Newspaper Page Text
PAGE FOUR
She (HmmtyUm Nrtua
Published Every Wednesday.
OFFICIAL ORGAN NEWTON COUN¬
TY AND CITY OF COVINGTON, GA¬
IL F. TAYLOR, Editor and Publisher
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
One Year ..................... $1.00
Six Months .................... 50c
Three Months ................. 25c
Advertising Rates on Application.
Entered as seeond-class matter De¬
cember 2, 1908, at the post office at
Covington, Ga., under the Act o 1
March 3, 1879.
All obituary notices, cards of thanks
and announcements, other than of e
public nature will he charged for al
the rate of one cent a word.
COVINGTON, GA., JUNE 30, 1915.
Yes, we took two < nt of the thre
games from Monti Cello—Next
This year it is very seldom that you
sc a man look a lady in the face.
Ship us somewhere east of Hel-ena
where a man can quench liis thirst.
Wish we didn’t have anything to do
hut go to barbecues and ball games.
The Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit.
—Definition—Ward of the Atlanta bar.
You will have to hand it to Go/.
Slaton on one thing, he has more nerve
than tlie average man.
From the way Ernest Camp talks
about Tybee, the ladies' dresses are nor
all that Is short this year.
Now, talking about a good time, \v<
had it in Conyers last Thursday. Bar
beoue—and, everything else good.
Wonder how editor Jim Williams
found out that the Macon Telegraph’s
paragrapher was named Johnnie Spen¬
cer.
Of course, we knew he had the pow¬
er. hut didn't think he would exercise
it after all the courts had turned him
down.
It will require about as much nerve
for Slaton to announce for an office,
next year as it did fur him to commute
Frank’s sentence.
To the ladies that chance to read
these comments: Please don’t think
we are knocking the latest style, on
the contrary, we rather like them.
If there is any doubt in Slaton’s
mind how the people of Georgia feel
toward him, we would suggest that
lie announce for some office next year.
Covington will have the best ame
tuer beasehall team in Georgia this
summer, including Jasper, Walton and
Greene counties. Trust we didn't take
in too much terltory.
The enevitable happened—Atlanta
lawyer appointed Judge of the Stone
Mountain Circuit, even if he was an
alderman of the city of Atlanta, which
is not iu the district.
Why not form that r.ew judicial cir¬
cuit of the counties of Newton, Henry,
Butts an<| Jasper? We understand
that tlie other counties favor the plan
and Newton surely would.
If Jim Williams at Greensboro could
just get a good hall team, Greensboro
and .Teemsiioro Williams would be
happy. We are really in earnest a bum
tliis baseball business and we want
some more games.
Last week a man spent twenty cents
for an advertisement in the News.
The News is published Wednesday.v
Saturday afternoon at four o’clock the
advertiser had a cheek for a hundred
and fifty dollars in his pocket. Moral
—Advertise.
The only consolation that we have
in the appointment of an Atlanta law
• yer to Judge of the Stone Mountain
Circuit is that he is an able, efficient
and courteous lawyer and will no
doubt make a good Judge for the cir¬
cuit
Movement on foot to close every bus¬
iness house Wednesday afternoon of
each week at 12 o’clock. This should
appeal to the business men. They
together with their clerks could enjoy
an afternoon each week and nobody
would lose anything if they all agree
to close.
It occurs to us that the Penns are
trying to run something over «s by
sfateing that Montieello took two out
of the three games against Covington.
It was Covington that won two out of
the three game series, and jnst for
w hat he said we are going to publish a
box score of the last game, which de¬
cided the winner of the series.
A KNOT 0 N A LOG.
That’s what the grand old county of Newton has always
been, is, and always will be in its relation to the Stone Moun¬
tain Circuit, just simply a knot on a log; no not in every sense
is it a knot on a log, for out of the heart of that knot, Newton
county, there has been drawn thousands upon thousands oi
dollars, in salaries and costs- to be poured into the coffers of a
solicitor-general or judge of the circuit to take away from the
county, usually to be paid into the pockets of Atlanta men, lie
longing to Atlanta. Never in all history has Newton County
received one single penny of all these thousands. 1 his has
not been all. The citizens of Newton county who have had
litigation in these courts have paid out thousands upon thous¬
ands in expenses to pay, rail-road fare, etc., to Atlanta, to have
their cases heard at chambers, our lawyeis must leave their
offices, pay their expenses and attend chambers matters in At¬
lanta, simply to accommodate the Atlanta bar; and often when
they went on such hearings, they have been made to give way
to Atlanta lawyers whose cases are always given precedence.
Nobody ever heard of the Judge coming to Covington to hear
Newton county cases which he could hear in Atlanta. Judge
Reid, God bless his memory, was the only Judge the Stone
Mountain Circuit ever had who tried to vary this rule, he us¬
ually came to Decatur for chambers business, but his untime¬
ly death again played to the hand of the Atlanta bar- and they
set to work at once to fill Judge Reid’s place with one of their
own number. How well they succeeded is evidenced by the
announcement made last Thursday to the effect that Governor
Slaton had appointed the Atlanta Councilman, Chas- White
ford Smith, to be our Judge. And so it happens that the
Stone Mountain Circuit has now a Judge and a Solicitor,
neither one of which ever had an office even in the Stone
Mountain Circuit, both of them belong to the ATLANTA
BAR. Both of them will, of course, draw their salaries out
%
of the Stone Mountain Circuit and take it to Atlanta to spend.
The doctrine of home rule is again abrogated, Newton County
is again ignored. What is said of Newton is true also of
Rockdale, our sister in this imposition. It is the spirit of our
law that both Judge and Solicitor of all judicial circuits shall
be bona fide residents of the circuit in which they hold office.
But the letter of the law makes no such requirements relative
to the Judge. As a matter of fact however, the Stone Moun¬
tain Circuit is the only circuit wherein the spirit of the law is
violated. Judge Richard H. Clark was Judge for years of the
Stone Mountain Circuit while actually living in Atlanta. No
other Circuit in Georgia would ever have submitted to this im¬
position. Why is all this? We are wards of the Atlanta
Bar; Atlanta is our guardian. We are ruled by that bar as
with a rod of iron, we are non-compus-mentis; we haven’t
enough self respect to resent it. Gov. Slaton knew all this,
he belonged to the Atlanta Bar, he was their servant, he did
what they told him to do. Judge Smith was an Atlanta poli¬
tician. he was aspiring to be Mayor of Atlanta, he was a candi¬
date for Mayor, he was in the way of other Atlanta politi¬
cians, he was appointed to be taken out of the way of others,
Slaton was told to rape the Stone Mountain Circuit by seizing
its judgship for Smith and thus make room for two offices
for Atlanta, where in justice and right there was only one. He
did it. Now the Atlanta bar is getting ALL the emoluments
there is coming form the Stone Mountain Circuit, and the
bona fide resident and practicing lawyers of the Circuit are
getting nothing. We have no personal objection to either
Judge Smith or Solicitor Napier, nothing can be said against
the character of either of them, they are polished, Christian
gentlemen, they want their offices, and we don’t blame them
they are good, fat jobs, but we do object to that system which
prevails in our circuit of importing men from the Atlanta bar
to run our courts for us and draw all the emoluments.
During the past few weeks, since Judge Reid’s death,
numerous citizens from the Eastern end of our Circuit, have
appealed to Gov- Slaton to recognize us this time and appoint
us a judge outside of the Atlanta bar, both Rockdale and New¬
ton County presented a man from their local bar and asked
the appointment, either of these men would have done credit
to the bench of the Circuit, but neither of them ever had any
more chance than a rabbit before John M. Slaton, the Atlanta
lawyer. He paid Newton County the political debt he owed
it for not voting for him instead of Tom Hardwick. Now' what
is the remedy? We are not politicians enough to vie with
that Atlanta gang, we are just plain, simple honest folks. But
fellow citizens, we have some rights left; we are men. we are
citizens. There is going to be an effort to organize a new ju¬
dicial circuit to be composed of Newton county, Jasper county.
Henry county, Butts county and possibly Rockdale. Out of
self-respect we ought to do something. What say our people ?
Several of McRae's young ladies
have asked us if the ed tors com¬ |
ing to Mc'tae arc married ami if
they are good looking. Please
don't all speek at once.—Telfair
Enterprise.
Now. Simmons be sure to tell
'em we're all unmarried and ex¬
ceedingly handsome. ’Twould
likely lie a terrible whack, but
that's the main thing newspaper
men get credit for.—Walton Tri¬
bune.
It’s all right to tell a whack.
When there is a chance to get a smack.
11 If 1f
It looks very much like Editor
Jim Williams or Editor George
Rucker will get whipped if they
both attend the Press Association
.
at Eastman.—Covington News.
No, siree. son; nothin’ doing.
Maybe you’ve never seen Rucker.
—Greensboro Herald Journal.
If he ever talks to us like he talks
to you, he will never see ns, if we see
him first.
THE COVINGTON NEWS, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 30, 1915-
The weav'iuc of heirs srivu .11 iv
dicitis to men, hut what makes
women have it? — ThomasviUe
Times.
That’s a pressing question.—
Hartwell Sun.
Yes, it impresses us that there is
too much presher.
11 If If
Sometime we wonder what wo¬
men would think of men if they
wore short trousers.—Covington
News.
Think? Why, they would think
so much of them that they would
wear them their selves.—Walton
Tribune.
»r II «r 11 «t II
If the time ever comes when
you can buy a Ford for a dollar
down and a dollar now and then,
we intend to have one.—Coving¬
ton News.
Same here; hut the now and
then will have to V few and far
I»et w ecu.—(’< myers Times.
EXEMPTION OF ENDOWMENTS FROM TAXATION.
/
By EDGAR H. JOHNSON.
The State of Georgia contirbutes from its treasury 1 1
support institutions of higher education. Such a policy is
justified because of the concurrence of three conditions; the
state’s heed of educated men; the inability of an institution of
higher education to maintain itself by tuition feesand the
probability that the cause of higher education in the state
would suffer if the state government were to withdraw its
support.
If proper instruction in higher education could be provid¬
ed for out of tuition fees, there would be no need for the state
to support colleges and universities; but there is not a high
grade college or university for men in America which is sup¬
ported by fee. Tuition charges do not pay half the cost of
providing instruction in Mercer University and Emory Col¬
lege.
The work done by those colleges of Georgia not controlled
or supported by the state is of a public character. “The fact
that the property of these public trusts is administered by
persons who are not immediately chosen or appointed by the
public obscures to some minds the essential princple that the
property is really held and administered for the public . s .ne
fit; but the mode of administration does not alter the u* , or
make the property any less property held for the public.”
Governor Terrell, in that portion of his message of Novem¬
ber 1902 relating to the exemption of the college endowments
from taxation, said: “All our higher institutions of learning
are unselfishly engaged in performing a public service to the
state with no purpose of trade or gain.” Georgia is as much
benefitted in having one of her sons educated and trained at
Mercer University or Emory College as if the education were
received at the University controlled and supported by the
state- There is indeed this difference, that the work of the
first named institutions is carried on without expense to the
state.
The University of Georgia did good service for the state
when it educated George F. Pearce for his life work. Emory
College did equal service in ducating Atticus G- Haygood, who
was also one of the bishops of the Methodist Church. The
University of Georgia gave instruction to E. Y. Atkinson, and
later he became governor of the state. Ailed D. Candler, who
served the state in the same capacity, was educated at Mercer.
Mercer University and Emory College, I repeat, though
not controlled and supported by the state, serve Georgia as
truly as the state-supported institutions in Athens and Atlan¬
ta. If- then, the state believes that the cause of higher ed¬
ucation is of so much importance that it taxes the people in its
interest, and if such institutions cannot be maintained by tui¬
tion fees, the state ought in all fairness and consistency to re¬
lieve from taxation college property the income from which
is wholly spent in the-work of higher education.
It surely becomes the great state of Georgia to pursue a
more liberal policy with respect to education. It is well
known that in some sections of our land, the colleges and uni¬
versities are magnificently equipped and munificently endow¬
ed. It is not so with us. The announcements of gifts by the
Millions to northern universities no longer provoke surprise,
and hardly cause comment. Gifts which reach the thousand
mark are still few in this section. If we really desire better
colleges and a better educated citizenry, we must enact laws
more friendly to the cause of education. “For the public to
enact laws which tend to discourage private persons from giv¬
ing property to the public for its own use is as unwise as for
the natural heir to put difficulties in the way of a well-deposed
relative who is making his will ”
There are states which adopt a more liberal policy with
regard to the exemption of college property than does our
own. These states are Connecticut, Delaware. Idaho, India¬
na, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mich¬
igan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire. New Jersey,
New York, North Carolina- North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pen
sylvania. Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia. There
is not one of the others of the thirteen original states but
whate is more-liberal than Georgia in its exemption of college
property from taxation.
There was a time when Georgia was among the states
whose policy with respect to colleges was most liberal and
enlightened. From 1850 to 1877 the property of all colleges
in the state w r as exempt from taxation. In the code which
existed in 1877, no mention was made of this exemption. This
omission from the code did not, however, operate to nullify
the act of 1850. The exact words of the code relating to the
exemption of educational property were inserted in the new
constitution of 1877, which is still in force. This exempted
only the college buildings, grounds and apparatus immediate¬
ly usedUn the work of instruction. This part of the report
of the committee in the constitutional convention was adopt¬
ed without amendment or debate- It is highly probable that
the convention did not realize the effect of the new constitu¬
tion on the taxation of college property. That this should
have been so is not unnatural. The war had swept away
wealth of all kinds, and by 1877 the colleges were stil practi¬
cally without endowment.
An act to submit to the people of Georgia an amendment
to the Constitution which would empower the legislature to
exempt from taxation oil the property of colleges, and also the
parsonages of churches, passed the Senate in 1902 without a
dissenting vote. This is now before the Committee of the
House of Representatives on constitutional amendments. In
order that the proposed amendment may be submitted to the
people it is necessary that it should receive a two-thirds ma¬
jority in each house.
Will not the legislature give the people of this state an
opportunity to put Georgia in the list of those states which
are liberal and enlightened in their treatment of education¬
al institutions?
o « © * <* % •
* • .<i
WITH THE GEORGIA|
press ■
i
«J ** 4c * «* *•
i*.
sweet Which girl would graduate you rather'bl ' T U
bride?—Macon or ‘ J "
News. ne
What do you think \
girls?—Montieello V e 311
Sometimes News
we wish We Wm
* rl ""- . A
- , v '«**
the summer tim<w e 1)1
e •
the sea shore. Wal ton Tribm,
ei
We bet four dollars that
sea’d” everything von th^ “ 6 i,
| ike that at
shore. * 1 tne £va
if t u
Th.- editor of the tv...
N"» S o ants to k,„„ “
■lone lvhal ^
now that tlos
tax are both due. That’s
Shoot the dog easv '
and Work ,
streets.—DeKa Mi New Era.
New. let me tell mi you v. somethin-'
nut ivo .. in ..... "«'«■ Oil
hef.ni.ee "knot „„ r doe
ive have the best „ lle
county. If yon don’t believe 6
I " 1 ' your muske it shoo ,
t and come down
lin'd season. And for next
streets, we object, working th
on the grounds that
we are too heavy for light work
too light for heavy and
work.
If If If
Why is it that the average man
becomes a sort of a lunatic when
lie gets hold of an automobile'
—Telegraph’s Shorter.
Does he become a lunatic be
fore or after he gets hold of the
automobile? It i R a question yet
to be decided, whether, being
crazy, ho buys the automobile, or.
having bought the automobile, he
goes crazy.—Alpharetta Free
Press.
Don’t know about that, lint we an
crazy fo r an automobile.
H If If
Since the sparrows got all of our
English peas the cut worms swip¬
ed ou r tomatoes, and the cat birds
got all our cherries and rasberries,
we don’t think the preacher
should ask us fo r any missionary
money. “We’ve done our share."
—Commerce News.
“Tskabibble,” Brother Shannon,
the blackberries are getting ripe.—
Covington News.
Blackberries are good.—Commerce
News.
H 1f 1f
It looks very much like Editor
Jim Williams or Editor George
Rueke r one will get whipped if
they both attend the Press Asso¬
ciation at Eastman.—Covington
News.
We know exactly how to work
Jim.* We are going to pull from
our hip pocket a great Mg one
le-arlng the words. “Made in 0>r
many.” and when we sec Jim jeer¬
ing at us we are going to turn it
loose right in his teeth. It is
seventeen years old and lib P 'Oof.
and as soon as Jim gets shot with
it he’ll love Senator Smith and
everybody else.—AipbaritCi Fiv>
Press.
”his animal’s name, sve don't ; i.wv,
;t can hardly be a “Buffalo:”
But we ce’ralm.i trust he wl'l go
Because this will complete the slew.
H 1f n
And the “weaklv" editors of
Georgia are to go to Hel ena from
Eastman. Since most of us will
land there sooner nr laic, might
as well go now, for its only a
question of time.—Commerce News
For Brother Simmons we will say.
That Hel ena is a mile from McRae;
And Broifier Shannon begin to r ,li *'
That you will be there for one iko
1f 1f 1T
Wonder if the paragrapher on
tin? Macon Telegraph joined the
machine gun regment recentlj < n
ganized, in Macon. — Coiingl" 11
News.
We don’t think Venus would oh
ject to being called a machine, hut
as for a gun, we’re a son-of-a-g' 1 ’ 1
if we know.—Walton Tribune,
1f 11 H
What lias been done in the
Frank cannot be undone. Ni
case
let’s forget it and try to live dow n
ipsgrace it has been to h< t
tlie
the State and the nation.—W**
thorpe Echo.
because M «
We copy the above
presses the whole tiling in * 1
words.
II H H
Woodrow rVll
Watchful Waiter
son wishes William would
wisdom. —Greenhoio Herald
come
Journal.
A’ish Williams would write ■
_
Woodrow Wilson u
•Waiter u
ite Wilful William— Who
