Newspaper Page Text
THE TIFTON
GA-, FRIDAY, APRIL
jlxftongasette
EoterefTatt
m sna.il matter 6
SELECTION, NOT CONSCWPTIQN.
THE RUSSIAN RUMORS
When the military conscription measure was
before the British Houaa*rf -Commons, the gov-
Report that Russia contemplates a sepa
rate peace with the Central Powers, while dis-
A LOSS TO TIFTON.
Tne retirement of Prof. Jason Scarboro ns
tend of Tifftp'a public-ach*
too L Horrin* Bdttor and Manager
Official Organ City of Tifton
and Tift County, Georgia.
SATURDAY ‘NIGHT.
Sol Drawhorn and the Grey Lizzard.
Sol Drawhorn was a nervous man.
He was afraid of creeping things; snakes
i?ere ah abomination, spiders a dread, scorpions
and centipedes kept him on the watch, but
more than all these he dreaded grey lizzard!
those little fellows that hide pnder the fehce
rails* on the shady side and under pine knots
and logs in the woods. One-of these would come
near throwing him into a fit and he made
point to kill all he found. Like the rest of us
he knew they were harmless, but they just had
a terror for him that he could not get away
from-
It was mid-summer and road-working time.
The overseer had been around the week before
and warned all the hands on his division, and
In the early morning they came, with hoes and
shovels, a few axes, and one sent a horse and
/plow instead of a hand. They had five miles of
roadi nearly all of it a three path trail, and as
there was little travel so there was little work
to be done. A log or two to cut out; a few roots
washed bare on a hillside by the spring rains
to remove, and occasional little gullies to fill
,fn with hoe and shovel. Walking was the hig
part of the day’s job and they finished nt the
five mile post marking the district line when
noon came.
Dinner had been brought in tin broils, small
baskets or in a package, slung in a bag across
the shoulder. Down the hill was a spring at the
branch-head, and with a drink of water all
’round, the dozen or more men sprawled on
the thick carpet of wiregrass. under the cool
shade of the big pines, eating dinner, cracking
jokes, and spinning yarns.
Sol was something o f a wit, and he hurried
through his eating, to have some fun. He was
standing up, telling a funny yarn and doing
most of the laughing. He wore a strigfifjhickory
•Tiirtt home-knit yanysuspender^ copperas-
dyed jeans breeches and brogan shoes,
breeches hung loose and gaping at the waist
■ggid the shoes were fastened with buckskin
laced once pnd tied, the tops gaping open like
the orifice of an inverted bell.
Sol was right in the middle of his joke when
the fat man who was lying on his elbow and
smoking a stick-and-dirt pipe noticed something
"There's a lizzard on your shoulder, Sol,"
be said-
Sol went white, and glanced around. Only
too true! There was one of the dreadful littleIment for the recruits.
my (.How, lookin* over hie left .houlder, its' s -. 11 » estitmated that the reai.tration will
pulsing throat protruding and sinking back as
sory service. So should the compulsory provis
ions of the military Mil now before Congress
be called expert selection.
There is much more in a name than the av
erage man admits, and-about the term “con
scription” there is something repugnant to the
citizen of a republic. Here at least, where the
people should govern, ideals of citizenship are
supposed to be higher and patriotism to flow
stronger. Therefore, every man of military age
is supposed to hold himself ready to answer his
country’s call.
Admitting this, and still the argument that
time of great need the volunteer system is
failure cannot be successfully answered. Never
did the spirit of patriottsjn and love of country
flame higher than in the South at the outbreak
of the War Between the States. Yet in the lat
ter part of 1862, before the war was two years
old. the States of the Southern Confederacy
were forced to resort to conscription.
During the first year and a half of the present
war, Great Britain resorted to eviry means to
avoid conscription. At last it was realized that
compulsory service was the only hope to save
the nation and win the war-
It would be well for the leaders, in this coun
try to learn from the experience of the past,
and in enacting the military measure give us
one under which we (an fight a real war with
hope of winning.
For men to talk of volunteering for one par
ticular place, to choose where they shall go
and when.they shall quit, is a silly waste of
time: With an army .lenuited under^ such
circumstances, the nation would find itself help
less within less time than a year.
The law President Wilson and the War De
partment wants is one under which the men de
sired can be called out. while others. mor( need-
rti in civil affairs, nre left to their ordinary call
ings. Briefly outlined, in event the adminis
tration - measure passes, the following will be
done:
1. The President will designate by procla
mation a day of registration, the' voting pre
cinct being used as the smallest"unit for enroll
ment. The Governors of the Various states will
be asked to have the sheriffs of the-countiea ap
point registrars to take the names <Jf all males
between the ages of nineteen, and twenty-five.
Those who refuse to enroll will be arrested.
2. Th4 state officers will exempt from mili-
ry~ae*vice “persons engaged in industries, in
cluding agricultural, found to be necessary to
the maintenance of the military establishment
or the effective operation of the military forces,
or the maintenance of national interests during
the emergency.
3. Those not exempted will be reported to the
War Department, which will make further ex-
emptions-
4. It is estimated that by Aug. 1st the 500,000
men desired xbill be in training camps. In the
meantime the government must provide equip
and overthrow of organized government, at-
fBrs in Russia have been chaotic and uncer
tain. The Socialist element, which is largely
for peace at any price, is very strong in the new
government, and Germany’s agents have been
very active there. Also, Russia has lost heavily
in this war, and perhaps is tired of losing.
Recent accounts from Russia say that country
is menaced by a clash between two factions,
one the administration -and the other the coun
cil of workingmen’s and, soldiers deputies.
Both are contending foQontrol and there is no
strong central authority of government and
confusion and considerable chaos exists. Agi
tators are making considerable trouble In their
preposterous demands for large increases in
wages amounting to as much as 700 per cent,
and working hours reduced to a minimpm—in
some cases to four a day, with two month's hol
iday and two months extra pay at Christmas
and Easter. Evidently the people, having jyst
come into their own. are drunk with power and
yet fail to realize the responsibilities of cit
izenship. With such conditions, almost anything
is possible.
The statement several weeks ago that Rus
sia would want no territorial expansion was
disquieting, for this is a war for territory. To
be sure we have had repeated assurances that
Russia would not consider a separate peace, but
these repetitions themselves were so much
a sameness that they were suspicious. It is to
be further remembered that all news from there
is heavily censored.
Should Russia conclude a separate peace, it
will mean at.least one, if not two. more years
of war. It may also mean that an American
army must be sent to Europe
WHERE MOVE STARTED
Slate Own Thi* Saction for Kfri-
iltural School*. Soma HI*lory.
receipt of the following largely per
sonal letter from Editor W. A. At- i
len of the Largo, Fla., Sentinel 1
Mr. Allen was for many year* adi-J
tor of the Worth'’County Local, I
Sumner and Sylvester, and i
time a citizen of Tifto:
THE WEEVIL IN LOWNDES.
it breathed.
With a yell like a Comanche, -Sol jumped
_ sideways swiping at the lizzard with both
hands. Horrors! Instead of knocking it off, the
glancing blow sent the lizzard downwards and
it fell inside the gaping waistband of Sol’s
panto. Underwear was not worn in those times,
especially on week days, and as So} felt the cold
slimy thing struggling for a foothold on his
bare legs he came as nev giving an exhibition
of hysterics as any grown Inan ever put up.
He commenced jumping straight up in the
air, as high as his muscles would carry him,
and every time he went up he yelled, "Oh!”
When he hit th$ ground he rebounded like a
rubber .ball and w$nt Again. and whfP )\t
»otas high ashe could, he wouid holler. Unbolt
ed like he couldn’t stop, and perhaps that was
true. As he kept going up and down, like a
churn dasher, making a noise iikea female con
vert at a holy roller revival the men looking on
rolled over on the grass and aughed unjil they
were too weak to help Sol, even had they want
ed to. Holding his shaking sides as he gasped
for breath, the fat man begged:
“For God’s sake Btop him, boys, or he’ll kill
' me.” *
The jar of Sol’s jumps
zard down his pants leg into the gaping vamp
of his shoe, th4n down by his foot, but still Sol
jumped and hollered. At last when the lizzard
had been crushed‘under his foot to a-shapeless'
mass, Sol continued to jump—only now he was
barely able to raise his feet from the ground
result in an enrollment of 7,000,000 and about
40 per cent of this number will be weeded out
on account of physical disabilities. The 500,000
fe be selected from the remaining 60 per cent
will be chosen by lot.
The true patriot desires to serve his country
where that service can be most, effective—not
where he individually pleases. There is no lack
of patriotism on the part of the youth or plan
waits for his, country’s call to special work—
rather it isThe highest type of patriotism, for he
thereby gives his country the best service. The
volunteer plan listens well, but it falls lamenta
bly short in results.
He who desires to do his full duty will fill his
present cog in the machinery of production un
til such time as those whom the country has
leaders call hm,-to other -f re Ids—h <m i
to go. cheerfully and willingly
The New York World disposes of the -vdhin-
teer proposition with this scathing arraign
ment:
We might just as well try to fight Germany
with flint-lock muskets stfnd smooth-bdre cannon
as with .the volunteer-system. Congress may not.
know it but Germany does, and if Congress is de
termined to cripple the United States govt
ment in this crisis it might better make a thor
ough job of it and rescind the declaration of
had dropped the liz-
INTERESTING AND VIVID DESCRIPTION.
The Valdosta Times says the boll weevil is
apeariug in cotton in steadily increasing num
bers. and that farmers in that section are alarm
ed because of the unusual activity. As a rule, the
^veevil does not appear until much later in the
year.
In many cotton ^elds in Lowndes the weevil
has bgeri found at work on the small leaves of
cotton plants about two inches high. The Times
says: "Leaves harboring weevils were found
to be slighttl/ turned and curled with the wee
vil on the underside. One small field of three
acres had in it over one hupdred weevils. The
State Department of Entomology at its experi
ment station just-out of Valdosta has a large
wire cage in which ten thousand weevils were
placed last fall before frost. In this cage was
placed natural hibernating refuges. These wee
vils have just begun to come out of winter-
quarters at the rate of one or two a day. -which
would indicate clearly that the weevils found in
the fields were much in advance of a normal
time.’’
’The Times also says that the weevils have ap
peared in such numbers in the Barwick section
of Thomas county that many fanners are plow
ing up fields of cotton and planting com and
peanuts.
As yet no weevils.have been found in cotton
fields in the vicinity of Tifton. although sev
eral have been reported in hibernating places.
Cotton here is usually about two weeks later
than in the section around Valdosta. Also, the
weevils there have been reported in long staple
cotton, which must be planted earlier than the
short staple, as it requires longer to mature.
We may be assured the weevil will be with
us before we are ready for him. The safest
plan is to follow the Present's urging and help
nation at war by planting food crops.
and its educational interests. Just
how great, we can only estimate when we look
back over the many years of his work here and
see what has been accomplished.
When Jason Scarboro came to Tifton fifteen
ears ago our school system had for its home
wooden building, and numbered 250 pupils. ]modestly suggests thst the
From that wooden building the schools moved “* . be . “f . ^n 00 . 1 . 1 .. ~m
. , , .. to hi« pert, but he telli hu story,
to their handsome bnck home and commodioual a., „,rt„ ' 41
grounds facing Park avenue. This year the High etilioni so we give it fa
School, an outgrowth of the public school, will words. It is approprfate
move into a building even handsomeT, that will greet -movement for the edi
compare with any south Georgia city. The I 11 )* children of the, ft
enrollment has trebled, now being near 700. should
The Tifton Public Schools and the Tifton High *
School are accredited institutions, ranking | *
with the best in the statg^and their sttldenW go ■ My
direct to the higher,-'instituions of learning j I
without preparatory courses. For years Tifton'si^J?
school system has been pointed out by educa-ljp^
tors as a model- .
For much of this progress we are indebted: L
the unfaltering zeal, the tireless energy, the 'c^nd?
marked individual ability and the unselfish de-the « n gi
votion at all times to a high ideal, of the man Goid?n**AiTssr
who was at the head of our school system. Did n y and
he do no other work, it will stand as a monu-
ment to him while the youngest child who has i do not 1
come under his influence has mind to remem- °| d Ji
her. Of course, Prof.'Scarboro has hid ifcd'co-| "ahiVi^
operation of our people and of ha faculties in
building up the system and in securing improve- t ^ w of A | b ^
ments, but in both he has always led, and to Sfaddlcton. a
him is due first credit, for to Tr'ton 60.:’ it-
m hools the prime years of his rr&niiQpp uive n**%« .
. f'Tst helped to build the
been glten. . ’J,en woVked hi. way up _
Should he carry out his intention oi das* conductor’* place and I think
from active school work, it will be a great lo» »
to the cause of education. But we feel sure that especially the thing* that have to do
his talents and ability,deserve a wider field with the past, at a time when you
. , ; , . . . and 1 were trying to make history
than Tifton affords, and we expect him to he in ^ upbuilding of that section A
called tp branches of educational work of state our good|Sld^ state. _ i
wide and perhaps nation wide scope. If he , ior .*| m n£trict°Agrfau
should, we 1cnow the man when we say that he f«r they are in feet
will certainly make good, and our sense of loss - ^ulan?*t ‘which 0 Dr!*lloa'
now will be tempered bv the realization that it the then Professor of Agrii
the 1 mV good of the great work ' STILUS
he loves so well and to which he. has devoted Agriculture
the hot year, of hi. life. ' I ^
——— when in conversation with Dr.
CONSERVING GRAIN. I"™. 11 ? “ ked hi “ 1 ? ow !““*
REGULATION r OF FOOD PRICES.
later, to regulate the prices of food
pfies wildcat speculation made inevitable. And-J
if it, ipust be done, the sooner the better fur ail
concerned""Therefore.yesterday's - news from i , thc mot , ern
Washington that Secretary of Agricuulture j
HoustonTiad recommended such a step caused]
no surprise and little regret.
That food prices should rise with the coming j
From the Moultrie Observer.
Editor John L. Herring, of the Tifton Ga
zette, who has been writing an interesting lot
..... .. ... ?( »o«ft Georgia .ketches descriptive of the
“•S”*** ?«-»*. * f r b,e ‘t*’
Ufa. Finally when he could not longer raise 0 f “Saturday Night” announces his\decision
hia feet d£a^his heels would come up, and as to have these sketches published in biok form
iped nack he still grunted- At last ex-
I. EeltSl and they carried water from
ing and sprinkled his face ta bring him
' had to walk a mile to borrow Bill Da-
cart to carry Sol home. Yes. he certainly
fool about Uzzards.
and arrangements being road# J*4tS -a New
York publishing house for their publication.
Since the compilation of "Georgia Scenes’’
nothing has been written that contained more
Interest or vivid description of pioneer country
life than these sketches by Editor Herring, and
the writing and publishing of them is an in
valuable service to the state.
LITERARY treasures.
— ^fcrdele Dispatch.
Editor John L. Herring of the Tifton Gazette
Is going to put into book form those delightful
“Saturday Night” tales he has been giving his
readers. These are treasures—literary sketches
that will be appreciated by the people of south
Georgia because of the meritorroue fanner in
which they portray the customs, the fashions.
‘ t life of the people of our Wiregrass Georgia
. The book will coma from
A FINE ACQUISITION.
From the Columbus Enquirer-Sun.
Editor Herring, of the Tifton Gazette, who
has for son.e years past, been publishing h the
Saturday editions of his paper sketches under
the heading “Saturday Night” has announced
that he will publish these sketches in book
form. We have read a goodly number of them
and if all are as good as those we have read,
and we don’t doubt they are, they will make a
volume that will be a fine acquisition to any
he had at the University and "hit
The conservation of grain by cutting down reply was that “they paid him $2,000
the distillation of ardent spirits is taking a prac- hid^n^'pu^but'fa rtel^
tical turn even in those states which have no he was the’ coach to the baseball
to..-* team* I aaid. “Doctor, do you mean
prohibition laws- tell us that the UnivereUy is US-
Under the influence of the New York Evening fair the $50,000 paid to the state
Post, the Grain Savers' Uu»e i. beta* or*.*- '.'“wJX.ifto".'SuSSS
ized. Ea*h member signs the following pledge.: civil engineer*. etc ., at the expense
Whereas. I love my country; and
Whereas, My country is now at war; and
of the farmer boys of the state ti
■horn it was intended?" — 1
•as that that was what it
Whereas. There is a great shortage of (oojl. ,
especially grain; and having this fund used in the fail
Whereas, Intoxicating liquors are m«<ie SSriL*'
largely from grain, therefore . line right away, a* the files of
1 hereby gladly promise on mg honor as a with u»
patriotic American citizen that for the duration lamented Congressman Griggs and M
of the war (and a, long thereafter as the short- f™
age of food shall persist), I will not drink, buy was Wilson, with the idea sugi
sell or give away any intoxicaUng liqutir. “£* * ctSSL-e
This League has no headquarters, officers, district.*, to be used in providing
. ... - . teachers, the several districts to fur-
imtiation fees or dues. n j, b tbe tand buildings and equip-
Rut it is a Voluntary coincidence of Moderate h»‘
Drinkers who “can drink or leave it alone at Secretary it was found that to make
will." and who love their country better than a change would require a consttita-
they do liquor. People- who “have to have it,"
or who don’t care about their country are ex
state provide for the farmer boys
ernpted. and for a number of years I kept
The Law—Any man can close the salpon be-, the matter before the newspaper »r
tween his own nose and his own chin; the Su-! of ^n^al?* **• ^
preme Court of the United States cannot de- [he*'weekly press As*ocii
clare the act unconstitutional. the idea of separating the Agt
The Badge—A small American flag worn on turn! department/from the Univ
the Teft_ lapel of the oat. if g-U see u mat.. I'nSZ,
(drinking liquor while he weitrs the wruiM
iflag you will know how much his patriotism : .Mi«hf-d in South Georgia nnd t
|amounts to. (old branch school at Daliloncg#'^
, 7, . ’ , * The organization fair to materially cut ' ’ from thu -cWI tki
Thai.the government would he , .h.oWJMhn of SWflVd -l-irin. A- ' liri.nV-u, y « ti A- tig
fjch and as a promoter of temperance it de- fLh- .i.it.lj .uoug t t e
serves heartv support. But Uncle Sam should jUn
• ' ’ 'otastaeyucitiitKtatiu.t t... lb.
e drinkjpr- The grain of this coim- college corps of teachers with ^
try is needed for bread; it should not be allowed y^lfasta 'wh'tlriprcpiroto^^jB
ted for drink. I in each district, but the dlr
, -chools have had to he mainti
' ' by the state up to this time l .
AN APPRECIATION. am proud that the Smith-Hughes,
’ and provides i
of war was a natural consequence. But there is I _ . ... ... . ■. nensa-1 if n 2. w a ,BW 8,,d providi
little to WVTMt the »" d .‘"blta* far greater than our desert,. The f.dlnwtag^Lkra, cW ta.
valuea, Mich a» haa marked the eouree of the in , neighboring city. ynn. of m; .M
meat, gram and .ugar market for the.paat.fe"- tnJ ,„«tehed the taaTta of a whole ‘ST.aad!
montha. For ttu. reaa.n, „ » neoeaaary toftr. y ^ arrival in , hc mOTntot m.ili
public welfare that the government interfere * a . . . r
Ira wenihoF tbo eranonmpr “ Allow me to congratulate the people of Geor-
J? , t » i- k f u P° n yo ur decision to give them the oppor-
Food regulation is paternalism, but so is mil- tun - tj r of 8ecurin? your “Saturday Nights" in
liner frnvemmpnt retnilntinn t i. r .1 ifa /-ironla-
itarism. And for coming government regulation
the speculators have no one but thcmaelvefl.lfL.lion.tha full measure of success which this most
excellent work so richly deserves.
I predict that this “Saturday Nights” concep
tion of yours, by virtue of its sympathetic, truth-
fid, patriotic anct 'heart-moving portrayal of
those homely scenes of a period of our state and
section’s life and hiatory which has quite passed
away, and which the people of the rising and
future generations must know only through
literature, will prove fit to survive through
many centuries, and will establish your rank as
an author of merited fame-
I am glad to recall that I am one of those
who urged a permanent form for those writings
and I am pleased to have the opportunity of
asking you to enter my order for one of the
first volumes from the press.
blame.
WANTS SAMPLE ONLY.
From the Griffin News and Sun.
Editor Herring announces that principally
from inclination, but also in response to many
acquests to put the sketches in more permanent
form, the series of articles appearing in the Tif
ton Daily Gazette over a year past under the
general heading “Saturday Night” will be pub
lished in book form. These articles are quite in
teresting and the Tifton editor has our order
for a sample book.
TOO GOOD TO BE LOST.
From the Savannah Press.
Editor Herring of the Tifton Gazette is to
have his "Saturday Night” sketches appear in
book form. We are glad he came to this decis
ion because these stories of South Georgia life
in the country are too good to’ be lost
book form; ahd to wish for you in its circula-
A man named Damm^ts^a manufacturer of
printing office machinery. A great many who
handle his product pronountee his name often
thought that I would give t
you by way of refreshing with t
further thought: The aoed waa
in Worth county and if yon 1
draw a circle renchingAmt 100 B" 1
from Tifton or Sylveiter ] "
find thro* of these rchoo’
College within the rtngr"
Americus, Douglas and Vali
This is a fine section (*
hut I can’t help g
sometimes fur old S,
With best wishes,*
W. i
VIRGINIA GIRt
Gained IS Pound*.By Taking 1
Norfolk, Va.—"I suffered t
vpusaaai, had no appetite — 1
thin. Nothing I-took ml
until one day a friend told l
V inoL I have now taken aix be
have gained fifteen pound*; hi
■pprtlte-and can eat.aa' ' ■
•m DBinm, Norfolk. <
V'nol ii * const
with it* formula on
create* an appetite, a
makee pore, healthy blood.
KILLS DRUG CO.