E. Thompson.
C. T. Gibson announced
this week that the Jackson
Jewel Box will occupy the
building on the north court
square formerly occupied by
Lynda Joyce Cafe.
Butts County Representa
tive Benjamin B. Garland
delivered the baccalaureate
address last night to 66
graduating seniors of the
University of Georgia Medi
cal College in Augusta.
The Stark HD Club met at
the Tussahaw school house
and welcomed four new
members, Mrs. Lilian Wil
liams, Mrs. Alice Williams,
Mrs. Lilly Townsend and
Mrs. Mary Lou O’Neal.
James Hilley, University
of Georgia student, has been
named secretary of the
Baptist Student Union board
of Student Deacons.
Deaths during the week:
Mrs. Ida Hendricks, 84; Mrs.
Lizzie Nelms, 84; Mrs. Suzie
Elizabeth Wood, 70.
News of 40 Years Ago
E. I. Rooks & Son, Jackson
construction firm, is con
structing a two-story, 16-
room brick veneer apart
ment building on Dempsey
Street for Mrs. J. L.
Carmichael.
The Mimosa Garden Club
has as its project for this
year the removal of all old
and unsightly buildings in
Jackson.
The Pace Bus Lines,
operatng between Jackson,
Griffin, Monticello and Madi
son, has moved to new
quarters at the corner of
Second and N. Mulberry
Streets.
The U. S. Civil Service
Commission has extended
until April sth the time for
filing for the position of
chairman at the new post
office building in Jackson.
The job pays 50 cents an hour
for each hour of actual
service.
Miss Harriet Buchanan,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
James Buchanan, and Miss
Martha Boyt Franklin,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R.
A. Franklin, Jr., were
christened Sunday at the
First Methodist Church.
Mr. and Mrs. E. A. Godsey
entertained 25 boys and girls
of the high school set Friday
evening in celebration of the
16th birthday of their
daughter, Sara.
News of 50 Years Ago
Commencement at Flovilla
High School will be held April
7th, according to Mrs. W. F.
Wasdin, principal. Elizabeth
Cole is the class salutatorian
and Mary Lee Jones the
valedictorian.
A Jackson man who plead
guilty to having a pistol and
public drunkenness was
sentenced by Judge Ogden
Persons to twelve months on
each charge.
Butts County ginned 7,519
bales of cotton in 1926, the
most since the boll weevil
struck in 1920. In 1918, the
County ginned 17,020 bales.
Messrs. J. A. McMichael
and Z.T. Buttrill leave
Monday for Tampa to attend
RpirctfFH
T Bv Mrs. CJhdy Brown
THE 96 HOUR VIRUS
My family and I have
recently survived the “96
hour virus!” Actually, the 96
hour virus is not an unknown
phenomenon to us, as four of
the five of us developed a 24
hour virus, thus constituting
a 96 hour virus. And I can
honestly say, that my family
has the unique talent for all
getting sick at the same time,
as I have never known it to
happen otherwise.
Son number one started the
sickness: turning a terrible
shade of green, and be
coming sick at his stomach,
he said, “Mama, I don’t feel
too good.” Naturally, I joined
right in, dividing my time
between doctoring the child
and being sick myself.
Shortly thereafter, son num
ber three became sick,
promptly causing the house
to need a thorough cleaning.
As if all this were not enough,
the real terror began: my
husband got sick. For those
of you who are not
acquainted with the sick
husband syndrome, let me
simply say that I would
rather have all the rest of us
jf"*y ‘Whatsoever j
[ l3m : Things' |
By Donald E. Wildmonj
IT WAS JUST GUS
Near Dublin, England, an illiterate young lay preacher
started a series of meetings in a barn. Folks who attended
said it was a rather discouraging meeting. It didn’t last too
long. The preacher just simply stopped the series, packed his
bags and moved on to what he considered more fruitful
fields.
Only a few folks turned out for those meetings, and they
weren’t much interested in the series. There was a young boy
who had made a decision for the Galilean during the
meetings, but no one paid much attention to him. Everybody
knew him. It was just Gus. And the crowd hardly got excited
.when Gus made his decision.
Strange, indeed, are the ways we measure success.
Numbers, statistics - that’s the only mefhod many of us use to
judge the worth of a venture. So we count as failures those
ventures where we are not overwhelmed with numerical
success. If the leading citizens of the community had come to
the meetings, made decisions to become Followers of the
Way, why the meetings would have been a success. They
would have been continued! But just Gus? Why, it was as if
everyone had wasted his time.
A fellow told me recently that hindsight is a whole lot
better than foresight. The only problem is that by the time we
get to the hindsight place, we have already followed our
foresight. And using our foresight vr measure the worth by
the size.
I remember a story about a Man who made a decision.
His townspeople didn’t get too excited about it. This Man
decided to become a preacher. When he returned to His home
church to preach many of the people wouldn’t listen to Him.
Do you know why? It wasn’t because He didn’t have anything
to say worth listening to. He did! But it was because of who
He was! “Is not this the carpenter’s son?” they asked. And
because He was the carpenter’s son, and not the son of the
High Priest, those neighbors of His would not listen to what
He had to say. Instead, they literally ran Him out of town
following His sermon in which He spoke some unpopular
truth to them.
Well, little Gus grew up and also turned out to be a
preacher. He had a lot of enemies, and was an enemy to some
people himself. He wrote several books, despite the fact that
he died when he was thirty-eight years of age. Those books
are out of print now, long since forgotten. He preached many
times. More than a thousand in all. But his sermons aren’t
remembered now. And Gus also liked to write poems, and
songs. He wrote one hundred and thirty-three in all. Most of
them have not survived the years since Gus was around.
But one song that Gus wrote has survived.the years. And
it gives every indication of surviving many, many more
centuries. The hymn can be found in nearly every hymnbook
you pick up. It is entitled “Rock of Ages.” It is one of the
favorite hymns of millions, and has been a source of
inspiration to countless numbers.
Augustus M. Toplady shot a hole in the popular
conception that success in a venture for the Creator can only
be measured in numbers.
Editor’s Quote Book
He is happy in his wis
dom who has learned at an
other’s expense.
Plautus
the general reunion of the
Confederate Veterans. Miss
Ina McMichael will accom
pany her father and visit her
sister, Mrs. Bertha Bryan, in
St. Petersburg.
The \V illiam Mclntosh
Chapter. D.A.R., will meet
Tuesday at the home of Miss
be sick or even for me to have
halitosis, than for him to
become ill. He reverts to his
childhood; his Mother be
comes smarter than I am; he
needs loads of TLC, when all
I feel like giving him is KIG
- Kick in Guess Where! The
only one of the group, who
didn’t get sick aside from the
pony, was our second son. He
didn’t make any of the rest of
us feel any better though; he
kept walking around saying,
“I hope y’all get to feeling
better; Mama, here’s some
you missed; May I have
another piece of cake?” Why
me?
I have for many years
threatened to hire a R.N. to
move in with us. I feel,
however, that even Florence
Nightingale would be hard
pressed to keep up with all
our ailments. If the IRS
would just give me a break,
things wouldn’t be so bad.
Just think how many more
deductions I would have if I
could deduct $3.50 per hour
for all my hours of nursing
time, or if I could deduct my
time off from work pay. God
Bless You, Uncle Sam. Are
you listening?
Editor’s Quote Book
Life is neither a good nor
an evil, but simply the
scene of good and evil.
Senaca
Mary Downs, with Mrs. E. H.
Pace as cohostess.
Harold Lloyd in “The
Freshman” was showing at
the Jackson School audi
torium.
Deaths during the week:
Forest Elwood Maddox, 5.