Newspaper Page Text
The Camilla
VOLUME XXIV.
PROPERTY OWNERS
WIN PAVING CASE
ASSESSMENT FOR CITY PAVING
DECLARED ILLEGALLY BY
SUPREME COURT.
In a decision that was handed down
by the Supreme Court of Georgia on
Thursday of last week the court held
that the paving assessment made by
the Mayor and Aldermen of the City
of Camilla against property owners
on Scott and Broad streets in this
city was illegal and the decision of
Judge W. V. Custer of the Superior
Court of this circuit was sustained.
The Supreme Court held that under
the charter of the city which provides
that property owners abutting on a
street upon which paving is being
laid may he assessed for two-thirds
of the cost of such improvement, the
Mayor and Aldermen were not au¬
thorized to take credit for the twen¬
ty-foot roadway paid for with federal
and state funds as the city’s share
of this improvement and to assess
the balance against the property own¬
ers. In this connection the court
said:
"The term “cost,” as used in this
act, clearly means the amount which
the city had to expend in paving its
streets. If the city expended nothing
in paving these streets, or portions
thereof, it would not be authorized
to make an assessment against the
property abutting thereon to cover
the cost of such improvement, when
the same was done by the county and
the Highway Department of the state
in constructing a state highway, and
when the city did not pay such cost
and was in no way liable for such
cost to the county and the State High¬
way Department or either of them.
The fact that the county and the
State ’Highway Department agreed
to pave a roadway of twenty feet
through these streets, with funds de¬
rived from the state and federal gov¬
ernments, in order to assist the city
in improving these streets, would not
justify the municipality in embracing
in its assessment the cost of paving
such roadway. The city could only
include in its assessment the cost in¬
curred by it in paving the remainder
of the. streets.”
The paragraph above taken from
the decision covered the controlling
question in the case. This was ex¬
actly the contention of the property
owners and they win a complete vic¬
tory on this point.
There is another phase of the ease,
however, covered by this decision
which is regarded as a victory for
the city in that the city will be allow¬
ed to figure in certain costs in con¬
nection with the laying of the paving
which were not included in the origi¬
nal assessment and which will prac¬
tically off-set the reduction the prop¬
erty owners secured through the eli¬
mination of the cost of paving the
twenty-foot highway from the as¬
sessment. The city claimed, in the
hearing on the injunction before
Judge Custer, that the cost of grading
the streets and lowering water pipes
and the cost of curbing and paving
intersections of these streets had not
been included in the assessments
against the property owners and the
court was asked to allow the city to
reassess the property owners so as
to include these costs, which, it was
claimed, amounted to approximately
*14,000. The lower court refused to
pass such an order and the city ex¬
cepted in its appeal to the higher
court. On this point the decision of
the Supreme Court is as follows:
"As there has been no legal assess¬
ment against the several parcels of
real estate by reason of the fact that
the cost of paving this roadway was
included in the assessment made by
the city against the owners of abutt¬
ing property and the property itself,
it becomes necessary for the city to
make a reassessment, showing the
total cost of the work of paving the
portions of these streets not embrac¬
ed in said roadway, and the apportion¬
ment of two-thirds of such cost
against the owners of abutting par¬
cels* and the parcels themselves. All
legitimate items of such cost can be
embraced in such reassessment.”
The decisison states that the lower
court did not err in refusing to pass
an order allowing these costs to be
included in the original assessment,
and points out how the city should
proceed in reassessing the costs of
the paving.
The cost of paving the highway
through the streets in question is
said to have been approximately $17,-
Taylors Open Jewelry
Store At Bartow, Fla.
The City Jewelry Store, of this
place, which is operated by Messrs.
C. L. and Roy Taylor, has opened a
branch store at Bartow, Fla., and Mr.
Roy Taylor has moved to that place
to manage the business. A very de¬
sirable location was secured for the
new store and prospects are favorable
for a prosperous business. Die City
Jewelry Store is one of the oldest and
most successful business concerns of
Camilla and the Taylors, father and
son, are experienced and careful busi¬
ness men. Their many friends wish
them much success in this new busi¬
ness venture.
BAKER TO VOTE ON
COURT HOUSE SITE
ELECTION WILL BE HELD NEXT
THURSDAY, MAY 28. BOTH
SIDES CONFIDENT.
The Baker county election on the
question of the removal of the court
house from Newton to some other
place in the county will be held on
next Thursday, May 28th. Lively in¬
terest has been manifested in the
contest since the calling of the elec¬
tion a little more than a month ago
and both sides to the question are con¬
fident of success at the polls Thurs¬
day.
According to the information we
have the ballots will be worded so that
those who favor the removal of the
court house will be required to make
two decisions in casting their ballots.
In other words, they will vote for the
removal of the court house and then
they will name the place to which
they wish the court house moved.
Those opposed to removal will, of
course, indicate this fact by scratch¬
ing the other two propositions. This
manner of voting on the question,
which is in accord with the legal re¬
quirements, is said to favor those who
oppose the removal in asmuch as the
opposition will be divided as to the
location of the court house if it is
moved, and a two-thirds vote is re¬
quired to change the county seat.
It is predicted that the total vote
in the election next Thursday will be
around 900. Of this number the re
movalists will have to get 600 to win.
As Newton is the largest voting pre¬
cinct in the county and the people of
this district are expecting to poll
nearly 300 votes, almost solidly
against removal, they feel confident
of holding the court house at Newton.
Those favoring the removal, however,
are quite as clever at figuring as the
opposition and they are able to show
a very strong probability of success,
based on their figures.
In the meanwhile the question will
be definitely settled at the polls next
i Thursday and the outsider whose
j j only both interest of is the that he has friends is hopeful on
sides contest
! that it will be settled in a way so
as to leave as few “sore spots” as
possible.
Slight Damage From
Hail Near Hopeful
A hail storm which visited a small
scope of territory in the Hopeful sec¬
tion is reported to have slightly dam¬
aged tobacco and others crops on the
farms of L. H. Hayes and P. J. Keadle
near Hopeful. The report received
here did not mention any other suf¬
ferers from the hail storm. Hail is
especially dreaded by the tobacco
growers at this season of the year
and many of the growers carry in¬
surance against damage from this
source.
000. If this amount is deducted from
the assessment, and the cost of low¬
ering water pipes, grading and pav¬
ing intersections, said to amount to
approximately $14,000, is added to
the assessment, the property owners
will have effected a saving of approxi¬
mately $3,000, less a ten per cent dis¬
count on the whole amount allowed
for cash payment, which the property
owners lost under the ruling of the
court.
The matter of making the reassess¬
ment and adjusting the same with
the property owners will probably be
taken up at the next meeting of the
city council.
In this case Judge E. E. Cox rep¬
resented the property owners and Col.
E. M. Davis and City Attorney J. D.
Gardner represented the city.
CAMILLA, GA., FRIDAY, MAY 22, 1925.
TOBACCO MARKET
OPENS JULY 21ST
DATE IS FIFTEEN DAYS EAR¬
LIER THAN OPENING DATE
IN GEORGIA LAST YEAR.
The Georgia auction tobacco mar¬
ket will open on Tuesday, July 21st,
according to an announcement made
by the president of the Tobacco As¬
sociation in Richmond, Virginia, last
Thursday. The date fixed for ithe
opening this year is fifteen days earl¬
ier than the opening date last year
and will allow for a market season
of seven or eight weeks. The mar¬
ket will open here before the growers
finish gathering their crop, but not
before a large part of the crop will
be ready for market, according to
local tobacco men.
The opening of the Georgia tobacco
market this year will be attended by
more interest than ever before on ac¬
count of the fact that the crop this
year is expected to be almost double
that grown in Georgia' last year and
the tobacco belt has been extended
to include a number of counties that
have not heretofore grown tobacco.
Tobacco men who should be inform¬
ed profess to see a very bright out¬
look in the matter of prices for this
year’s crop. The short crop raised
in the Carolinas last year is one of
the principal reasons for possible
higher prices this year, as well as in¬
creased consumption and the
quality of Georgia tobacco.
The market will open in Camilla
with sales running in two warehouses.
The Planters Warehouse, under the
management of Mr. S. W. Smith,
who conducted the warehouse and
sales last year, will be open again
under the same management. The
New Camilla Warehouse, now under
construction, will open under the man¬
agement of Mr. Dan W. Taylor,
Wilson, N. C. Mr. Smith is well
known to the growers who patronized
this market last year and has many
friends among the growers of this
section. Mr. Taylor is an experien¬
ced warehouseman, having been in
charge of the sales in one of the lar¬
gest warehouse in Wilson for a num¬
ber of years. He has been in Camil¬
la for several months getting ac¬
quainted with the people and he is
making a favorable impression.
The backers of the Camilla market
are well pleased with the outlook and
are predicting that several million
pounds of tobacco will be sold here
this year.
There is a good deal of speculation
throughout Southwest Georgia re¬
garding the number of new markets
that will be established in this sec¬
tion this year and' as to what towns
will be the winners of these prizes.
Tobacco warehouses are being built
in Bainhridge, Cairo, Pelham, Thom
asville, Moultrie, Quitman and possi¬
bly one or two other near by places.
All of these towns have satisfactory
assurance that they will have tobac¬
co buyers this season and are making
all preparations for the, opening of
the market. There is a persistent
rumor that not more than two or
three new markets, at the most, will
be established in this part of the
state. Whether there is any founda¬
tion for this rumor, or not, no one
seems certani, but is is resposible for
much speculation jnst now as to
which are to be the lucky towns.
About the only thing that appears
certain about the market situation
is that the tobacco growers of this
section of the state will he able to
chose between several good markets
when it comes time to sell their crop
and that they will get the benefit
of all competition that it is possible
to offer in the sale of tobacco. So
it is not likely that the industry will
suffer.
The tobacco crop in this county is
looking fine, especially since the rain
of last Sunday, which ended a drought
of several weeks. The growers have
had some trouble in getting stands
and about the only complaints heard
are regarding the stand. Since the
recent rain many growers who had
the plants replanted their crops and
a few have set out additional acre¬
age. With favorable weather, it is
said, these last settings will come off
almost as early as the tobacco that
was set out several weeks ago.
Mr. D. V. Thompson and Mr. Jim
Williford went to Atlanta last week
for a short visit, Mr. Thompson look¬
ing after business and Mr. Williford
visiting his mother, Mrs. W. T. Willi¬
ford, at the hospital.
27 WILL GRADUATE
FROM HIGH SCHOOL
GRADUATING EXERCISES WILL
BE HELD AT OPERA HOUSE
MONDAY EVENING.
Camilla Public Schools have come
to the last of a successful year in the
institution of learning and teachers
and pupils will close their desks today
and carry their books home, leaving
thoughts of school and their hard
work of the past year, with the de¬
serted school buildings, and prepare
to enjoy the rest and recreation of
the summer vacation. Teachers, pu¬
pils and parents all feel proud of the
work that has been accomplished,
though it was wrought gradually and
could not show up for its worth until
the year was completed. Superin¬
tendent Attaway and his force of
teachers are indeed to be congratu¬
lated on steering the young life of
our community through clouds and
changeableness to sunshine of suc¬
cess in the end of another year.
The High School has a splendid
class of graduates this year, and
though there will be two less than last
year to receive diplomas, few schools
Will graduate a larger class than ours
this year. The following students
compose the graduating class: Au¬
rora Acree, Ethel Blount, Mattie Mae
Branan, Charlie Will Bullard, Byron
Baggs, Jr., Ruth Burson, Bess Coch¬
ran, A. H. Davis, M. O. Davis, Chris¬
tine Einstein, Elwood Williams, Mag¬
gie Griner, Virgil Holton, Theodore
Jones, Connie Kennedy, Nannie Sue
Kirbo, Clarence McMillan, Sara Mc
Ree, Cecile Nix, Martha Perry, Ther
ance Tyson, Jr., Susie Smith, Ruth
Stevens, Wilma Rackley, Elm a Wade,
Judson Faircloth and Mildred Cox.
The Commencement period began
with the first of the medal contests
on May 7, when the High School girls
"competed for the Music Study Club
medal. Last week the certificate re¬
cital of Sara McRee and Martha Per¬
ry on Thursday evening and the boys
and girls declamation and recitation
contest for medals on Friday evening,
were important events.
The Grammar School operetta,
“What’s the Matter With Sally,” has
been arranged to be given on Thurs¬
day evening of this week, May 21,
under the direction of Miss Mabel
Hartley and Mrs. C. E. Gaulden. A
delightful evening is promised. A
small charge of twenty five and fif¬
teen cents will be charged, the pro¬
ceeds to go to the benefit of the school
piano.
Class Day exercises will be given by
the Seniors this afternoon on the
school campus, the program to begin
at 3:30 o’clock. The program will
be full of humor, happy farewells and
class spirit and will be presided over
by the class president, Clearance Mc
Millian.
Sunday morning at 11:15 o’clock
the commencement sermon will be
given at the opera house by Rev. J.
G. Graham, pastor of the First Bap¬
tist Church of Camilla. A musical
program for the service is being ar¬
ranged under the direction of Mrs.
C. E. Gaulden.
Monday evening the concluding
event of the commencement season
will be the graduating exercises. The
literary address to the graduates will
be delivered by Mr. H. T. Knowles,
Supt. of Quitman Public Schools and
former Pres, of Ga. Educational As¬
sociation, after the short commence¬
ment program. Following the ad¬
dress will be the delivery of diplomas
to the class of graduates and the
awarding of medals to the successful
contestants in the various events.
The General Excellence medal, offered
to the student of the Senior class at¬
taining best general record, the D. A.
R. History medal, offered to Seniors
and the High School Music Improve¬
ment medal, offered by music de¬
partment for greatest improvement,
will be delivered in addition to the
contest medals Monday evening.
Complaint That Cats
Are Being Poisoned
Several people in Camilla have
complained recently thgt their house
cats have been poisoned, supposedly
due to parties putting out poison for
rats. Mr. R. W. Branan, local mer¬
chant, lost a very fine Maltese cat re¬
cently which he valued highly and
others have reported the fieath of val¬
uable mousers kept in stores and at
home.
Crops Are Looking
Fine After Rain
The drouth of several weeks stand¬
ing was broken last Sunday by a rain
that was general throughout this sec¬
tion and has been very beneficial to
all crops. The tobacco crop has been
benefited most by the rain and the
y oung plants which were set out dur¬
ing the dry weather are responding
quickly to the favorable season. Cot¬
ton and corn crops arc also very prom¬
ising at this time. The crop prospect
in Mitchell county was never better at
this season and there is a general
feeling of optimism among fanners
and business men.
E.M. DAVIS HEADS
CAMILLA LIONS
ANNUAL ELECTION HELD LAST
WEEK. CLUB SS GUEST OF
MR. G. B. COCHRAN.
The weekly meeting of the Camilla
Lions Club was held at the New Ca¬
milla Hotel last Friday, where the
members of the club were the guests
of Mr. G. B. Cochran at luncheon.
A delightful barbecue dinner was ser¬
ved and the club voted its thanks to
its host on this occasion and to Mrs.
W. D. Cross, proprietor of the hotel.
Friday was the day for the annual
election of officers and this was the
principal item of business attended to
at the meeting. The nominating
committee offered the following nom¬
inations and the list was unanimous¬
ly elected by the club:
E. M. Davis, President.
G. B. Baggs, J. D. Gardner and
B. H, Jenkins, Vice Presidents.
A. J. Pinson, Secretary.
Atwood Cochran, Treasurer.
In accepting the presidency of the
club, Col. Davis promised his best
effort to maintain high standard of
service and fellowship which has here¬
tofore marked the activities of the
local club. He said that this organi¬
zation had, without doubt, proven an
important factor in upholding the
morale of the business men of Camil¬
la during the strenuous times of the
past two or three years and the unity
of purpose developed has strength¬
ened the community to meet with as¬
surance of success whatever prob¬
lems the future may hold for us.
The retiring president, P. E. Bailey,
was given high praise for his faith¬
ful service as head of the club during
the past year and he was freely ac¬
corded the “Lion’s share” of the cred¬
it for many of the important accom¬
plishments of the club during his ad¬
ministration. It was said of Mr.
Bailey that his zeal never waned from
one meeting till the next but that he
gave the organization twenty-four
hour vigilance and was able to secure
the accomplishment of many things
that have profited the club and the
community.
The club took congnizanee of the
very important place that is being
filled in the activities of the communi¬
ty by the Hi-Y Club, an organization
of young men bent upon building
Christian character and establishing
high ideals of citizenship. The mem¬
bers of the club have received en¬
couragement from the pastors of the
churches of the city and from other
citizens, but the success of the club
has been largely due to the fine spirit
of fellowship and loyalty shown by
the young men who make up the mem¬
bership of this organization. The
Lions Club extended congratulations
to the Hi-Y Club and requested the
secretary to write a' letter to Mr.
Clarence McMillan, the out-going
president, expressing the appreciation
of the Lions Club for the very com¬
mendable part he has played as the
leader of this band of young men
and the fine example he has set for
his fellows. The secretary was also
instructed to write a letter of congrat¬
ulations to Ernest M. Davis, Jr., upon
his election to the presidency of the
Hi-Y Club and to pledge him the sup¬
port of the Lions Club in the work he
has undertaken.
Before adjournment the club voted
to hold its meetings alternately at
the McNair Hotel and the New Ca¬
milla Hotel. The next meeting will
be held at the McNair Hotel Friday
at 12:30. A matter of importance
will be discussed at the meeting this
week and a full attendance of the
members is especially desired.
Rev. J. G. Graham returned home
Tuesday from Memphis, Tenn., where
he has been attending Southern Bap
Convention.
NUMBER 7.
SALE OF MEMORIAL
COINS WILL BEGIN
MEMORIAL HALF DOLLARS WILL
BE OFFERED TO THE PEOPLE
OF MITCHELL COUNTY.
Plans for a local organization to
push the sale of the Confederate me¬
morial half-dollars in Mitchell comity
are now being worked out and a coun¬
ty-wide campaign planned through
which it is hoped to reeach every des¬
cendant of a Confeederate soldier in
this county. Mr. J. E. Brooks has
been made chairman of the organiza¬
tion in this county and he will have
the co-operation and' assistance of all
business and civic organizations, as
well as individual citizens who are
interested in the success of this move¬
ment.
The memorial half-dollars— 2 , 500 ,
000 of them—have been minted by the
United States Government as a me¬
morial to the valor of the Southern
soldier. The coins are to be sold at
$1.00 each and the profit of 50 cents
made on each coin is to be used in de¬
fraying the cost of carving the me¬
morial to the Confederacy on Stene
Mountain. It is expected that the
first allottment of 2,500,000 coins will
be quickly disposed of, and if such is
the case the government has agree to
coin 2,500,000 more which will be dis¬
tributed in the same manner. The
sale of the coins will make possible
the speedy completion of the Stene
Mountain Memorial, located in Geor¬
gia and which is regarded as the
greatest undertaking of the kind in
the history of the world.
Mr. H. A. Tarver, of Albany, is the
head of the organization for the sale
of the coins in this district. A meet¬
ing of the county chairmen and oth¬
ers interested in the movement was
held in Albany Monday morning and
most of the counties of this district,
were represented. The purpose of
this meeting was to formulate plans
for the distribution of the coins and
to supply information to those who
are to head the county organizations.
Among those who attended this meet¬
ing was Mr. Harry Stillwell Edwards,
of Macon, noted Southern writer and
the originator of the idea of seWng
the memorial coins as a means of fi¬
nancing the Stone Mountain Memo¬
rial. Mr. Edwards was the principal
speaker at the meeting and stressed
the importance of the great Stene
Mountain Memorial to Georgia and to
the South and urged a prompt and en¬
thusiastic response to the offer of tfae
memorial coins. Holding one of the
beautiful coins before his hearers, he
declared it to be a remarkable ges¬
ture of friendship on the part of onr
united country to the men who wore
the grey and were once regarded as
enemies of the United States. He
called attention to the fact that the
coining of these memorial coins was
authorized by a Republican congress
and approved by a Republican presi¬
dent and that despite the fact that a
small minority of the North has com¬
plained of this honor paid to the Goo
federate soldier, the friendly act of
our government has been overwhelm¬
ingly approved by the people of the
North and West. This is the first
coin, he said, ever minted by our gov¬
ernment bearing a military figure aod
the figures on this coin are not those
of Northern generals but are the im¬
ages of Lee and Jackson, the immor¬
tal leaders of the Confederacy. No
Southerner, he said, should be with¬
out one of these coins and the time
will come when it will be a disgrace
for a Southerner not to possess one,
for the coins are a memorial in them¬
selves, a very fine tribute of the vic¬
tor to the memory of those who lost
but whose valor lends lustre to onr
united country.
The coins will not be sold over the
counter at the banks, as many had
supposed would be the case. Certi¬
ficates will be sold at $1.00 each and
these will entitle the holder to one of
the memorial half-dollars when pre¬
sented at the bank on or after July
3rd. None of the coins will be avail¬
able until the above date. The banks
of the county will secure the coins
and have them ready for the purchas¬
ers of the certificates. The coins are
legal tender for any purpose and may
be used as any other money, but they
will never be in general circulation.
Those who fail to buy now will not
be able to secure them later, for the
government will withdraw all coins
rtiat arc not disposed of in this cam¬
paign.
Mr. W. H. Bone, of Albany, spent
several days in the city this week.