The Helena independent., 1894-12-09
HE REACHED THE TOP
The Story Of the Rise In LIE Of JoO Brown,
Of ceofgia, entertalninglY
Told.
DR.. STEELE CROWS REMINISCENT.
An Object Lesson That the Boys Of tho
Present Day May Study 10
Advantage,

~ lhe hp3N pI lfif pIthnA hdyt WIN AT
tend graded schools and receive AN
education bedttlng them FOR busi0ena
ne should want an object lesson to|
point out 10 them the advantages thcy
possess over the boys ~ half century
or 80 ago, let them read the story oil
the late Joe Brown, OF Grorgins-senator,
governor, lawyer and capitalist. 3N-
Gov. Brown married q cousin OF pr
WilliauPL. Steele. Of Helena. DE
Steele Is always an interesting talker
and never more 80 than when he grows
reminiscent The wedding Of Joe Brown
and Elizabeth Grisham was the first
cermony of the kind DR.. Steele had
ever seen. ana though he was but a
boy at the time, nc we'll remembers all
the ceremony
Joseph 4, Brown, though identified
for The most of his lifetime with the
state Of Georgia. WAS still a native of
South Carolina" shys DR.. Steele. His
people were poor. When they got over
Ia Georgia they were TOO poor to send
the boy to school The system there
provided for educating poor children.
The trustees recommended them and
the state paid for their schooling. Joe
Brown was recommended, but as he
had 10 work he could only 20 TO school
three months In the winter. lie learned
as much In that time as the other chill
dren I'm n full term, because he ap-
piled himself and studied hard. Old
Dr. Lewis. Of Canton. Ga, saw the boy
and saw also that he was unusually
bright. He told old Maxey Brown, the
boys father. that he WAS not treating
the boy right. and offered 10 have him
educated. And he took Joe away and
started him toward a good education,
as he finally graduated at Yale.
when Joe Brown went To ask my
uncle, Joseph Grisham. for his daugh-
ter. he put his case this way; i am
81 500 worse on than nothing, but can
say that not cent Of u has been
wasted. IL has been expended In get
/ ting an education Well, what does
! Eliza beth say2' asked uncle. Il have
told her all said Joe. 'All right. then,
says uncle. here's a check for Sl,eO0 q
get you out OF debt, and here's %lO,vO'
10 start on. Now, Keep out or DEBT
Joe Brown was a splendid lawyer, an'
got ahead rapidly. He was soon chosei
circuit Judge, and down there that oi
flee is much looked up to. He startc,
In by nning every lawyer for contempt
who didn't obey the rules OF the court
The lawyers didn't like Il much al first
but they soon got to Ike IT, lie madt
"a splendid Judge.
"Weu they nnally got Joe Brown e.
run for governor. Ben i'm Was run.
ming against him on The know-nothlhs
ticket. The great issue tn the cam
paign was the sale of the state rallFoad.
/ You know the Chcrokees hnl owned
! the upper part Of the state ana Whsh
| they left and went TO the Indlan Ter
ritory there were some splendid farms
king around. In ordc 10 get this
country settled up the stHfc built rail
road through IT, II settled up IN uu
time. The railroad was run as big
polltIcal machine. and every session the
legislature had TO make an appropria-
/ tlon TO pay for the running expenses
Ben I'M had promised TO sign bill Ia
| sell the road Brown said " the legls-
lature would pass such bill he would
sign n However, he told his friends
ne did not see any necessity for selling
the road. as he believed II could be
made 10 pay.
"Joe Brown was elected. and he took
hold of that road, made his old friend.
DIR. Lewis. the manager and soon had
n earning money. The legislature
didn't pass any bill FOR its sale The
| road not only paid expenses but pnl
money In the treasury and paid on the
| debt, Brown, at the end OF the two
year term, was reelected, almost unan'
imously. his opponent getting onlS
| about 500 votes The constitution only
allowed governor two terms IN sue
cession. About that time georgia 81,
cedrd. The constitution was changed
10 make the governors term six years
and not allow him TO succeed himself
lie served nearly all his term until The
reconstruction period, when he was re-
placed. When the carpet bag govern
! ment wns displaced. the railroad whi
bankrupt, It's rolling stock gone. and
they were again thinking seriously ol
selling II.
at this time Gov. Brown and some
others came forward and made propo
sltlon 10 lease the Georgia railroad foi
twenty years. They agreed To pas
81 600 "A day rental and pay u chcl
night In advance. They got the road
equipped II with rolling stock, ran II
and Kept their agreement, ana made
Ave or six millions apiece. Joe Brown
wa. gcnatnr from Georgia until he gol
tired of II.
III has been stated IN some OF IN,
sketches Of his lifr that Joe Browns
wife educated him after their murralgr
| You see that was n mistake