The Henry County Weekly
A Weekly Newspaper Devoted to the Interests of McDonough and Henry County.
VOL. XLV.
JUDGE CLOUD DISCUSSES
ROADS AND ROAD BONDS
Lagging in the Movement.
Some Things Other Than
Bonds Necessary to Have
Good County Roads.
Substitute Henry for Ogle
thorpe, and the following from
the Oglethorpe Echo makes inter
esting reading for Henry county
people just now:
Mr. Editor:
Among the many questions that
should interest the people of Ogle
thorpe county we would say it is
important that we should have
potato houses and thereby save a
large part of the crop that goes to
waste each year. Our system of
farming should be improved so
that we may grow two ears of
corn and two bales of cotton
where only one grew before.
The question of taxation, about
which so much is being said and
written over the state, demands
our earnest consideration. But
there are two questiens—Roads
and Schools —which are being dis
cussed in other counties of the
State, about which very little, if
anything, is being publicly said in
Oglethorpe. Of all questions at
this time which should concern us
none are more important than
these two, and of these two we
would say that the paramount
question to us is Education—bet
ter schools—but as the road ques
tion now seems to have the right
of way in the State we will make
a few observations along this line
and perhaps later will have some
thing to say about schools.
In what shall be said no criti
cism is intended for the road au- 1
thorities, for it is doubtful had we
been in charge that we might
have done better, or even as well,
with the large mileage of roads
and the means at hand to work
and improve them. It is a fact
that our roads are better than
they were many years ago.
A good road movement seems
to be sweeping over many coun
ties in Georgia, yet on account of
the fact that nothing is being said
or done in our countv it would
seem that we are lagging behind
the movement. Twenty-one coun
ties up to one week ago had al
ready voted more than seven mil-
THE HOTTER THE DAY THE COOL
ER THE DRINK THAT YOU SECURE
FROM OUR FOUNTAIN.
When you are warm and uncomfortable you will be sur
prised at the relief you will experience through one of the
many cool, delicious, refreshing drinks we dispense.
NO ONE ELSE HAS EVER EQUALLED
OUR QUALITY WHEN IT COMES TO
SODA FOUNAIN PRODUCTS.
TRY THEM!
AND SERVICE
vfS«?SLSSS® c o l
Me PONOUGH- • * * GEORGIA. • fj
lions of bonds and twenty-one
more were then getting ready to
vote on over eight millions.
The time has come when we
should not be satisfied with what
jwe have. Everybody wno owns
|an auto or rides in one certainly
will favor better roads, and most
(people who have no car will some
i day buy one. All those who pass
j over the roads in other vehicles,
as well as those who have to haul
over them, will not object to the
improvement of the highways.
We might safely say that a vote
on the question would almost be
unanimous, though we may differ
as to how the improvement is to
be made
We will be candid in a few ob
servations :
We usually secure the thing for
which we most earnestly seek and
strive for, though in obtaining it
some sacrifice has to be made.
Granting that we all want better
roads, are we willing to pay the
price for them ? In the matter of
roads as in many other things we
are most too democratic. In oth
er words, we are a great people
for demanding our individual
rights without recognizing that
with these rights come corre
sponding obligations. The best
society and good government
comes with the surrender and the
sacrifice of some of our natural
rights. Our own selfish interest
must give way to that which is for
the best interest of the public.
To carry forward the good
roads movement in this county we
will have to cultivate more than
we have been doing the spirit of
unity. There should be no divis
ion among us that would defeat
the purpose for which we are
striving. In baseball and football,
as well as in the great drives for
monev during the war, emphasis
was laid on team work, and in
such a movement as we are trying
to write about there should be the
same kind of efforts and the mi
nority should acquiesce in the ac
tioh of the majority.
There should also be a spirit of
co-operation for which we have
not been especially distinguished.
The person owning a farm through
or along which a road passes
should be willing to help keep the
ditches open rather than to fill up
the drains with the plow; or where
there is a bad place in such a road
he might well afford to repair
this, especially if it can be done at
such a time and in such a way as
to cost him but little. Most peo-
fn£
sal
wr OUR FOUNTAIN -
'
McDONOUGH, GEORGIA. FRIDAY. JUNE 13, 1919.
pie have said and many continue
to say that it is the business of the
county, so we leave it to the au
thorities —such a lack of the spirit
of co-operation.
We ought to be willing to suffer
some loss, or what we think to be
loss, in order that the public might
be benefitted. It is too often the
case when it is necessary to
change a road or to get soil for
the road, the owner will not allow
the change to be made or will not
furnish the soil, or if he does he
will demand of the county more
than the land or the soil is worth.
He could well afford to give either
or both, for good roads improve
and make more land through
which they pass and mean much
for the welfare and prosperity of
the county. The writer’s atten
tion was some time ago called to
this state of fact: In a certain
part the county, during the rainy
seasons there was a road skirted
by pines which shut out the sun
and for a small distance the road
became impassable. The other
parts of the roads could be travel
ed. The neighbors offered to cut
down these trees, give the wood
to the owner without cost to him,
but he refused to allow this done.
As a road in a sense is no better
than the worse place in it, this
bad place rendered the road use
less so far as traveling it from
terminus to terminus. No doubt
there are other instances like this
in the county, and the unwilling
ness of the owner to make even
what he might think is a sacrifice
of some of his rights causes much
inconvenience to his neighbors
and the public.
Concede that we have reached
the point when we all want better
roads, including bridges, and that
we are willing to unite, co-operate
aiid make some sacrifice; the next
question is how are they 10 be se
cured.
We have seen much recently
about federal aid, but as we un
derstand it this will be given only
on such roads as connect one
county site with another and only
such roads as are approved
both by the State Highway Com
mission and the authorities at
Washington, D. C. On such roads
the proposition is on a fifty-fifty
basis, under their supervision, and
when a county does the work,
that is does not let the work by
contract, they allow work done by
the county to offset money fur
nished by the federal government.
We might count on some funds
from this source, but a large part
of the road mileage in the county
would receive no benefit from
such funds.
Most of us will think that our
taxes at present, including state,
county, municioal and income, are
as heavy as we can well stand,
which may be true, though we
are paying less tax than many of
the other civilized nations. It
would be too great a burden to
undertake to raise an amount of
money by direct taxation sufficient
to make such improvemnet of the
roads and bridges as should be
made. How, then, is the money <o
be obtained for these betterments,
for which no aid may be had ?
When a town or city needs
money for lights, water works,
schools and other public works
and such as would be a burden to
raise by direct tax, it issues bonds.
When the United States govern
ment needs money for administer
ing its affairs, or when it needed
money to carry on a war in
Europe, a large part of it was
raised bv the sale of bonds. Why
shouldn’t a county that might need
money for the improvement of
the roads resort to the same
means by the issuance of long
term bonds? It would seem to
be the fair, just and equitable way,
letting those who are to receive
the benefit of the improvement
help pay the cost. Judging from
the way the people of the county
have bought Liberty and Victory
bonds, we have, or ought to have,
Tearched the point when we are
no longer frightened by- the men
tion of the word, They need not
Negro Killed in Auto
On Railroad Crossing.
In a recent issue of The Weekly
we stated that booze and auto
mobiles couldn’t travel together
.without a smash-up. The same
)is also applicable to automobiles
and railroad trains, as was shown
Tuesday afternoon when Olin
Banks, a hard-working and honest
colored man, was struck and
instantly killed by the noon south
bound passenger train. He was
crossing the railroad between the
residences of Messrs. Billie and
Andy Combs in a Ford car when
hit, the car turning three somer
saults and was reduced to tinder.
The negro received a cut in the
head, and his neck, hips and ankle
were broken. A dog in the car with
him was ground to mince meat.
The train took the body to Locust
Grove. The negro was employed
by “Chug” Combs and was valued
highly by his employer for his
politeness and hard-working quali
ties —being always ready and
going to every duty assigned him
in a cheerful way.
Moral: Before crossing the rail
road always “Stop, Look and Lis
ten.”
all be sold at once and the asser
tion is venturned, by making them
attractive, the most of them could
be sold to the people here in the
county. If thought best a bond
commission could be created.
It is hardly necessary at this
time to call attention to the many
benefits which would result from
good roads. They will really en
hance land values and make the
county attractive for home seek
ers ; thev will mean more to the
farmer than to the man who lives
in the towns and cities; they will
save wear and tear of the vehicles
passing over them and make rid
ing more comfortable, they will
enable the farmer to market his
crops more easily and place him
nearer the market, they will final
ly pave the way for better schools
in the rural districts. This is a
question which should interest
every one in the county, for good
roads will be cheap at most any
price. Respectfully,
Joel Cloud.
?v/*Trt\YOuk '/»*'/&*"&o/< ■ . ’ >-V. i
We live this life but once. Why not make the most
of it as we go along?
A good car adds happiness and years to your life.
The Buick car is not expensive to buy or to own.
It has too many good qualities to tell here; come in
and find them out.
If you don’t keep pace wtth your neighbors in the
matter of owning a car you will miss a lot of pleasure
that should be yours.
TOLLESDNsTURNER
Automobiles & Accessories ’*
EXPERT REPAIRING
PHONE 73 MCDONOUGH, 6A,
First Case of “High
Flying” Matrimony.
Houston, Texas —With the deaf
ening exhaust from two twelve
cylinder Liberty motors beating
the wedding march, Lt. R. W.
Meade of Cincinnati and Miss
Marjorie Dumont of Yorkville,
Ind., were pronounced man and
wife more than 2,000 feet above
the heads of 10,000 spectators at
Ellington Field.
The ceremony is the first of its
kind ever recorded, and a giant
Handley-Page bombing plane was
required to accommodate the
wedding party of twelve persons.
Shortly after 4:30 p. m. the party
stepped into the huge plane and
embarked for the skies with Lt. E
W. Kilgore, first aerial mailman
between New York and Washing
ton, as pilot, and Chaplain Lieu
tenant J. E. Reese of Nevin, 0.,
acting as “sure enough” sky pilot.
The ship left the ground amid the
shouts and cheers of thousands
and almost exactly at 5 o’clock the
ceremony was concluded.
After the ceremony was com
pleted the pilot drove the ship for
a twenty minutes cruise through
light clouds.
Odd Fellows Elect Oflicers
An unusually interesting meet
ing of Robert T. Daniel Lodge No.
219 Independent Order of Odd
Fellows was held Tuesday night,
it being the time for election of
officers, the following were cho
sen for the ensuing term:
Noble Grand—J. R. Smith.
Vice Grand —Frank Copeland.
Recor. Sec. —W. J. Ingram.
Treasurer —J. O. Kimbell.
Quite a number of the brethren
were present, all of whom enjoy
ed the occasion, especially the
refreshments served.
Why not a New Perfection Oil
Cook Stove? The hot summer
weather is coming on. Save laoqr,
cost and worry. Copeland-Turner
Mrc. Co.
$1.50 A YEAR
