The Indianapolis journal., 1896-03-05
FITZGERALD'S COLONY
ITS PROTECTOR DEFENDS IT
AGAINST A SOUTHERN ATTACK.
Description Of It's Location, Plan Of
Lands Intended for Farming.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal:
have read the article in last Sundays
Journal taken from a periodical called
Dixie, concerning the Georgia colony. The
report says my attention was called to the
publication, and. without going into details
as to health and sanitary conditions. pro-
duced a letter from Ex-Governor w. j.
Northen, showing that the publication
emanated from an Ill feeling existing be-
tween the Governor and the editor
of Dixie. who is nephew or the
Governor. All of which is very true,
vet I wish to say that / was not asked by
your reporter to go into details. informed
him that the article and the extract here
quoted from another paper, called the
Looking Glass, paper after the Police Ga
zette style, which has been prohibited the
use of the United States mails because OF
its low, vile publications, and that 1t is
never mentioned by the press Of the South.
/ supposed this showing was sufficient TO
convince any fair-minded person Of the un-
truthfulness of the article, but your re-
porter failed to do me justice by mention
ing these facts. / will now give .cu the
facts touching the colony. its location, class
of people, their intentions and the cause
which led to the organization. its great
prosperity, popularity, the complete work
from the beginning up to the day the men,
bership books closed.
First, let me say the articles spoken of In
your paper of last Sunday are confined to
a class of low unworthy periodicals and
papers. We have never had an unfriendiy
article or discouraging one published by
any one of the better class OF
papers of the South, while, on
the other hand, the great papers OF
that section, viz, the Atlanta Journal,
the Atlanta Constitution, Savannah News,
the Macon Telegraph and the Manufactur-
ers' Record, of Baltimore, have all bid us
welcome and given us great encouragement
and spoken in the highest terms OF the
colony and the work accomplished. They
have encouraged us in our location, nave
advised us what could be done in that Sec
tion have met our people and have spoken
well of them as a fine body of energetic,
Woodworking, intelligent people, and they
were pleased at the success of EX-GOVERNOR
Northen in securing them for the State OF
Georgia.
will now state few facts as to our To-
cation and the sanitary condition. The
location is a perfect one. We are situated
in Irwin county. Georgia, III miles south Of
Macon. 125 miles northwest of Jacksonville,
Fla $50 miles west of Savannah, and 200
miles directly east of Montgomery, Ala.
The topography of the country is gently
rolling, but not rough, with good drainage,
with numerous small creeks running
through the colony lands. The section is
known as the wire-grass belt of Georgia.
We are below the red clay hills of the
State. on the table lands, with an elevation
of fpat al
above the frost line, and ice this year came
sufficiently severe to freeze the water
loan, and ranges from six to eighteen
inches in depth. We can raise corn, oats,
barley, rye (but no wheat), upland rice
(sixty-five bushels to the acre.. West India
sugar cane that, the natives inform us, will
produce thirty barrels of fine Georgia
syrup per acre, hay in abundance Peas
products can be raised from two to three
crops per year. Sweet potatoes, as well as
Irish potatoes. yield loO to 400 bushels per
acre. Cotton does well, and fruits DO well.
with the exception of the apple. We are in
the so-called fruit belt of the State. Peach
es. pears. cherries. plums; figs and grapes
cannot be beaten or equaled even by Cali
fornia. The English walnut and pecans'
are also raised here.
Fourteen miles south Of US is found the
city of Tifton, founded by two Northern
men, Col H III. and w. o. Tiff. who have
been here for the past twenty-four years.
Their peach. pear, grape and fruit orchards
-
one peach orchard last year was 5000.
The celebrated Triton Elberta peach was
sold to many families in indianapolis last
season. All these things are done within
six miles Of our colony lands. With a
country and climate SO perfect. how will
Dixie make its assertions good? The editor
cannot do it. He knows the article was In
spired through a jealous feeling toward the
Governor, Mr.. Northen. We have now
reached the point where we do not see why
we should give such foolish reports any con-
sideration. Our colony membership Is filled
and we could admit thousands II we desired
Our members well pleased and perfect
ly satisfied and all things are working in
perfect harmony
As to the sanitary conditions OF our city,
let US say city was laid Off square,
containing an even thousand acres OF land
Our members crowded upon US so fast
that we had not time to apportion or make
allotments for the larger tracts. Our plan
divided the central portion into business
lots, with the resident lots completing the
outer blocks. Members were entitled by all
lotment to the alternate lots or to the odd
numbers. 1t required some little time to
make this allotment and during this interval
the beard of directors set apart two hundred