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THE LEE COUNTY JOURNAL
VOLUME TWENTY-FIVE
' BBy W; R. ertu
\ddress Delivered Before the
Midwinter Press Meeting
at Savannah,
Such a profound impression was
made by the address of W. R. Crites,
gecretary of the Millen and Jenkins
county Chamber of Commerce, before
the Georgia Press Association, his sub
ject being “Selling Georgia to Geor
gians,” that spontaneous expressions,
led by W. T. Anderson of the Macon
Telegraph, were forthcoming that the
address be made ' available to every
newspaper in the state for publica.ion.
" Mr. Crites stated that he was orig
inally from Ohio, came South because
the South attracted him, lived in North
... -Carolina for a time—which state he
declared to be the leader of the South
in progress today and likely to claim
the title over Georgia if Georgia does
not wake up, and that he claimed Geor
gia now as his home and had done so
because he had traveled all over tie
~ state, studied it, found its posibilities
. and resources and was satisfied it has
‘the greatest potential future of any
-~ state in the Union,
" “Mr, Crites’ address in full is as fol
lows: :
*] -deeply appreciate the honor of
being invited to speak to this organi
zation on a subject that should be very
near to all of us—the full development
of the matchless resources, both min
° epral and agricultural, of our common
state. AN
“When I consider the caliber of the
men I am to address, I approach the
task with fear and trembling. That
teeling of personal unworthiness be
':fiiomgs all the more poignant to me
V. hen I recall that wonderful address,
“The Spirit of the Service,” delivered
30’ eloguently by Royal Daniel on the
- pecasion of one pf ' your meetings a
year or so ago. I did not have the
. privilege of hearing that address, but
{ did have the pleasure of reading it,
and even in cold type without the fofce
- and personality of the man behind it,
It left an indellible imprint upon my
mind. That address should become a
glassic_in the annals of your asoscia
tion, It is that ‘spiritof service” that
{ hope to enlist today.
~ “My pathway is not made easier by
' the thought of the scintillating wit and
clever satire of Mr. Sutlive. Of him
| believe we can all say in true Bill
Biffem phraseology. = .-
wA guy we like is old Bill Sutlive,
‘Who always wants to live and let
P live.’” ]
~ “He has been weighed in the balance
ot your association and has not been 1
" gound wanting. . You have honored‘
-bim and he has measured up to the
- .ptandards of his calling. As we think
of him today I feel that you will all.
join me in that old Jefférsonian Rip
-Van. Winkle toast to his life and abil- |
b ity—“May_ you live long and prosper.”
4 “Again there is W. L. Sullivan, who
so eloquently expounded the gospel .of
Burke. He has a brain that functions
g 0 vigorously that it> becomes over
beated to such an extent that he is.
unable to wear a hat even in the cold
est weather. His work is consistent
and he is a power for good in his com
_ counity, . .
. “It is quité possible that I am par
tial to Mr. Sullivan. At a time when
I was acting in the capacity of the
amateur. editor, he honored me on
zeveral occasions by copying some of
my editorials. T
«I have also learned through a cer
tain’ sleeping car. episode " that the
genus homo of the editorial sanctum
is fearfully “atid “wonderfully -made.
ghades of Hamlet and the immortal
white robéd Knights:of the Ky Klux
Klan, I.call upon you to witness!
You ask for an explanation and I
answer with. the question, “Has any
one of you ever seen Jack Williams
enrobed in the wraith:like Habiliments
“ofa: long, white night shirt, crawling
laborjously . into.- the- upper ‘berth’
"ot a sleeping car?’ If you have
not, * then the- gods - have- indeed
been. unkind. If - you have, "there
is no-need of explanation. I leave it
to your vivid imaginations. You may
at least catalogue-it in your minds as
an unique ,experience. -
«Rut this by no means completes the
list. A constant study of your edito
rial page discloses genius throughout
your entire membership. There is the
constructive thinking Neal, the my
. riad-minded- Bickers; Stovall, the diplo
mat, the vitriolic Anderson, the pro
tound Howell, the logic of Cohen, the
sasy -style of Kirkpatrick, the creative
¢amps, the methodical Comfort, the
"Wy 5100 of Brumby, the good fellowship
and ability* of that splendid example.
. of Georgia womanhood, Miss Wood
ward, and all the. rest. -“There is no
slight in omission. To do all justice I
would have to recite the entire roster
of your association,
“When 1 think of the power that is
yours to wield, is it any wonder that
I feel bowed under the weight of medi
ocrity as I approach the task of en
deavoring to have you consecrate your
lives and abilities to the education of
our people along constructive lines,
In your field of endeavor you have
a wonderful opportunity, and, here, to
day, I invoke the ‘spirit of service,
and bespeak your most earnest co-op
eration in the serious work that musc
be done before we can rise to the
heights of statehood that we have a
right to attain,
“With the intense state pride and
love of tradition that fills the heart
of the average Georgian it would al
most seem that ‘Selling Georgia to
Georgians’ is more or less of an emply
phrase, but to those who have made a
careful study of the resources that
God has so manifestly blessed us with,
and of the psychology of our people,
we see before us a Brobdingnagian
task.
“In the selling of Georgia to Geor
gians we are confronted with the ne
cessity of overcoming the thoughts
and habits of a cemtury. For years
the trend of written thought and ora
torical effort has been filled with the
pleasing idioms of chivalric speech to
the extent that there has been foster
ed a complacent and self-satisfied at
titude toward life. There has been
built up a belief that we have reached
¢he ultima thule of all human progress
and that the day of making -traditions
is over, when as a matter of fact we
have only been marking time, and
along some lines have even been
retrograding. While out oratorical
lips have dripped honeyed compli
ments to the glory of Georgia man
hood and womanhood, we have allow
ed ourselves to drop to the disgrace
fully low point of forty-fourth in mat
ters of education; while we have been
writing lavender scented : tomes on
crinolined dame and gallant squire the
soul of the thinker has writhed in
agony as he saw our mineral resour
ces being shipped away to be manu
factured into finished materials by
other states; while we prated with a
justifiable pride .of traditions other
divisions of our country have been
making great strides in manufacture
through development of their water
power, and our streams still run un
harnessed to the sea; and while we
bave indulged in countless . dreamy
siestas, we have seen our farmers
shackled with seemingly unbreakable
bonds to a cross of cotton and the in
iquitous systems of farming and cred
its that have grown up around that
commodity. : ‘
“In addition to this our hearts can
not help but be saddened by the
thought that we have failed to herald
to the world the virtues of our people
and the glories of our possessions. As
a result we feel the scorching sting
of criticism in the oft-repeated state
‘ment that we live in a land of ‘moon
shine, lynching and illiteracy,” instead |
of an Eden:of opportunity, awamng‘
the ‘magic alchemy -of the forge and
the retort of the manufacturer and
the scientific’ development of agricul
ture to transform it into a golden
blaze of wealth. ‘
“Oh! Member of the Georgia Press
Association! . I hope that I can bring
to you a vision of the Georgia that is
to be—a Georgia of highly educated
men and women, a Georgia of indus
trial activity with splendid cities filled
with busy factories, and a Georgia of
a happy and prosperous -countryside
established upon the solid foundation
of a sane system of farming and mar
keting. If I can bring to you that
picture. and can enlist the concerted
power of the institutions you repre
sent, in five years there will be a new
and greater state rising Phoenix-like
from the ashes of the old.
“A salesman, to be successful, must
tirst sell himself. Perhaps.we have
not realized the extent of the natural
blessings that we have beem endowed
with, and it may be necessary in or
der ‘to -catch the inspiration ‘to famil
iarize ourselves with the resources of
'our state and in this way-arrive at
own conclusions. % o
* Mineral Resources, it
“On ‘the" authority of the eminent
Dr. 8. W. McCallie, state geologist, we
find Georgia rich in miheral resources
lbeyond computation,© In state docu
'ments he informs us that our geolog
'l'ical formation accounts for an unusual
diversity of minerals, whioh for com
mercial-purposes cover a range not to
be exceeded by any geographical di
vision of the same area in the world.
“This* mineral belt extends entirely
'across the state with its southern
boundary running from near Waynes
boro to Columbus.. It can be divided
into two sections—the Piedmont pla
teau and the mountain region. Al
that vast stretch of territory is rich
in marble, granite, slate, iron, coal,
bauxite, asbestos, copper, gold, ochre,
corundum and talc. While the extreme
northern section has not been fully
explored it is known to contain im
mense _deposits of mineral wealth,
Leeshurg. Lee County Ga., Friday MARCH 9, 1923
“In addition to these most impor
tant minerals there is a miscellaneous
production that must not be overlook
ed. In this we find barytes, cements,
soapstone, Fuller's earth, marls and
graphites, Manganese is found in
the same section® as some of the iron
ores, while mica is distributed through
out the Pledmont plateau, In the mat
ter of ochre Georgia produces half of
the output of the United States. KEven
precious stones are found in variety.
There has been no systematic attempt
at mining along these lines, but acci
dental finds include diamonds, rubles,
amethysts; rose quartz, rutilated quartz,
smoky quartz, agate, jaspers, opals,
beryls, garnets and moonstones.
“The marble deposits are so exten
sive that it has been estimated that
all the monumental land marks of the
world could. be reproduced from them
without serious diminution, The same
is true of granite, but with all this
the Georgia state capitol building was
not built of Georgia materials.
“In the famed Pittsburg district iron
ore has to be transported by water
and rail from the mines in the far off
Lake Superior region to coal. In Geor
gia these two minerals are found lying
side by side, together with all the
fluxing and purifying ores necessary
in the making of steel. T'he opal is
of the highest heating value and for
cooking purposes cannot be excelled.
“Bauxite, the basic material of alum
[num, is found in Polk, Bartow, Chat
tooga, Walker and Wilkinson counties,
but practically the entire production
is shipped to New York and Pennsyl
vania and not a pound of it is being
manufactured in Georgia.
“Practically all of the asbestos in
the United States is found in Georgia,
only one other state having -shown
a deposit. This ore is found chiefly
in the Piedmont plateau. New uses
are being discovered for it every day,
but in spite of this demand it is being
shipped away to be made into finish
ed materials elsewhere.
“Some years ago I happened to be
in one ¢f the small cities in this min
eral bpelt. They were boasting of
shipping more iron ore than amy other
section of the state; but their sky was
unsmudged by smoke of smelter and
retort and.-their slumbers were un
breken by rumble and roar of fur
naces and mills, In their pride of
shipping the greatest amount of ore
they. were overlooking the greater
wealth of conversion from a ram to a
finished product. A few days later
in another ¢ity I saw displayed fifteen
different minerals, ranging from three |
kinds of iron ore, coal, lime, bauxite, |
asbestos and on down to gold quartz,‘
but the rolling smokxe and belching |
tire of industry was not there. ‘
“I say in all due seriousness that
had the mineral wealth of Georgia
been properly developed there would
be today, somewhere within a circle
drawn around the cities of Rome,‘
Cartersville and Cedartown, a city as
large -as Pittsburg, teeming with in-‘
dustrial activity and contributing to:
the wealth and glory of the state. 1
“But this does not complete the
story. - In the northern section of the
coastal plain, which extends from the
coast to what is known as the ‘fall
line,” there is sufficient clay and ka
olin to supply the combined potteries
of the world. While the vale of these
deposits does not seem to have been
properly appreciated by the Georgian,
we find their. value recognized as
early as 17565 by Sir Joshua Wedge
‘wood, a noted manufacturer of a ware
by that name. He wrote a letter in
iregard to the possibilities of pottery
‘manufacture in Georgia, and stated
)that we had materials that were equal
if not superior to the English clays.
At that time he expressed the fear
that we would cut into his trade. Near
ly two centuries have passed and
nothing has been done to make his
dreams come true. We have, pof
course, been. shipping clays away for
manufacture, but nothing of any ac
count has developed in the way of
tlay working. plans.
~ “During the past few months the
Central of Georgia Railway has been
making great strides toward the prop
er; development of this wealth. They
deserve the congratulations of the en
tire state for the meritorious work
they are doing. They have the means
and .the vision and their- efforts will
go a long ways foward establishing a
valuable industry.
. "Lumber Shipped North
' “What is true of mineral is equally
the case with lumber. Practically all
of our lumber, and especially the hard
woods, is shipped to Northern factories
while there are a few furniture fac
tories and the like. The bulk of our
purchases are ‘made north of the
Mason-Dixon line.
“Think of the constant drain upon
our financial system by this incessant
purchase away from home of goods
that should be manufactured within
our~own horders and from our own
raw materials. Not only this, but there
is the further enormous loss of in
vestment ‘and absence of pay rolls.
The development of intensive manu
facture would double the population
within a few years, Great cities would
rise like magic from the waste, bring
ing new blood, skilled hands and
thoughtful minds,
“Just the other day a man who still
carried a spark of bitterness in “his
soul referred to our feeble attempt at
diversified farming as ‘feeding the
d--~-d ‘Yankees." Gentlemen of the
Georgia Press Association, it is with
in your power, and it is your duty, to
instill into the minds of the people
who are constantly purchasing away
from home, and to the infestors of
the state, that they are doing more
to accomplish that result by lack of
development of our mineral resources
and manufacture than in any other
way. While there is a gradually in
creasing interest in investments of
that kind the process of evolution is
painfully slow. It is coming, and with
your help, Georgia can soon be made
to enter her greatest period of de
velopment. With the starting of fur
nace and mill, new ambitions will
clutch at our hearts and fresh tra
ditions will mark the way to the goal
of a greater state.
Agricultural Possibilities
“In the agricultural phase of our
development we find equally chaotic
conditions. For years our whole finan
cial system has been based upon the
raising of one crop—cotton, Every
resource has been placed at the ‘com
mand of that one commodity and as
a result the South has been bending
under the weight of a mortgage for
the past half century. When the land
poor planter attempted to resume eco
nomic existence after the War Be
tween the States he had to borrow
money to live on until he could pro
duce something. The first remote
source of credit was the banks in the
North, which loaned to the Southern
bank only upon the assurance that
the money would be used for the grow
ing cotton and nothing else, and ‘that
the security could be the next crop.
The Southern banker loaned to the
‘Jocal merchant on the same stipula
tion, and the merchant gape credit
to the farmer only upon a promise
to raise cotton. In this way the farm
er owed the merchant the entire value
of the crop even before it was plant
ed. It had to be sold as soon as
picked in order to satisfy the mer
chant, who had to pay his loan to the
Southern banker, who in turn -had
to pay the Northern banker—with in
terest charges all along the line.
‘When this vicious circle was complet
ed it ‘was time to begin all over again,
and so on ad nauseum. 4
“In this way an iniquitous system
has been built up, The farmer was not
only forced, into a rut but the credit
system has eaten like a cancer at
the heart of all the South. |
. “With these things blocking the
way the farmer was forced to follow
that one line of agricultural effort to
the exclusion of all others, not even
raising food for his own family or
forage for his stock. The continual
raising of one crop without any rota
tion has caused a deterioration in the
quality of the soil, and with the fluc
tuation of value brought about by spec
ulative marketing the farmer has Leen
steadily going backward.
“Within the past few years two
things have arisen that” have brought
about great changes. The war taught
the value of food products and the
advent of the holl weevil has necessi
tated the turning from a one crop sys
tem to a diversified agriculture. As
the sunlight of smiles shines through
the tear drops of grief, out of these
two great calamities, with the help
that the newspapers can give through
a firm editorial policy, there will rise
a greater state, a better system of
finance and a happier, and more pros
perous people.
“When we come before you plead
ing the cause of our state, I want to
say that the most ardent supporter of
diversified farming does not advocate
the abandonment of cotton, buti he
does insist that it no longer remain a
‘monopoly and that it be given no
greater acreage than can be properly
taken care of under boll weevil con
ditions. There must be in addition to
cotton food stuffs for home consump
tion and for market and the develop
iment of a hetter grade of stock, leav
ing cotton as a clean surplus, and
‘bringing in money in mid-season at a
time when it is needed. In this way
\it will be made possible to finance the
year’s effort without borrowing and
without resorting to an expensive and
suicidal credit plan.
“As a basis for our campaign of
education we must start with the pro
ducer himself. So far the raising of
food products for market has not been
altogether satisfactory, and the reason
for this condition is mainly with the
farmer himself. He has steadfastly
refused to recognize the rights of the
consumer and submit to a proper grad
ing of his products. As a result the
Georgia commodities save been pen
slized on the markets, To {llustrate
this to your complete satisfaction I
would say that a visgit to practically
Continued on page 3
Party Next
- Friday Night
Don’t you think a kiddie
Party would be fine,
Just the kiddie grown.ups
All standing in a line?
The Loys, perhaps in overalls,
Or rompers, as they please;
‘The girls in furbelows and fulls,
~ Or just a cute che¢mise.
We’ll hop and dance and jump,
And around the level go.
With childish glee, and cupid’s
bow,
In gowns in ealico.
Won’t each of you join the rest
of us
With many, many stars, ‘
Next Friday night at half past{
seven? ‘
And bring your pa’s and ma’sl
We’ll dance and sing with part
ners.
Ane then go home with merry
heéarts,
And pockets full of candy. |
Card of Thanks
We wish to express our heart
felt thanks and gratitude to all
our friends of this community
and elsewhere for their liberal!
help, contribntions and donationsl
to us since the loss of our. home
and contents, on Feburary 18th,
by fire.
We want to thank every one
for all that they have done and
hereby show our appreciation for
every article, garment and cash
that was given for our support
and comfort,
Rev. & Mrs. J. K. Daniel
and family.
R. H. FORRESTER, Agent
NEW YORK LIFE INSURANGE GOO,
ASSETS $952.632,139.00 -
- Protect Your Family
WITH A GOOD INSURANCE
POLICY.
; 0. .
Who Is Depositing Your Money
Are you spending all of your money? If you are,
the other fellow is Depositing it.
Statistics show by actual observation that six out of
every seyven persons in the United States are dependent
on relatives or charity for support at the age of sixty-five.
Will you be one of the six dependent ones, or will ycu be
the seyenth who is independent and comfortable in old
agel: -
It 18 your right and privilege to live ecomfortable,
but in this great land of opportunity, any one who has
any degree of thrift and industry can live comforiable
and still have something left to lay up for old age and a
rainy day.
The best way is to lay aside something regularly and
systematically by depositing itin a good safe, sound
bank, like ours, where it will accumulate.
LET US HELP YOU. :
BANK OF LEESBURG,
G A NEsBIT, PRESIDENT O.W.STATHAM, VICE-PRESIDENT
craE s e THARP,JCASHIER, :
. .
Smithville Sunday
School News
Smithville, Ga. Mar. 4.—The
attendance of the Sunday School
Jlast Sunday was very good.
There was on an average of 45
that attended Sunday School
Sunday.
There were two honor classes
Miss Opal Vicus, class No. 3,
100 per cent. Mrs. C. R. Malone,
class No. 4, 100 per cent,
Mr. Muller Calloway and Em
mett Godwin will act as officers
on March 11th.
There was a new pupil added
to the Sunday schoc! roll, Miss
Bertha Miller, she having joined
class No. 4, Mrs. C. R. Malone,
teacher.
There were three visitors, Mrs.
H. C. Hautman, Mrs. C: C.
Ansley and Mr Foy Mainor.
PUBLIC SALES
We have purchased 122,000 pair
U. S. Army Munson last shoes, sizes
5 1-2 to 12 which was the entire sur
plus stock of one of the largest U.
S. government shoe contractors.
This. shoe is guaranteed one hundred
percent solid leather, colol' dark tan,
bellows tongue, dirt and waterproof.
The actual value of this shoe in $6.00
Owing to this tremendous buy we can
offer same to the public at $2.95.
Send correct size. Pay postman on
delivery or send money order. If
shoes are not as represented we will
cheerfully refund your money prompt
ly upon request. : s
National Bay State Shoe Company
NATIONAL BAY STREET
SHOE COMPANY
296 Broadway, New York, N. Y.
Number 8