Newspaper Page Text
The Henry
County Weekly
Official Organ of Henry County.
B. S. ELLIOTT, Editor
Entered at the postoffioe at McDonough,
Ga., as seconu-olassmail matter.
Advertising Hates 25c per Inch, position
5c additional—special contracts.
Foreign Advertising Representative
THE AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION
McDonough, Ga., June 24, 1921
In Memoriam.
Died, at Robinson sanitarium,
Atlanta, June 19, Mrs. Lawrence
Duffey, aged 52.
In describing Christian and Hope
fu! coming to the gate of the Ce
lestial City, John Runyan wrote:
“Now, 1 saw in my dream that
these two went in at the gate, and
lo! as they entered, they were
transfigured; and they had rai
ment put on, that shone like gold.
Then I heard in my dream that
all the bells in the city rang for
joy, and it was said unto them,
‘Enter ye unto the joy of your
Lord,’ and after that they shut up
the gates which, when I had seen,
I wished myself among them.
They go fromstrength to strength,
from joy to joy forever.”
She died at 4 o’clock Sunday
morning. Just with the awaken
ing life of a new day she went to
sleep like a tired chiid. It was
just as the birds carolled the com
ing of the morning and just as the
rosy fingers of the orb of day
tinted the eastern sky with a sheen
of glory. Surely a most fitting
time for a pure spirit to take its
flight heavenward. With the eye
of faith one could see at the dawn
of this memorable June day an in
visible hand wave a signal, and a
voice in softest accent on the
morning breeze, announce that
the gates were open and that
God’s angels were waiting to es
cort her in.
Mrs. Duffey was an every day
Christian. The beautifying in
fluences of a pure religion were
spread over a life and character
as spotless and charming as was
ever possessed by any of the noble
women who have lived and died
during the ages that are gone. As
such a life was a blessing and
benefaction to all within the sphere
of its influence so is the death of
sucli a one a public misfortune, as
well as an irreparable loss to the
home circle made desolate by her
departure. It is difficult to pay
a fitting tribute to the memory of
so noble a woman —one wliose
every day life was embellished by
the charming and lovable attri
butes of her sex. A perfect >ady
at all times —under all circum
stances, she seemed born to in
spire the love and respect of all
who were so fortunate as lo be
acquainted with her. No one was
more willing to aid the suffering,
cheer the desponding, sustain the
weak and to throw over the frail
ties of our race the mantle of
Christian charity, and when sick
ness and deatli came to her, as it
comes to all, neighbors and friends
vied with each other in acts of
) wing kmdness and tender solici
ude, and many were tiie widing
nand and hearts ready to assist
her upon whom rested the heavy
responsibility of attempting to
fight back the ravages of disease
—td avert the inevitable—and in
whom were united the devotion
of a friend, the untiring skill and
watchful care of the conscientious,
p mistaking physician, but love and
skill were equally of no avail. The
great destroyer lnd placed his
signet on her brow and today,
hundreds who loved her living,
mourn her dead.
TO THE PEOPLE OF
HENRY COUNTY:
Having given notice in The
Henry County Weekly of my in
tention to introduce certain local
bills at the coming session of the
General Assembly, I desire to ex
plain the purpose of the same,
and the reforms expected to re
sult from their passage.
First, as the Act to create a
Board of five Commissioners in
stead of one Commissioner. It is
well known that a majority of the
people of the county have all
along been opposed to the one
Commissioner idea, without regard
to who has filled the office. Soon
after the law was passed provid
ing for one Commissioner opposi
tion strong and lasting developed
and an effort began to be made to
abolish the office. In 1914 Dr. R.
J. Arnold, who was Representative
at the time introduced in the
House a bill to abolish the office,
when interested oarties at once
began a fight to prevent the pas
sage of the bill. It passed the
House in spite of them, and they
renewed the fight before the Sen
ate and there succeeded in having
the bill so amended as to require
a vote by the people on the meas
nre and to require that a MAJORITY
of ALL the registered voters of
tlie county should vote for the
repealing law before it should be
operative. By this trick the meas
ure was defeated, for they knew
that it would be almost impossible
to get a majority of all the regis
tered voters to go to any election
and yote on one side of any ques
tion. The result was that while
nearly three fourths of those vot
ing voted to abolish the office of
Commissioner, they fell short of a
majority of the registered voters.
But the result showed how the
people stood as the vote was 608
votes in favor of abolishing the
office while only 219 yoted in favor
of retaining it, being nearly 3 to 1
against a Commissioner. There is
no evidence of any change of opin
ion on the subject since then. The
people of the county are dissatis
fied with the management of the
financies of the county, and the
ever increasing of the rate of taxa
tion, and the indebtedness of the
county. It is hard to understand
bow these two conditions go to
gether. The higher the tax rate
goes, the more money is raised
and therefore the indebtedness
should decrease instead of increas
ing from year to year. There was
never any indebtedness against
the county while the Ordinary was
in charge. This is a product of
the one Commissioner idea.
The proposed law provides for
five Commissioner districts. The
first to be composed of McDon
ough and Flippen Militia districts;
the second, Lowes, Hampton, and
Sixth Militia districts; the third,
Stockbndge, Shake Rag and
Brushyknob; the fourth, Love’s,
McMullins and Beersheby Militia
districts; the fifth, Sandy Ridge,
Tussahaw, and Locust Grove, Mili
tia districts. There shall be one
Commissioner from each of these
Commissioner’s districts; thus se
curing home rule, as far as prac
ticable, ia county affairs. There
is also a provision for a Clerk, to
be selected by the Comm ssioners.
It also provides that no contracts
shall be made except by the Com
missioners in meeting assembled,
and no warrant shall issue except
by order of the Board in meeting
assembled. Thus protecting the
tax payers against ill considered
or secret contracts. It further
provides that the Commissioners
shall publish quarterly in the news
paper in which the official adver
tisements are published a complete
HENRY COUNTY WEEKLY. McPONOUGH GEORGIA.
and itemized statement of all dis
bursements ordered by said Com
missioners during the proceeding
quarter, stating specifically the
name of the person to whom paid,
the amount paid, and for what
paid, and also to require from the
County Treasurer a Quarterly
statement of the amount of money
in the County Treasury, stating
specifically how much is for each
of the separate purposes for which
money can be raised by taxation,
which statement shall also be pub
lished. Thus enabling the tax
payer to see what is being done
with their money. They can read
the names of all persons who are
getting any of it, and for what
purpose they are receiving it.
This alone will be a great boon to
the over burdened tax paver. The
whole of the salries to be paid the
five Commissioners and the Clerk
will not exceed that now paid to
the one Commissioner and his
Clerk.
County Treasurer.
The bill to reestablish the office
of County Treasurer, is based on
the idea that it is much better to
have some man who is not engaged
in the business of loaning the
county money, or buying the
county’s warrants at a discount to
handle the county’s funds. pro
vides for a salary for him of SSO
per month.
The Deople of the county are
clamoring for relief of some sort
from exhorbant taxes. The bulk
of the taxes are the county taxes.
The state taxes are only $5.00 on
the thousand, while the county tax
$15.00, or three times as much,
and in addition there is $5.00 per
thousand school tax. THEREFORE,
if any relief is obtained it must be
in the reducing of the county ex
penses. When the first county
j Commissioner went into office, the
j Ordinary turned over to him
about $12,000, and the county was
out of debt. He started with a
perfectly clean sheet as to debts,
and with $12,000 to the good.
This was the first of the year 1913.
At that time the county tax was
only $8.50 on the thousand, just a
little more than one-half of what
it is now. The statement of the
standing of the county on April
the 15th of the present year shows
that up to April 15th 1921 the in
debtedness is $47,797.42, with not
a cent in the Treasury with which
to pay it.
The statement also shows that
the debt of the county has been
increased during the first three
and half months ; f the present
year to the amount of $32,667.57.
Warrants for this amount having
been issued up to April the 15th,
1921. If this rate is maintained
throughout the year the total ex
pense for the year will amount to
$126,105.20. And it will require
more money than the taxes amount
to pay the current expenses leav
ing nothing with which to pay the
oast due indebtedness, which is
bearing interest right along. The
greatest sum ever spent for all
j purposes was $100,538 60 in 1920,
land the greatest amount ever
realized from taxes was $113,594 -
49 in 1920, so to meet the expenses
for 1921 will require over $12,000
more than the taxes amount to,
and the indebtedness of the coun
ty will be increased this much.
The affairs of the county can, and
should be run in such a manner
that the county warrants would
be paid promptly instead of being
hawked about in the markets of
the county and sold at a discount
of from 20 to 30 per cent as they
are now. Persons who work for
the county, and who furnish ma-
terial to the county, are compelled
to discount their warrants or go
without their money. The credit
of the county being thus impaired,
it necessarily has to pay more for
everything it needs than it could
be purchased for cash. No one
can blame those who extend credit
to the county for asking and addi
tional credit, when they are com
pelled to accept payment in de
preciated warrants, which are
worth only 75 or 80 cents in the
dollar. The tax payers have to
pay the whole 100 cents iti the
dollar. The county gets from 75
to 80 cents of it, and a few men
who discount the warrants get
the 20 to 25 cents of it, besides 1%
interest that the warrants draw.
Necessarily the county gets poorer,
and the few warrants shavers get
richer every year. At this rate
how long would it take to bank
rupt the county. Under the pres
ent county Treasurer system, a
bank is named as County Treas
urer, and all of the county funds
are paid over to it. The officers
of the bank know just how much
money there is in the Treasury,
and they also know just when the
money comes in. The bank or
some one of its officers can buy
up the county warrants as a dis
count, of say from 20 to 25 per
cent and immediately present
them and have all the money in
the treasury paid to them, and just
as soon as any money comes in,
they can have it paid to their war
rants also before the holders of
the out standing warrants can get
there. Then when this letter class
present their warrants for pay
ment, there is no money in the
Treasury, and the entry of “no
funds” is entered on them. Then
it is up to them to either discount
their warants to the bank or some
one else, or go without their
monev.
I say the system gives the bank
who is so fortunate as to become
the County Treasurer this oppor
tunity for making large luois of
money out of the county. Wheth
er or not Henry County’s Treas
urer has made any money in this
way, I do not know, as I have no
personal knowledge of their deal
ings, but the officers of the bank
and the holders of the warrants
can tell you whether or not the
bank or any of its officers have
purchased aby of the county war
rants at a discount, I can only say
that my information is that some
of them have offered 75 cents on
the dollar for some of the war
rants, and many of the holders
have presented their warrants for
payment, and have had them re
fused. 1 know of some old war
GOOD NEWS AT
AUSTIN’S 10c STORE
SATURDAY
Children’s Dresses $2.00 for SI.OO
“ “ 1.50 “ .50
Men’s Pants 2.00 “ 1.50
“ “ 1.75 “ 1.25
50 Men’s Hose for .25
25 “ “ 2 “ -25
25 Ladies’ Hose 2 for .25
25 Children’s Socks 2 for . .25
25 Pair Children’s Shoes .20
19 “ Ladies’ Slippers *75
18 “ Men’s Shoes 1.50
6 Bars Toilet Soap for ' .25
6 “ Laundry “ “ * .25
Best Blue Shirt, full size, for .75
Best Overall, “ “ 1.50
Prices just good for Saturday*
Yours for More Business,
AUSTIN’S iOc STORE.
rants that have not been paid, and
when recently presenieu to the
Treasnrer for payment were re
fused for want of funds.
The only way I to remedy
this evil is to remove this tempta
tion from the treasurer bank, and
place the funds of the county bank
into the hands of a Treasurer
elected by the people. The bill
provided that he shall give some
Surity Company as security on his
bond, the premiums on the same
to be paid out of the County
Treasury. In this way he will not
be dependent on any individual or
any corporation to make his Bond,
and will be untrammeled and in
dependent, and being under no
obligations to any one, will act
fairly towards every one, and
without favoring anv one in the
payment of county warrants, or in
the discharge of any other of his
duties.
But there must be more econo
my of making of contracts and in
the expenditure of the county’s
funds, and the Commissioner or
Commissioners will have to bring
this about. To remedy this evil,
the best thing to do, in my judg
ment is to have a Board of Com
missioners consisting of five mem
bers distributed oyer the county
in such a manner as to have each
section represented therein, and
to require regular publications of
their acts and doings.
My only desire is for the bene
fit of the people of the whole
county, to do something that will
restore the credit of the county,
and keep taxes within the reach
of the tax payers. At a time when
many of our people are unable to
pay their taxes and are forced to
suffer severe sacrifices in order to
pay same. It occurs to me that it
is a bad time to be increasing the
expenditures of the public funds,
and that it behooves every lover
of his county to try to do some
thing to stop this mad rush to
wards bankruptcy in state and
county affairs, and believing that
the passage of the two Acts above
mentioned will tend toward relief
so far as the county is concerned,
I shall do ever> thing in my power
to secure their passage. It will
afford me pleasure to discuss them
privately with any citizen of coun
ty or publically, at such time and
place as they desire.
The bill also provides that the
act shall not go into effect until
January Ist, 1923, the commission
ers to be elected in the General
elections of 1922. So that the
present Commissioner will be al
lowed to' serve out his full term.
Very respectfully,
E. L. Reagan.
