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THE TIFTON GAZETTE,
FRIDAY, JULY 20, 1*17.
tCbe ZTtfton Oa^ettc
Published Weekly
Entered at the Postoffice at Tiftdn, Georgia,
aa mail matter of the second claaa.
Buddy and the other boys quarreled ovct their
tasks and Uncle Sebe had to interfere several
timea to prevent a fight. He stopped frequent
ly to talk and to admonish the boys, and the
traveler sweated and toiled and said things
to himself. Then, midway the afternoon, all
to. L. Herring Editor and Manager
Three companion bills introduced in the
Georgia General Assembly by Representative
A. B. Conger of Decatur would, if enacted into
. law. give the people a surcease of th.e mass of
hands had to stop to. go to the house for wfg degiHlption with which they are now being af-
Official Organ City of Tiftoh
and Tift County, Georgia.
SATURDAY NIGHT.
The Blacksmith Who Did Not Hurry.
“Light, take out. and come in.”
The speaker leaned on the top rail of the
yard fence, beside the gate of palings. On
either hand lounged one of his larger boys,
another hid bashfully behind him while be
tween the house and the gate straggled two
more eyeing the stranger with lazy indiffer
ence. Across two hundred feet* of clean-swept
sandy .vard dotted with dwarf cape jassamines
and small clusters of summer pinks stood the
house, a single pen of logs with an unfloored
shelter in front. From the open door two
women, mother and daughter, took note of
the visitor.
The man could well have posed for a pa
triarch. Of giant frame, still unbent despite
his snow-white hair, leonine head and mas
sive countenance, a full beard reached far
down his breast and added to the pleasing
effect. But he spoke with a. lazy drawl in
describable and -each movement was with a
slow deliberation that soon became exasper
ating. He was a veteran tvho had carried a
musket behind Jackson, and he bore the rep-
tuation of a fighter—certainly he never ran.
under any circunlstano
To the left of the house, in the edge of the
small cotton field under a shed; was an
cient anvil, a bellows with many leaks and
groans and a few battered blacksmith tools.
" These were the objectives of the traveler’)
call. Only a few miles back there had been
' ^ajj accident. The wagon in which -he rode
had one front and one rear wheel on the front
axle, and one end of the rear axle was drag
ging on a pine skid. The wrecked front wheel
showed the need of a wheelwright.
It was barely 11 o'clock of a June day and
the traveler was in a hurry.' “How long will
it take you to fix my wheel. Uncle Sebe
asked. “Oh. I don't know: not long.” was
the reply. “Get down and take out.” The
team was put* in the lot which boasted
shelter, and forage was gathered for them
from the field near by. This done the trav
eler insisted on taking the wheel to the shop.
1 somewhat against Uncle Sebe's protest, whose
mind just then was on dinner. Once it was
there he refused to touch it until after the
noon meal despite the pleadings of the own
er of the urgent necessity thnt he get under
way at the earliest possible moment.
To the house they went, and there they sat
for nn hour and chatted until dinner was call
ed. Uncle Sebe and the traveler ate first;
women folks and children were supposed to
wait. The main dish and about the only one
was an enormous blackberry pie. It had to
be a big one to feed nine people, all with good
appetites. “Children went out and picked
some, this morning." said Uncle Sebe. “Thought
I’d try.a few; don’t know whether I'll like ’em
or not.” Truth was. meat was a luxury and
the remark was to cover it® absence. The
traveler ate his share of berries and thought
of his wheel.
After dinner, work was not trt^be thought of.
As soon as the family had finished the mother
and all qf the children joined Untje Sebe and
the traveler under the shed on the shady side
of the house. "Charge up the old pipe. Bud
dy; and let’s take a smoke.” said Uncle Se.be
to the oldest boy. a long, lank youth verging
on manhood, who had his father's drawl and
deliberate movements. - The pipe of clay with
reed stem was filled with "stingy-green” to
bacco which hung to cure from the. rafters
just inside. Father, mother, grown daughter
and the three oldest bb.vs all took a turn at
the same pipe. No wonder the Indians call
. it .a pipe of peace. '
It was 2 o’clock -and three hours of val
uable time gone before the urging .of the trav
el. - got Uncle Sebe out to thelshop. Jhete
the job was first carefully surveyed, stock
taken of material on hand arid much measur
ing done before actual work started. But
there was plenty of help. The stranger was
only too glad to do his pari and nil the boys
large enough to walk lent a hand. Notice-
sable among these was the one next to Buddy
called "Shug.” He -had a scriptural name too
long to pronounce and doubtless during his
babyhood days he'looked sweet to his mother
,at least, and she chRed him "Sugar.” 'from
which “Shug” developed. He looked the
part. He was even lazier and slower than
Buddy; his face was the color of yellow tal
low with many freckle marks; - mind Ml
puffed, with a sallow, unhealthy cast; his
blue and watery hnd his mouth tobacco staiifc
ed. We would call him anemic in these days’,
and say he had hookworm: then they sim
ply accused him of eating dirt, and let it go
at that.
The broken spoke%had to be mortised fro*
the hub and from tiupelloas - , then more spokes
had to be made; tK) two felloes to replace
those split.
workman
this one,
was a vu
ter and have a smoke.
Fretfully the traveler watched the sun de- 1
cllne and at last saw that *a stay until next day
was inevitable. Before sundown Unde Sebe
and the boys knocked off. and at early can
dlelight supper was called* The good wife
had killed a chicken and. there was. strange
to say, some of the blackberries left.
After supper, another family smoke from
the single pipe and tha.traveler-nodded while
Uncle Sebe talked until tys wife announced
that the beds were ready. All of the family
slept in the single room, which served also
for ldtchtn and dining puQm. The mother and
father and smaller children* manged somehow
on the two'beds and a shake-down in the rear.
The traveler shared a mattress between the
doors with Shug-arid Buddy. These youths
made up for inactivity in the (fay by an in
dustrious night, and their partner, between
fending off kicks and unintentional blows or
punches, at the' same time trying to preserve
artd even balance on the edge of the maltreat,
was glad when daylight came.
Breakfast, another smoke and at last to the
job. A morning thnt was a repetition of-the
afternoon, ami* - at last when the wheel was
ready for the tire Uncle Sebe glanced at the
it was about 11. and knocked off
for dinner. After dinner, another smoke ».td
then pine-bark-'was- brought frhm the vr&ids
near by'and set around the circle of the tire.
This, when fired, brought it to a pink heat
and with tongs and wire it was lifted on to
the wheel. Rut here the slowness of ‘Uncle
Sebe and his hoys came near spoiling it all;
the hot tire set the pine wood of the wh*el
in flames and it came near being destroyed
before the stranger could get water and nut
it out.
At last it was done and the traveler was
ready to depart. Fortunately, he \«as only
charged for the work and not .for the tin’ \
else he would .have been, bankrupt. \
“Come again, when bullaces (wUd-'Scupper-
nongs) are ripe.” said'Uncle Seine, as the
traveler picked up the lines. Ifji* promised
but he hoped he wouldn’t have to. A. week
later he “came down" with an attack of slow
fever that lasted well into the fall. Wjhether
the sojourn at Unde Sebe’s was a cause oi
an,incident, he never knew.
Unde 1 Se.be - bit* been gathered to his fath
ers for many years; his boys grew up and
passed , leaving many children- and grandchil
dren. But -he was rugged and honest, a char
acter in his way, and typical of the wiregrass
blacksmith of the long .ago.
A CONSTRUCTIVE MOVE
Aided and give the public a chance to catch up
with their expensive. largely useless, and often
harmful, law-making machine.
One of these bills proposes a constitutional
amendment providing that the House of Repre
sentatives shall consist of one member from
each Senatorial District; another provides that
the Senate sjiall consist .of one member from
each Congressional District, and a third would
fix the salary of Legislator*^ $7.50 instead of
$-1 a day. p-*
If enacted and approved, these measures are
calculated to give Georgia a smaller and there
fore more efficient body of representatives.
The purpose is to reduce the quantity and-im
prove the quality. Mr. Conger’s bill would
also make biennial sessions *pos„sibl,
it would necessitate general legislation govern
ing a great number of local matters such as
municipal charters, countv government And in
ferior courts—which now constitute nine-tenths
of the legislation enacted.
We have no hopes that Mr. Conger’s meas
ures will pass. That they have been introduc
ed is a hopeful sign for reform in the right di
rection. Representative Conger was born and
raised in the territory which is now Tift count;
,and we are proud thati f is a son of Tift who in
itiates a movement that could bring so much
good to the people of. the state as a whole.
War Fund:
July 9»h, 1917.
Albany * 26.000.00
mericu* 5,000.00
Athens '• 28,023.16
ugusta 50.000.00
Atlanta 203.916.00
UNIFORM COTTON BALING.
Says the Moultrie Observer:
The Observer may not be the right source
for the advice to be given from, but we think
that the best way to deal withi those who fail to
“stand by the President” is tO allude to them
in short and curt paragraphs. The more space following subscriptions to
there is given to critics the more advertising is " v% '~
given to what they have to say and the wider
the breach is opened. Where opposition to the
government politics is extreme and treasonable
it can and should be dealt with by the law.
and where it is too mild for the courts to han
dle-it would be better to ignore it. devoting
the extra.space to giving reasons for all men
standing by the President at this time. In
jecting politics into disaffections is about the
worst thing that can be done.
The Gazette has thought all along that the
men and officials who are trying to make po
litical capital out of their opposition to their.
President and their counteyiis represented by
the men chosen as leaded^. are being given en
tirely too much publicity. They are getting
a great deal of advertising out of the matter,
undesirable though ft may be for the present.*
that they will endeavor to turn into an asset
when they go on the stump next year.
The Gazette discusses issues, not men. Re
cent happenings in Georgia, including -sedi-
arv meetings in counties and militia dis
tricts as well as seditious utterances from the
rostrum by men of whom their country, had
a right to expect better, we have "preferred to
treat in this way—by meeting the arguments
and showing their shallowness and sophistry
rather than by abusing the misled participants
in the meeting, or advertising the men who n
in this manner bidding for the vote of a ci
WHY WE ARE IN IT.
About the best answer.we have seen to the
foolish question. “Why is America at \
from the Springfield. (Mass.) Republican,
which puts the matter in a light by which the
dacker who asked ran see himself as the bal
ance of the world sees him:
The man who cannot see sufficient rea
son for this country's participation in the \var
t have ■ nd his independence Day
fortless. F; r aim the spirit of ’76 must be
mere tradit • :. and not vitally linked,
■ith the nn: :'s purpose-today.. The banding
for defence of Democratic peoples fails to stir
him. If the violation of Belgium, the deporta
tion of her'inen. women and children, the on
slaught on France, the ruthless mothods to af
fright the world, the threat of overlordship
that stops at nothing in its march, the sinking
of our sii;;»s and the murder of men and wo
men of our nationality—nil the blight of the
German propaganda and purpose, written so
deep in blood and desolation—dues not pro
vide this man with T6««v,on -for the participa
tion of the Uriited States in the defense of dem
ocracy. what would or could avail to do this?
Of nne thing he may-be aure. If the allied
,rauutrie*.s.h©uld be defeated-, the reason vf\<x
the l in', it Stales is at war will lie made clear
as Prussian domination reaches his home,
along with the rest of the country. In such
loss of “Ur- heritage -of freedom the light Of
knowledge would shine where darkness now is
but irreparable loss would have attended the
illumination. Ignominy might be our lot in
that event, but not the shame of having with
held our hand while the Prussianizing of the
world was in progress. The United States is
in this war because it could not remain out of
it. without being recreant to every principle
for wjiich the-fathers dared all and being in
different to the.degradation-attending the sac
rifice of the nation's self-respect.
Civilization and the right to exist are at
stake: honor and self-preservation are involv
ed. These are considerations that move free
peoples to the limit of resistance. To this
Btrait German intrigue and faithlessness
have brought us against our will, but being
there we shall stand aud do our part to make
the world once more safe for democracy. To
hint that politicians have led u« into war is
drii-al.. -T-he-intimation That" w e a he' in'This war
for gain is despicable slander. Ours not to
make money, but to give if in measure beyond
rill precedent, along with the more precious
lives that are to be demanded of us. The toll
of the war will pass none of us by. Is the re
luctant but stern purpose that the United States
has feached to be characterized as "bunk”?
Then nothing in all the world is true and
•worthy, and our souls, whether as nation or in
dividuals, are not worth considering.
The Gazette has advocated fjjr-vnany years
uniformity in baling cotton nmibelter care of
the staple whiTe it is in prtocess of marketing.
South has lost millions of dollars by the
careless, slipshod manner in wliich its grea
product has been handled, because the waste
in process of transportation or from exposure
to weather ultimately comes out of the pro
ducers' pocket.
A movement was started two years ago to
-cure a law providing for uniform cotton
baleiv’and this has received impetus from the
high price* of the staple. A h.l: to that ef
feet is before the General Assembly, which
is said to have the endorsement of the Com
missioner of Agriculture and is being pushed
by cotton fatftors^nd warehousemen,
trust some adequateNpeasure will be passed
by which the farmers of this section at leas)
will be saved the cost of this annual waste.
The matter is really ap interstate one. but ac
tion by Georgia rilone will protect its citi
zens.
WE WILL HAVE SOME COTTON.
The • cotton crop in
means to be classed as
acreage in Tift county
pared with last year.
this section is by
a failure although the
is less than half,
• Despite the unfavor
able spring, what .cotton plants we have ai
now growing fast and taking on fruit rapid!
Many grown bolls attest that at least a portion
of the crop has passed beyond the boll weevil’s
reach.
The great majority of our farmers realized
that if they made any cotton'they would have
to fight for it and started to fighting early. The
squares huve been picked as fast-tis they fell
many of the crops and even if the weevil
comes in great numbers with the July and Au
gust rains, there will still bo quite n lot of
the staple which is now bringing such an at
tractive price produced.
The farmers arc responding to the Presi
dent's call, just ay effectively as was the r.
^pSnse to Liberty Bonds arid Red Cross calls.
The /country wanted corn, and here cornea a
bumper crop of three billion bushels, an in
crecsesrf si* frundn-t! million bushels over last'
year.
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO.
om the Tifton Gazette, March 25th, 1892:
Berrien Superior Court was in session.
Judge A. H. Hanseil presiding and 'W. E.
Thomas. Solicitor-General. J. J. Sutton was
acquitted of the charge of murder.
N. Brown was building a residence North
of the W. O. Tift residence on Love avenue.
The editor hinted that he would become a ben
edict-on its completion.
Harmon C. Baker let the contract to J. C.
Hind for a residence on his farm southeast of
the city.
The Board of Tax Equr.lir.ers for Berrien
W. G. Avera. L. L. Albritton. J.. T. Wilkes.
J. G. Graydon and J. E.'Connetl. organized
for business.
O. B. Sfevens. of Dawson, ar.d C. B. Wcoten
of Albany, candidates for Congress from the
Second District, were, ftmong. .those. JoaUaq
the'rounds'of fne spring term of Sup;rior
C inrts.
The Farmers' Alliance, at the Cuthbert
n - ention. endorse O. B. Steven3 for . Con
gress.
Atlanta Conctitlition and Journal were
thre-hing out the old llill-Clevcland fet.d.
Elder J. A. Scnrboro conducted a ministers’
and deacons' institute for three days at Enig-
ENTIRELY TOO MUCH PUBLICITY
HOW GEORGIA SUPPORTED
Th. Rad Cm. *100.000,000 War
Fond
Reports from all the cities in
Georgia taking part in the Red Cross
$100,000,000 Campaign compiled
by the Red Cross Wnr Council lhow
I'e prefer trying. to show the peop.’p that
the arguments are wrong instead of showing
them that fHe men arc wrong: to try to do our
part towards educating the public to. a better
understanding and a higher patriotism th:
lecond the efforts of politicians \*ho see their
nfltience crjrfiiiiiing to bolster this
inning the prejudiced oi* misjnformed.
There 'is no escaping the fact that a certain
.pip-centage of our population is opposed to se
lective draft. Some men are astuta^enough to
seize ijpon. this fact in an effort to make v th'
selves solid at the polls when' election \Jitne
comes. They reason that a large portion of
their following will remain loyal under any
circumstances, and they depend for 'new reA
cruits. among those who are antagonistic to
their country's leaders, even in a time of great-
•st crisis. Such a cours«/is reprehensible to b*
ure. but in politics the average man wants first
o wifi: his country and its welfare is a minor
onsideration.
Such men k-ed
1.296.00
18.300.00
9.000.00 \
7.500.00
5.900.00
8,000.00
Grand Total
. . $587,81-1.10
Chamberlain’, Colic. Cholara and
Diarrhoea Retnadjr.
should keep * this preparation at
Every family without exception
hnn.l during.the hot weather of the
mmer months. Chamberlain’s
die. Cholera and Diarrhoea Rem-
y is worth many t.mcs its cost
ien needed and is almost certain
be needed before the summer
over. It has no superior for the
rpo-es for which it is intended.
lv it now. Obtainable everywhere.
n Out Malaria. Builds tip System
BOARD HAS HEADQUARTERS
The Board of Trade has arrang-
! temporary headquarters in thd
office just -West of those of the
Frank Scarboro Company.
The Taylor Furniture Company
, .* very kindly lent to the Board
spaper publicity: crit-|thi necessary office furniture for
one of their stocks in trade. Many thjs temporary arangement. to be
who would never had been heard from outside | u .4'* *l nt!l the new furn 'tur* ar-
if-their home militia districts have won- fame , r /,
. , . , . . /Mr holder will be in this offica
r infamy - V cleverly dnn, upon themselves I, r „ h
the criticism of the press. Then upon the ;,. installed he mu y be reached over
p the.v denounce the very newspapers' the 'phone of the Frank Scarhoro
that brought them out of oblivion and charge;Company.
nisrepresentation when misrepresentation , Thl ' Stal * rh;m ” -r of Commerce
*Mltd he . kindness, and a fair and i.nhiavd T *"? * «“•
. . . ,, , , . secretary Frank >. Reynold* for
■opnrt——wl,i, n they usually get—the thing further ..rganiuUon.
hoy least desire. - — Th.- matter «,f bf*- coming will be
The Gazette does not care to be a par*yl> "n» «f she subject* for dirci-saioi?
scheme'< f such men for seif ndverti-u-mm;. t U l ' “ft'rnoon. at the meeting of
believe lhal if the press renerallv took this f h;''™ Th,™ ,r.
, .... , iHlJ -m.- dot.-i.- of organization to
position and argued principles, not personal!- pU . t „, Upun a . a i, 5tanti# | fia , i9 _
•s„ there would be fetver demagogues and >:.. : ,-,ve r it i* t<> the interest *f ev-
Jdatherskites before the public. Undue public!- m«-. in the •> to hecn* a
seditious utterances does harm,Sedition is
imitative, just as murder, suicide and many j „ T ^
otjJiinei-jm^imitativc. Old newspapermen-:^.,
e noticed often how a crime of one charac-Jfc,,
almost surely has a succession of imitations, a t.--
ration.
!--r i.« quoted a* faying:
'••rcial organization in
nity ha a mission little
•inr than the church. It*
divided i
S" with seditious and inflammatory utterances, t”-: cla-- • l'ir*t. . ..mmerclal and
Tfie traitor to his country would have a very ' 0!: ' 1- *'_ t-ih-r on,, affect*
small sphere of influence if the newspapers." ott., l..,th m..,-* tor better
• . , , ... , . , . , , ■ •I-’"’- w.rf-- V,. tv .-ommunlfy.
mripari nr exnloitine hint, contented th, -
selves with showing up thgtrue character of
me men and
" "men the city arc willing to
hjs would-lie-argument. \
\\'-rk. fur better, condition* i« such *
. : -it. WT-nnifflUh''^
A REMARKABLE HISTORY OF GROWTH
„. . The. repurt_oX-the JJoar-d of Tex Assessors for
Berrien county for this year showed a total
property nssessmentef $7,637,183.
It is interesting to note in this connection
that when the Tifton District was taken from
Berrien in 1905 to form a part of the new coun
ty of Fift tile people of the parent county
thought it was ruined. Yet that year the
returns for all of Berrien, including the .Tifton
it- rml If. ttu-ypTi-r,.. it -toes bring
at,out better living ,-on.tition. every
* ’man and child in the com
munity - w tM-nehtert:— Men ind
men. therefore, should, be glad to
take advantage of the opportunity
offered by «ueh an organization td
«'o-k for better ’things."
The committee .appointed to draft
a charter for the Ronrd of Trade
ha* submitted it*■ report and appll-
euliou will be*made to Tift Superior :
Court for incorporation.
District, were $1,792,992, or just a little over
half~of the returns for the remaining Districts
^—^^ATEXASWONDEB y
In 1905 the Tifton District returned a little
more than one-fourth of the taxable property
in Berrien county or $1,259,107. It is to be
|| Ji
Kittie Sease is suing Benjamin Sease
divorce in the Courts of Chatham. If
people can’t quit, there’s nothing in
noted that this year the Nashville District re-1
tt-ak and laum bark., r
turned more than Tifton in 1905—or $1,309
064. Adel is a close second to Nashville with
$1,115,359 -and -Aiapatra - ri^trftrp third wTfli'
$901,706. In 1905 Nashville District returned
$687,72fri"Adot $456,128. and Alapaha $316.-
!23.
'rr."'_ 1 ° r r.iT‘H*. 1 .* .(fin, lITi. and*
wr&Sz .
The growth of this section, so well illustrat
ed by- the figures quoted, is something marvel
ous and reads almost like an* Utopian dream. ]
In considering the above it is to be remembered ,
that the county of Tift will return more prop- Cost Llttls-
erty for taxaHon this year than the entire coun- 1
hat Rev. W L. Carter h>l gone of Berrien returned in 1905.
of the Clerk of Superior Court - ... - , , . *w*BC. i
in Douglas and changed the numbers ,t one I The,; h, story of development putathe faboah gj&Sa
lots Of land were investigated by ,l« lhc cla,m that the OtKfw eoaatMj A'SBttMStSfcfi'ri'.Sl
committee appointed by conference, which ,* 3 harmful to the people or burdensome to the WSiSJSl
r ound the evidence-only circumstantial. ^state. Tafhr kw Wtds 1 Smfe Ci
-M.k.11, «U~, 1