Newspaper Page Text
TEbe Litton <3a3ett«
Published W*»kly
Entered at the Postofflce at Tilton,
fa mail matter of the second clask.
ino. L. Herring Editor and Manager
THE TIFTON GAZETTE, 1
i JULY 6, 1917.
*3
. Georgiy
Official Organ City of Tifton
knd Ti/t bounty, Georgia.
SATURDAY NIGHT
y When the Water Went Out
“The water in the lake is running out."
By word of mouth, miraculously rapid, from
home to home through the sparsely settled
wiregrass region, populated almost exclusively
fished by the light of lightwood-knot
.The night for sleep, the sleep of exhaustion,
I sprawled on the wiregrass with no covering
but the sky. and in the morn to the fishing
again, until the water was gone and the fish
left behind not worth saving. Then
what could not be eaten was salted down and
carried home for the rainy day, to divide with
neighbors, or send to distant friends, and the
great picnic was over-
Long ago the seven-year tradition was dis
sipated, and now Ross lake has become mod
ernized and like other things of this fast age
empties itself every year or so- These empty
ings are still occasions for gatherings, but with
those who were boys forty years ago the memo
ries of old times, when its waters sought their
underground way to the sea. lingers wifh the
NOT THE WAY TO i
GEORGIA’S NEW GOVERNOR.
by stockmen, with-homes sometimes ten miles;things which many fond recollections cluster,
apart, the news passed, in the wireless “grape
vine," way so effective, as the Indians proved,
butthard to understand
The July sun poured do’wn with scorching
heat. For weeks there had been no rain and
small streams were dry, or running sluggishly-
The blades of corn were twisted.and hung
drooping; even the wiregrass rustled dryly.
Through the northwestern wiregrass region
ran obliquely a limestone strata, indicated hy
occasional “lknesinks" and other phenomena
giving surface indications of the porous lime-
rock underneath
In the midst of this, was a lake nearly half a
mile in length, celebrated for periodical out-
pourings- Once every seven years, so tradition
said, the water from this lake ran out through
a great hole near the center into the
bowels of the earth. The lake was then dry
fer a few months, but following the fall rains
the water Would return in some queer way, and
for the period of Jacob’s service the lake was
its normal self again Its water abounded in
fish and its banks were a favorite resort for
lovers of the sport. But when the waters ran
out, thousands of fish were left stranded, and
then for |.few days there was much fishing and
feasting-
When the waters began to take their depart
ure the fact was made known by a dull roar,
audible for quite a distance, and it was this
that gave notice to near-by settlers that the
great fishing time was at hand- Word was
passed through the country- for miles around,
and soon the fishers began to gather They
came on foot, with packs on backs; in home-
carta and ox carts; in buggies and wagons, and
horse and mule back. Soon the banks of the
lake were an immense camp-ground, and the
fishing was on.
There w$re seines made of guano sacks;
seines made’of cord, homespun and ti^d during
many nights and noontides of painstaking labor;
THE DIVORCE EVIL.
Says the Bainbridge Prtrt-Searchlight:
With all of Friend John Herring’s homely
philosophy and old fashioned advice his pa-
J>er is carryings big bunch_<»f divorce libels.
Those libellants must not read those good
®uggestions handed out in the Gazette. Keep
’em together over there, say we.
We wish we could say something that would
impress on the young and thoughtless
sacredness of the marriage tie; upon the quick
of temper or the quarrelsome by nature the
necessity of forbearance; upon the jurofr his
duty to the home and to society in carefully in
quiring into the merits of each society before a
verdict is given.
Not that we oppose divorce. Occasions
sometmes arise when a separation is best for
all concerned. But these are very rare. Too
often young people tire of the yoke only too
thoughtlessly assumed and the courts and juries
are made a party to their desire for a free
dom which will perhaps prove even a greater
mistake than their hasty marriage. Speaking
broadly, perhaps in one case in ten where a di
vorce is asked, should it really be given. Yet
the laws are very lax. the jurisdiction of the
courts limited,and where a fight is not made
the divorce is usually granted.
Much good could be accomplished if jurors
ere ot more injuiring nature aijd refused to
give verdicts unless they werf'shown that
tual, pressing necessity existed. Some gork
along this line would bring about aTfcore whole
some respect for marriage and its obligations.
If divorces were not so easy to obtain, ipany
couples would adjust their differences without
.ppealing to the courts and the world would
be much better off.
We cannot make it very difficult for young
people to enter the married state; this would
A sudden ending of the war by a spectacular
air battle or a decisive sea conflict appeals to
the imagination, but goes no further. The war
will not be ended that way. The end will come
when the gradual nibbling of Haig’s and Pe-
tein’a—and Pershing’s—men in France eats
away the last German stronghold and the Teu
tons are driven back to their own soil.
A long time, you say? Yes, but this war is
a long one- No one really acquainted with
conditions expects a speedy victory. When Sir
John French entrenched before 60-metre hill,
on the Belgian front, perhaps the public thought
his men would carry it within a week. But they
did not. When at last that hill was a hill
no longer, demolished by'approximately a mil
lion pounds of explo^v^k, it was only after
patient mining for nearly two years—after tun
neling under the most adverse conditions for
over half a mile. Did the British expect speedy
resuts when they began that stupendous un
dertaking? Jf they had. they would have been
as badly fooled as will the man who bases his
hopes on a sweeping victory by air. sea or land-
For there will be no such victory—at least not
for many months.
A sensational element of the American press
appeals for a vast fleet of airships—enough
to wipe out Germany’s air fleets in a day and
to strike terror to the German heart. A great
dream—but a dream only-
Another element insists that the German
navy be routed out and destroyed- So far as
known, all the Teuton battleships are safely
encircled by mine fields and forts, that insure
protection. Germany has never risked any
considerable number of them, and what risks
were taken was when all advantage was on
their side. It is safe to say that they will not
be brought out until all other hope is gone,
despite the oft reported and natural anxiety
of both commanders and men to get into ac
tion-
Routing warships out of mine-enclosed har
bors is no light task, as the Allies’ proved in
the Dardanelles w-hen they lost six ships worth
fifteen million dollars and over five thousand
men within less than two hours.
This war will not be won by the dreamers
^id idealists—although they may in season do
their part. Victor}* will come to the heaviest
metal and the greatest resource in men. food
and munitions; valor and applied science
eantime playing their allotted part-
To hope for anything else is to deceive our
selves. and by' deceiving bring dscouragement-
IN RULES
Chug*
BERRIEN'S SCHOOL ELECTION.
there were seines made of brush, and some fished
wtih their hands, scorning a seine of any kind
Some fished with “striking irons,” made from
a section of tire filed sharp with a handle af
fixed ; still others clubbed 'the fish unlucky
enough to come within reach. But all—men,
women and children, fished
At it they went, as soon as it was light-
Through the deeper waters men in squads drug
their seines, bringing the fish in fluttering loads
to the banks In the small pools and under
neath the cypress knees, beneath the overhang
ing tussocks of grass, the men with the irons
or with clubs, occasionally with a dip net. and
many with nothing but their hands, fished.
Some were noiny. but all were busy.
An occasional shout denoted the taking of a
grand prize. Perhaps a trout (black bass)
esteemed highest of all. sleighing five pounds
or more; perhaps a long and slender jack, with
flesh sweet and white despite the jnyriads of
small bones; perhaps a long, red finned pike:
next a large warmouth perch, broad and flat
with moss grown back; perhaps the dark
bream or red perch of many species; not even
the small “red-eye" was despised- In fact, all
was fish that came to hand except the hated
gar. sometimes five to seven foot in length,
which cut seines and evaded the swiftest blow,
but wag finally slain and thrown out to be de
voured by the hogs, ready for the reaving* And
always the catfish, with needle-like fins and
working whisk are, which furnished material
for tempting stews Occasionally also, the
,snapping turtle, the loggerhead, or soft shell
fell prize to eager searchers ^ *
While the fishers were busy, firw had been
kindled and beds of coals glowed Over these
in covered three-legged spiders corn-bread was
soon baking to a rich, dark brown in broad, flat,
oval-shaped pones Near by o n other coals
huge tin coffee-pots were bubbling darkly-
sending up jets of steam. Last, in big, flat
frying-pans lard was sizzling, and into this the
freshly cleaned fish, alive a few minutes before
—white, withssides sliced to facilitate browning
and rolled ,in meal— were carefully laid-
Soon. platters were piled with them, appetizing
odors giving notice that the time to eat had
come. Corn pones were stacked handy, and
the coffee .poured into gourds and tin cups-
Then. up from the lake the fishery came,
some barefoot, with pants legs rolled ^'their
knees; others taking it straight through, shod
but muddy to the waists; all wet to their skins,
and all hungry, for they had earned the feed.
And as they squatted or lounged around the
spread beneath the shade of overhanging trees.
The farm demonstration agent for Turner
reports that not over twenty-five per cent, of
the cultivatable land in that cqunty is in cot
ton. a very gratifying showing for its farmers-
He also reports the boll weevil in practically
all the cotton crops visited, but says the infest
ation is light and thinks that with diligence in
keeping the squares picked, three-fourths of a
crop can be made- The report from Irwin in our
news columns Saturday bears out other reports
from men who have visited that county from
time to time as to a large cotton acreage, and
even under the best circumstances, those farm-
there was such eating as we in these days ot era are facing a loss. Weevil conditions in Tift.
lead the way to evils much worse. We cannot
make it impossible for people once married to
obtain release; this would work many hard
ships on innocent parties. But we can, by
closely watching these things, impress it on the
minds of the young that once they are married
they cannot throw off their obligations unless
by so doing a greater wrong is averted. Once
this is thoroughly understood; perhaps so many
marriages would not be lightly made and the
appeals to the divorce courts would not be so
frequent.
Certainly, it is time that something was done,
as the steadily growing dockets attest.
AN OPPORTUNITY AT LEAST.
Representative Bankston Is a man after our
own idea- His resolution, introduced on the
first oportunity. that the Legislature adjourn
July 21st was just the right thing.
Doubtless the resolution will be discussed
and debated, but will not prevail. Adjourn
ment would be the proper thing, and the right
thing, the patriotic thing, but that is not what
the legislators are there for.
Twenty-four days would afford ample time
to transact all necessary business; in fact, it
should be done in much less, for there is very
little to do. But there are some slates to fix
and some political liens to set. and many of the
members—want a vacation at the state's ex-
pense
So while Mr. Bankston’s resolution is worthy
of instantaneous and unanimous adoption, it
won’t go through—not within a mile or so.
The people don't want any more legislation;
they are tired of politics; they have their minds
o n -something else. But they will never get re
lief from the present state of affaire until they
take the matter in their own hands and h»ve
biennial sessions- That will be very difficult
to secure, for the necessary enactment must
come from the General Assembly and it doesn’t
want to see its job cut in half.
Ordinary Norwood has called an election in
Berrien county for Wednesday. July 18th. on
the question of local taxation for public schools.
Soon after locating in Berrien, over twenty
years ago. (Tifton was in Berrien then) the
editor of tlje Gazette earnestly seconded the
efforts of Thos. E- Williams, at that time- Coun
ty School Commissioner, and a number of other
progressive citizens of Berrien, in an effort to
secure local taxation for schools We failed
by a large majority, but. we hope public senti
ment has changed since then
The first thing Tift county did when it be
gan housekeeping was to vote local taxation
for schools. We hpve never regretted the
vement. and regard it as one of this coun
ty’s most progressive steps. We want our neigh
bors to share in this good thing, and feel sure
that, after two rears under local taxation- they
•ould not go back, to the old order of things
under any circumstances-
If Governor Dorsey’s administration follows
out the general lines of his inaugural address
it will be a constructive one- The -things he
recommends are among those the state has
long needed and bringing to the office youth
and energy and progressive ideas he should,
by force of executive influence, be able to
secure a majority of them.
The great mass of the people of the state
support his position that the tax equalization
law should not be repealed unless a better law
substituted This law only came after many
years hard fighting by public spirited men
against a strongly organized lobby for the tax
dodgers. It marked the emancipation of the
state from the “passing the hat" plan of re
turns. No doubt the law has faults and in
many respects needs improvement, but its re
peal without a satisfactory substitute would
set Georgia back forty^yeare in methods' of
taxation.
Another needed reform is the inauguration
of the Governor on the first of the year instead
of near the middle There are many reasons
for this besides the fact that practically all of
the departments of the state government run
with the calendar year, one of the chief is that
a governor is nominated, which is equivalent
to an election, nearly a year before he goes
into office-
Perhaps the strongest recommendation in
the message is that, which proposes a set of
general laws to relieve the Legislature of Jhe
mass of local legisation which .akes up
much of its time to the negect oj/hc real bus
iness of the state- This might enable us to se
cure uniform methods for the eatablidimen!
of city and county courts, incorporating vns
and creating commissioners of-roadj and reve j
nues. and eliminate many other items of petty
and expensive legislation that take up two-
thirds of the time of each annual session
The creation of a« efficiency commission and
a comprehensive system of state accounting,
local taxation, for schools, prompt payment of
school teachers and pensions, reforms in the
administration of the criminal laws, and fos
tering agricultural interests, are all things
that should be strongly commended.
Governor Dorsey goes into office, not only
with the endorsement of the great majority
of the people of state as was evidenced 1^- his
sweeping victory in the primary, but wifh the j Cont# , u on Fourth Brought Good
hearty wishes of a majority of his former P" Crowd to laUrastiag Emu.
litical opponents that the principles he advo- Despite bad weather .for it rain-
cates may be enacted into laws. ,J intermittently all day. the *wim-
; mini: pool enjoyed a nice Fourth of
A FORGOTTEN LAW. July ' Mnd betw ** B I2 f *" d 130 t * ok
.... , . . ; a pluhge in the cool, clean water.
W , have a machine at work ,n Atlanta fnak- ' popl b „„ d
ing another volume of laws, when there anejiutionT
already so many on the statute books, that j The sports, though handicapped
have been forgotten, even by the lawyers theni-iby thi
Wkoraby Commit!... Caa-
B.ry Pot MaaiurM.
Atlanta, July S.—The progre**-
ives in the House of Representatives
who supported Culpepper for speak-
have won a victory almost as
pleasing to them as would hav e been
their candidate’s election to preside
over the deliberations of the House.
They bsve refolded, to a very
considerable extent, the rules of die
House, and while one reform which
they inaugurated did not go
through, they carried all th e ethers
are very much gratified with
success of their movement.
We have freed the House from
the control of the committees,’
dared Cecil NoiU,
County, cn e of Representative
pepper's strongest supporters,^
cussing the subject yesterday
have placed th e -House in a
where ft c#n be the mast»(»|
actions, instead of
bound by the
has always been
Back tn lb16
in the House i
reform in Un
they sowed i
A committee of tl
a bill ten i
the bill < _
to discharge''th* <
further cor
old rules, t
a bill and keep it jp|
fusing to report it «
other - and thereby c
don. while the House was powef-
levs to force action.
The Rules Committee can no^
keo-p a proposed change in the rule*/')
or a proposed special order, for two
•4-ays; then if it Joes not report, ita
failure automatically discharges it
from further consideration of the
matter in question. Under the old
rule, the rules committee had an
“incubator" where it stowed away
the resolutions to which it was op
posed. and the House could never
compel the committee to report.
These ar e only two of the reforms
which the House has made in the- 1
•landing rules, and the ethers are
along the same lines, and of equal
importance.
SWIMMING POOL AWARDS
SOUTH GEORGIA SHIPPING WHEAT
Who would have thougflt a few years ago
that South Georgia would be selling wheat in
carload lots? Yet the Cordele Dispatch tells
us of two Crisp Couifty men who made up a,
solid carload of wheat grown on their farjns
and sold ft -fdr approximately $1,750- -The
Dispatch also tells us of a Crisp County farmer
Atho-gold 500 bushels of oats and 360 bt»shel»
of wheat-
Verily, this is becoming the- land of com
and wheat if wine is obsolete. South Geor-
gia is coming into her own and the -first evi
dence of this is that she is feeding herself.
STRAIGHTEN THE CURVES.
Much can be done for the conservation of
time and the saving of life by eliminating sharp
road curves wherever possible. In many in
stances where roads are being rebuilt a little
Work can remove a curve without loss to the
land owner and with .little expense to the
builder.
Many auto accidents are due to sharp and
unnecessary curves. Much delay and conse
quent loss of time is caused by them- Wise
economy in road buildfng adheres wherever,
possible to the straight line, and when curves;
cannot be avoided they are made as long a :
possible.
dyapepsia and indigestion know nothing.
With only a short period for jest or story
telling after the meal, the fishing went on again
until darkness forced surcease—although many
Turner and Irwin appear about the sami
weevils in nearly *11 the crepe, and these con
ditions probably obtain throughout South Geor
gia-
The third bill introduced in the Georgia
Senate was by Mr Wohlwender. of .the 24th.
to tax soft drinks, automobiles, gasoline, and
kindred properties to make up the big deficit
caused by the bone-dry law- As gasoline is
nuch more intoxicating than alcohol when run
through the engine of an auto for some peo
ple, and soft ones are the only drinks left us
the Senator’s bill has something to com
mend it
selves and the men sworn to enforce them.
Here is a case in point:
Attention was called by a news article sept
but from Atlanta Sunday to the law enacted in
1912. requiring all state and county officers
who receive fees to make quarterly report*
sitme to the Comptroller-General. This 1
was passed presumably as. a step toward aboi-'
idling the fee system and putting all officers
on salaries. A rather severe penalty wad pro
vided for its violation—a fine of $LTKK» or six
months’ imprisonment, or both, ^Fet despite
fact that it was thoroughly, discuss-
t the time, the law appears to' be ' pretty
much a dead letter. /
It is stated that for the second quarter of
1916. only twenty-eignf Ordinaries, four Coun
tv Treasurers- three ' Tax Receivers and tht
same number of Tax Collectors filed reports.
the first quarter of HH7- only twelve
Clerks of Superior Courts and twelve Sheriff*
reported v These figures are taken at random
to show'" the general disregard of the la’
Equally remiss are Solieitors-General. Solici-
ip/s of City and County Courts, and other of
ficials of both state and count}- whose duty it
is to see that the law ts enforced.
that attention Is called to the way the
law is ignored, the question arises—whaj good.
ould be attained it it wais complied with?
None, perhapsryercompliance therewith means
a lot of work and book-keeping on the part of
the officers affected, and the useless piling up
of records in the capitol. where room is at a
premium already—records that no Qne
ever want to see and that would be of n<
if they were seen.
Then, if the law is useless and practically
i dead letter, why .not repeal it? It was doubt
less passed on impulse and when-the impulse
was gone, everybody except a few directly
concerned forgot it. And when this one is re
pealed. why not stop grinding out so maiiy
others of the same value and efficiency?
Although he doesn’t make as much noise
about it, President Wilson is doing his bit in
the same way Col Roosevelt is doing his- Two
of Roosevelt’s sons are in the expeditii
France, and Mr. Wilson’s son-in-law. Francis
B. Sayre, is going with the American troops as
Secretary of the Young Men’s Christian Ass^
ciation- /
To supply the deficiency in revenue caused
by war prohibition, the Springfield Republican
suggests that the government issue * billion
and a half of "bone-dry” 3 1-2 per cent bonds
and let the prohibitionists take them up as
proof that they mean what they say. Which
they would probably do, it*. may judge by I
the way Liberty Bonds were gobbled-
V
readier, were pulled off with
•ption of the girls' swioming
race which was called off for insof-.
ficier.t entries.
Many, iiyfacl. an unusually largo
number of visitors were down and
enjoyed the antics of the swimmetS
On the swinging rings, the trapeze, -
the slide, high dive and spring board.
Following is a summary of the atb-
Boys' Swimming Raca.
First Prize, month'* ticket to
pool. Tom McCrea.
Second Prize—Case Chero Cola,
Felix Hargrett.
Di.t.
Won by Feli
Second -Pnz<
, Dir.
and Spring Board.
ive: first prize, Fe-
month'* ticket to
cue
i Met
The “Phanniest" Stunt.
On rings, spring board or trapeze
won by Tom Shipp on best all-round
average, one case Chero Cola.
The Tug of'War wound up the
contests. Two teams of four men,
Tom Shipp. Oscar Pate. Sam Goode '
and Harold Riggin- won against Jim
Mitchell. Tom McCrea, Fred Wil-
linm.- n'ld Felix Hargratt.
omed :n disposing, of the:..
—two cases of ('hero Cola,
turning the contest into a regular
Chero Cola day.
The management regrets not to
have given more notice of the con
tests. but promises a nice series of
events in the near future for adults
and younger foiks also, which will
be well advertised so the contestants
and public will both have time to
prepare:
Hurrah for our swimming pool-ft
Tifton's Pride.
What is LAX-FC
UX-fOJ IS M IMPROVED C
A Digestive Liquid Laxative, CatlL
and Lir«#Tonic. Contains Cascara S
Blue Flag Root. Rhubarb Root, B1
Root. May Apple Root, Senna Leave* and
Pepsin. Combines strength with pala
table aromatic taste. Itoe» not gupt SOe
WEDNESDAY’S ENLISTMENTS,
Those enlisting from this secticq
July 4th were:
Jake W. Wilcox, Barney. ■
Williams T. A right. Adel.
Charlie H. Meeks, Douglas.
CASTORIA
For Infants and Children 1
In Um For Over 30 Years