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THE COCHRAN JOURNAL
Entered ns second-class matter August Ist, 1912, at the post oflice
at Cochran, Georgia.
T. L. BAILEY, Editor and Manager.
PUBLISHED WEEKLY by THE COCHRAN PUBLISHING CO.
OFFICIAL ORGAN FOR BLECkLEY COUNTY
SUBSCRIPTION PRICE SI.OO PER YEAR IN ADVANCE.
BOND ELECTION SATURDAY JULY 19th.
The pros and cons of the bond issue has been hashed and re
hasted in the columns of this paper for the last few months until it
seems that it is useless to give any more reasons why a bond issue
is absolutely neccessary for the present and the future welfare of
our county.
Time and again it has been shown that the issuing of bonds
is the simplest, easiest and best wa> of raising money for county,
municipal, state and federal purposes. I here is not a state in the
Union, and I daresay a progressive town or city in any state, that
have not found it necessary at times to issue bonds to raise money
to further their progress.
The State of Georgia today has over six millions of outstand
ing bonds. The best business people in the republic resort to this
means of raising money. If the State of Georgia was to attempt
to liquidate her six million dollar bond issue by direct taxa'ion in
one year you would hear a howl all the way from the mountains of
Habersham to the marshes of Glynn.
The very crux of the situation is simly, that we are not able
to raise this money in one year, and by means of a bond issue we
can get the money on long lime and at small rate of interest.
In regard to the amount of the bond issue, we do not believe
any loyal citizen desires to erect an expensive building, neither do
we believe that any citizen who has pride in his county would be
willing to have a court house and jail that Bleckley’ ? people would
be ashamed of. We believe the amount recommended by Bleck
ley County's first Grand Jury was a very conservative amount.
The fact of the matter, is, it is a very small amount in comparison!
with other counties.
We fully believe that our people are overwhelmingly convinced ;
that the bond issue is the only proper thing and will vote for it if
they will only take interest enough to come to the polls Saturday,
July 19th.
gome say the poor man has no intertest in this issue. Why J
not? If the finances of this county were crippled for several years
and business stagnation was to result therefrom would this county
be a good place for a poor man? In times of stringency are not
the banks according to a natural business policy going to take care j
of their largest and best customers? If the majority of property
holders were forced to borrow money to pay excessive taxes and
the demand on the banks were too heavy where would the poor
man and the tenant come in? If the landlords were pressed to the
wall for tax money would they be liable to raise or lower rents?]
Remember that our interests are woven and interwoven and noj
class is immune from a public calamity, especially the poor man.
OUR El NAN CIAL PROBLEM
Most of the people in Georgia probably are ignorant of the
fact that one hundred and seven counties in this state received
from the state treasury in pension and school money in 1910 more
than the taxes they paid in. In some instances these amounts run
as high as $23,000 to the county more than the taxes paid!
A startling condition, truly! :
As a matter of fairness to the veterans and the state’s teach |
ers, it must be said in the beginning that neither are paid enough.
’l’he appropriations are not too large. The property in these 107
counties is not assessed at its proper value. The tax income is too
small. That is the crux of the whole matter.
Rich counties in Georgia where farm lands sell at from S2O to
SSO an acre are beneficiaries of the state treasury.
We call attention to the fact that Meriwether received $23,-
493 more money than she paid in; Carroll $13,927, Franklin $lO.-
138, Hart $13,655, Heard SIO,OOO, Jackson $10,596, Jones $10,602,
Madison Pike $11,479, Upson $12,146. Ihe remainder
of the 107 counties received on an average of approximately $5,000
in excess of the money paid in.
This is the way Georgia money goes!
Thirty-nine counties of the state during I 1? 10 contributed
$764,658 more than they received in pensions and school money.
Of this amount $566,000 was paid by the four big counties—Rich
mond $57,000, Bibb $63,000, Muscogee $77,000, Chatham $107,-
000 and Fulton $261,000,
The figures are assembled from the reports of the state officers
and are authentic. It is probably the first time such an exhibit
has been given to the people.—Macon News.
We agree with our esteemed contemporary that something is
radically wrong with our state tax system. We think Governor
Slaton expressed it ii a “nut shell'’ when he said “It cannot be
denied that injustice is done when one man pays taxes on ten per
cent of the value of his property’, while another pays on fifty per
cent.” Equalization of taxes, either through the enforcement of
present laws, or new correctives, so that each bear his proportion
ate burden, would not mean the increase of taxes upon any one
now performing his duty, but woul * rather mean the ilghtening of
his unfair proportion of fhe load.
Because the four big counties Richmond, Bibb, Muscogee,
THE COCHRAN JOLKIAL, (XX II RAN. GEORGIA
Chatham and Fulton paid into the state $566,000 taxes more
than they recieved in pensions and school money does not
neccessarily mean that their system does not need revising just the
same as the poorer and smaller counties. These counties all have
large cities and consequently large property valuation and no doubt
when it comes to inequality in tax returns the same conditions
prevail in these counties as in the smaller ones. Of course by vir
tne of their large wealth they necessarily have a greater participa
| tion in our benevolent common school and old soldier pension sys
tems.
FARM ECONOMICS IN GEORGIA
Mote money than Georgia m. Inr- o- l ive fr ■ :r cotton -rip is
sent out of the state to buy farm products that equld l>e raised in
abundance in Georgia.
This is the keynote to our 1,-n-k of prosperity. \Ve think we are a
progressive people, agriculturally sneaking, but are we? We think
not. 1 ,1 >ok at tin 11 r >r* 1.
From the SI .SOO.GIU bale- of cotton raised in Georgia : n the year
1912 We received approximately $ 1 do,0(HI.000. During thesnmeyear
there were elsewhere, pi im-ipally in the west, and sold in Georgia,
Corn, hay, oats, meat, and dairy proiluets valued at $172, RMI.OOO.
'I his constitutes a balance of trade in these products of $37,490-
<K)O against Georgia.
Every imported product, now mind you, could have heeu produced
in this state.
Why wasn’t it done?
Ihe inain reason, in our opinion, is the fact that the farmers have
no system of marketing except for ti.eir cotton crop. The market
for cotton is thoroughly organizi'd.
A lame r can take a hale of outf.iii to auv town or village and get
ea.-h for it Mi any working day of the year. The market for corn
and hay and butt-rand meat is i-ganizcd, so to speak, against tlie
Georgia cimsulie■ r. Tie epr hut,- have been imported by jobbing
houses for many years and they have the distributing machinery.
A Georgian knows where lie can has hay and corn and meat, but
he doesn’t know where lie could s-ll then if he soouid raise them.
That is why lie has grown only e-.tton. Of course, thorough going
business men would have no didi-nlty in dialing with such situati
on. Rut the scattered and usually unorganized farmers tire not
thorough-going business men. Here are need and chance for co
operat i ve mat kef ing.
Given a marketing system, the f irmer will receive a better price
for his products, and prosper'd \ wall smile upon him. —Macon News
We believe that this editorial is on the right line. We have for
some time thought tnat there should be some organized effort on
the part of those concerned to create a cash market for all kinds of
farm produce. Ihe average farmer knows no market except his
home town. If he can not dispose of his product there to advan
tage he sees no inducement to produce a surplus. A system ol
marketing where the farmer wou; 1 be assured that he could get the
market price in cash for any kind of staple produce that he would
bring to town would do more towards inducing the farmer to
diversify than any other plan we know of.
FARM LOANS
Lowest Rates. Negotiated by
L. A. WHIPPLE
\ Attorney-at-Law
I lawfonsville, Georgia
LOANS ON FARM
AND TOWN PROPERTY
handled at reasonable rates of interest
and small commissions in any amount
H. b. LAWSON, Attorney at Law,
Hawkinsville, Georgia.
WHEN YOU NEED
COMMERCIAL PRINTING
PHONE 66
and we will take pleasure in submitting
prices and samples of our work.
No Job Too Large or Too Small
We guarantee our work and prices
to compete with the city offices.
Prompt and careful execution of all orders,
regardless of size.
Cochran Publishing Co.
To Our Subscribers
We have mailed hills to all our subscribers who are
in arrears. The amounts uue by each individual are
small but when taken together 'bey amount to a great
deal to Please bear this in dud.
We have the following p. isitions to submit:
1.-t. If you are not prep.ir. Ito I*A 5 IS, call in to
see us about it anyway.
2nd. If you have any farm produce to spare and
can’t get up the cash come to see us about the "farm pro
duce we want to keep you on our list IF TOP ARE
SATISFIED.
Don’t read the paper two or three years end then say
you didn't Mibserilje for it and don’t owe if-, and then tell
11- to tfke your name off the li.-t lieeause we ask you to
pay up.
What we aie after is ;o get a list of live subscribers
on our books who are inteie-ted in our town and county
and can take some interest in their home paper.
We had rather have I(HXJ LIVE subscribers than any
number of DEAD ones.
We are the official County organ for the best little coun
ty in the State of Georgia. Our subscription is only ONE
DOLLAR per year, which we believe is the minimum
price for any Georgia Weekly. Every loyal citizen of the
City of Cochran and Bleckley county should be willing to
co-operate with their home paper for the industrial, moral
and civic welfare of this community. PAY I P YOUR
SCBSCRIPTK >N, Giveusamoral support, and occasion
ally, if you can conscientously do so, an encouraging word
and \\e will do our best to give you a good clean paper.
But hear in mind that the encouragement we need
most ju.-t now is that “LITTLE DOLLAR’’ you owe us,
or its equivalent.
L. B. Kenmngton
I he man who appreciates
your bu tness
wants voiK business.
Won’t you give
him yours?
MONEY
TO LEND
Loans negotiated on
farm and city property
at low inti|ess4sp
All appl lcauons closed
in a few days.
Write or call to see me
A. C. Adams
Cochran, Ga.
FARM
FOR
SALE
102 l one-half
mile Nice
dwelling house, splendid
barn and out-houses, high
ly improved land. No
better farm in the county.
Very healthy: good water
land well drained.
C. C. Porter