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twenty-ninth year AMERICUS, GEORGIA, FRIDAY MORNING SEPTEMBER *6, 1907 NUMBER 18- HAMILTON & Cfl.; HI6HKTINB6HTHNVEARS -- ' . ‘ [CURRENT TAX RATE HAS SWASHED PAST RECORDS Rate fixed for 1907 Leads the list for a Score of Years. Just Double the Rate In 1904, When County Less Prosperous. Our New, Home Grand Opening Sale, Saturday, August 31st, and lasting 15 days. ' Prices, quality and fair dealings will establish us in our new home. HAMMONfeCO Proprietors. Lamar Street Opposite Hotel Windsor, CROP RUINED. SAYS HUDSON NEVER SAW SUCH HAVOC AS NOW EXISTS Has Carefully Inspected the Georgia Crop and Thinks the Loss Within Past two Weeks Will Reach 40 Percent. After a tour of Inspection through Middle and South Georgia Commis sioner Thomas G. Hudson tells truly alarming story as to the condi tion of the cotton crop. He says It "ill be damaged In Georgia by from -j to 40 per cent. His view Is based upon actual conditions as he observed them, and is not prompted by any ef fort he says, to boost the price or bull the market. The cotton crop In Georgia will not exceed 1,500,000 bales," said Commissioner Hudson. "Three weeks ago there was every reasm to believe that we would raise -etween 1.S00.000 and 2,000,000,, but th» farmers of the state will be lucky ft the crop yields a million and a half unlos, in my opjnlon. I have never la all my experience "ith farming seen such havoc done In 80 s hort a time,” he continued. “The octton crop in many sections has been terally burned up, and everywhere it 83been damaged more or less by the Tat and drouth. Some of it looks as 8 fl ro had been built and burned nnder the stalks. In three weeks’ time the crop has uotoriorated anywhere from 25_to 40 ; cr ccnt - tt “d the deterioration may unless the hot wave Isbrok- und we have plenty of rain.” , hc c °mmlssloner recently return- 'T Jame *towi», where he went to - end to the Georgia exhibit He says he was Impressed with the deplorable conditions of the cotton crops through North and South Carolina, which were then In need of rain. “But I console myself with the hope and belief that the crops In Georgia were faring better,” added the. com missioner. “I was shocked beyond measure to And upon Inspection that the cotton in Georgia Is in no better shape than in the States through which I passed on my return from Jamestown. It look3 as if it had been paralyzed. Commissioner Hudson accounts for the condition by the long drouth^and the exceeding warm weather ot the past three weeks. “Until three weeks ago,” he said “we had plenty of raTn all over the State. The cotton thrived, and the prospects for a record breaking year were never better. Then the weather turned warm again; no more rain fell The cotton was full of moisture, and gradually the hot wind dried out the sap, leaving the plant to burn to death. • Hr. Hudson was asked as to bis opinion regarding tbe price of cotton this fall. "Cotton will bring 15 cents per pound easily, I think," was the reply he made. “Tho reports from every where tell of damage and antlclpat- qjl short crops, and I can see no good reason why the staple should not Ond a market at 1C cents." The Times Recorder’s story yesterday, showing the state and county tax rate for this year fixed at $14.59 l ier $1,000, Jarred the tax payer, and even caused tbe man who strenuously fought the bond issue In the recent election to sit upland take notice while counting his wealth. The rate is the highest levied in twenty years, or perbaya for an even longer period. It about doubles the rate levied In 1S94, which was only $7.60 on the thousand. And conditions were far less prosperous than now, as the country was just recovering from the panic. As a matter of Interest to the public, the Times Recorder has examined the tax books for the past eighteen years, and gives herewith the state and county tax. rate levied for each year, going back as far as 1890. Here are me omciai figures. . They show the state rate and the county rate, while the aggregate shows the rate upon each $1,000 of property. ’ Year State Bate. County Rate /Aggregate 1890 .396 .580 $ 9.76 1891 ■ .508 .492 10'. 00 1892 .485 .465 9.$0 1893 .461 .439 9.00 1894 .437 .313 • 7.60 1895 .466 .444 9.00 1896 • .544 .456 10.00 1897 .521 .479 10.00 1898 .621 .379 10.00 1899 .536 .414, • 9-50 1900 .520 . .380 * 9.00 1901 .544 .406 9.50 1902 / .530 .420 9.50 1903 .500 .700 12.00 1904 .480 .470 9.50 1905 .490 .460 9.50 1906 .480 .620 11.00 1907 .500 .950 14.50 The county rate levied this year, as will be seen from the above figures, is as great as both the county and the state rate combined for a number of years, which was $9.50 on the thousand. The county courthouse and jail, cotlng together about $60,000, were built along about 1897 to 1899, but the tax rate then levied does not appear, from the above figures, to have been excessive, In fact, very light. The rate of $12, levied in 1903, was made necessary by the establishment of the county chalngang system, and Included the purchase ot a large num ber of mules, wagons, road-working machinery and many incidental expenses for tho operation of the gang. This year the county commissioners are confronted with the same problem of extraordinary expenditures, chief ot which Is the building of the agricul tural college, costing $50,000. But for this there would probably have been no Increase over last year's rate of $11 per $1,000. N • The levying of such a high rate as $^4.50; $5 by the state and $9.50 by the county, will not cancel the county's indebtedness at once. For several years yet the rate, necessarily, may be higher than in recent years. But it costs money to build colleges and have good roads, and the voters of Sumter preferred to pay the bills by direct taxation rather than by Issuing bonds, as proposed. And now they are paying the first installment, wjjlch Is $3.50 per $1,000 more than last year, even though the Increase In property returns this year Is $295,000 over last year's returns: EXCHANGE IS OPENED HERE AMERICUS WAREHOUSES GET MARKEr QUOTATIONS Local Company Accepts Gharter and Ready for Business-Advantages of Having an Exchange In Americus. An Important meeting of- the Am ericus Cotton Exchange was held on Wednesday morning, at which the charter for the association ’was ac cepted and a constitution adopted. The organization of this exchange by the business men ot Americus means much not only for the cotton imslness of this section, but for 'all other lines of business. \ The continuous publication of the prices of stocks, bonds, cotton,'grain and farm produce keeps the banker and the merchant posted upon their quotations, and assures to the farmer the best prices for all that he raises. The object of the'exchange is not pecuniary gain, and no purchase or salq of any cotton, stocks, bonds or other commodity to effected therein, but Is maintained entirely at.the ex pense of the members for the market quotations and other information that can be obtalRed la.no other way. The constitution adopted is model ed after that of the Exchange at Au gusta, and will be operated to a large extent lir a manner similar to the Aul gusta and Savannah Exchanges. A committee has been appointed to place these facts before the business men of Americus and to solicit mem bership In the Exchange. The initiation fee Is fixed at ten dollars, which eptltles the member | to a share of stock In the Exchange and which is transferable only after the membership has reached fifty. The monthly dues have not yet been assessed. At tbe next meeting, which will be held on Tuesday 10th, all permanent officers will be elected. On September 1st, we expect to move to our New Home on Lamar street. We ask our friends to be a little lenient with us until then, whin we will be in position to show the most superb line of Dry Goods and Ladies Ready- to-Wear ever shown in this section. We will have to establish ourselves more or less in the new place, and propose to do this with “Prices. We think this the most forcible way, and it is certainly the best for you. . We earnestly solicit a call from you and will prove this assertion to your utter satisfac tion. Remember the place, Half Way Be tween the Old Davenport Corner and Oliver's Warehouse.. « , • A* Look for The Sign On Up per Story. PINKSTON CO. LOOKS LIKE A START WILL BE MADE SOON Americus May See Work on New Postoffice. There Is just a bare possibility that little children, particularly those born yesterday may, at a ripe old Age, see a start made upon'the Government building In Americus. It was stated In official circles yesterday that an engineer had been employed to sur vey the lot which the Treasury De partment purchased last year, and this Is taken as an indication that something is to be done In the future as well as In the past. Uncle Sam Is terribly slow in whatever he does, but he has bought and paid for a $15,000 lot in Americus, and by the time his chin whiskers grow to hts boot tops and the stripes fade in his jvellworn Suit, he will build a postoffice upon it. 4 WILL SELL THE DAVIS LANDS Great Brltian makes UBe of over FOR RENT.—My farm of 90 acres $2,500,000 worth of shell fish overywlth or without house for 1908. y ear - ' 1-St O. H. SEIG. The Newest and Best The old Ayer’s Hair Vigor was good, no question about that. But your own doc tor, the one you have great confidence in, wifi tell you that Ayer’s Hair Vigor, new improved formula, is fir better. The one great specific for falling hair and dandruff, W. pubH.hth. formula* j.o.X, TO INVITE TWO CONVENTIONS Gov. Smith-To Invite Prohis and Hoo-Hoos. ATLANTA, GA-, Sept 4.—Governor Smith has consented In behalf of the city of Atlanta to Invito tbe national executive committee of the Prohibition Party to hold tho nominating conven tion of tho party In Atlanta next year. Ho will also invito tho Order of Hoo—Hoos, mainly made up of lumber men to hold its annual convention here next year. Tracts Given by Friends May Soon Change Hands. PINE BLUFF, ARK., Sept 4.— Thousands ot acres of land deeded to Jefferson Davis during the life time of the President of the Confederacy, and left by him to his wife, who died last year, will, it is believed, soon be sold In several Southern 8tates to satisfy heirs fit the Davis eatate. Shortly after the close of the c4vtt war many ofthe Southern sympa thizers, who had saved part of their fortune, deeded property to Jefferson Davis. One of the biggest tracts was turned over by Mrs. Elizabeth Dor sey, a wealthy woman, owning a mag nificent plantation near Pine’ Bluff. Mrs. Dorsey also gave Mr. Davis tho Beauvoir home in Mississippi. Dur ing the lifetime of Mr. Davis and Mrs. Davis, they refused to sell. The Pine Bluff property, amounting to nearly 5,000 acres, is to bo sub- dlvideddfcnd sold in parts to suit the ilraser. pnrch FARMERS TO SELL AT 15 CENTS A POUND Price Fixed by Convention at Little Rock. LITTLE ROCK, ARK., Sept. 4.— The National Farmers’ Union, In ses sion here today fixed the minimum price of cotton at fifteen cents, pledg ing themselves to adhere to this fig ure In selling their cotton.