The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1898-02-23
AS EDITOR WATTS SEES Us
HIS IMPRESSION OF THEMETROP-
OILS OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.
Tells of Our Commercial, Industrial
and Political Importance. The
Lumpkim Advertiser Editor
Visits Dawson.

Editor B. 81. Watts, of the LumpkiR
Advertiser, was visitor to Dawson re,
Gently, and upon returning home wrote
for his paper his impressions of our COM
mercial and political Importance and
our people THE News, in behalf of
the people of Dawson, makes its politest
bow to Editor Watts, and assures him
that whenever he returns to Dawson ev-
cry latch-string will hang on the out.
side. He says in the Advertiser:
Recently the writer had occasion to
make hurried trip to Terrell county,
of which Dawson, tie commercial me-
tr0pols of southwest Georgia, and the
Mecca of second district politics, is the
capital. Dawson is hustliDg town and
no mistake. She has a population of
) 900 and is surrounded by as fine farm
ing country as l have ever seen. The
lands lie we'll, are fertile and command a
high price. Indeed, il is a very hard
matter Ia buy lands in that section at
any price, and now and then you can get
possession Of lands by the settlement OF
an estate. 1t is a rare thing you see
land advertised for sale.
reached Dawson on the afternoon of
February 9Th. 1t was raining, and a
dreary DAY it seemed was in store for
me. But it soon abated, and a more
pleasant evening | could no. have wished
for was spent in that town. The next
day, Sunday, and beautiful day, too.
was spent with friends and relatives in
the country, and this afforded me an ex-
Gellent opportunity of seeing a country |
have heard s. much about, and l was not
disappointed with what l saw. The
country round about Dawson is thickly
settled, has good schools. churches and
church-going people aud excellent roads.
A few miles out from Dawson l found
a good colony of former Stewart county
farmers living just close enough TO be
nelghbors. There l found the Hills, Nc
Reefs, Dismukes, Davidsons aud Walters
all living in the colony as it were. They
once lived amid the hills in this county
down in the twenty-frst district. Most
excellen. families they are, and | am
proud they are doing 50 well down
there.
over in Dawson and in the county
ihey are trying the new dispensary sys-
year, was effective The people of the
county are much moIe pleased with the
dispenSary than the system iu vogue last
year. They find it better in a pecuEiary
way, and then the folk who habitually
frequent such places cannot do 50 now.
They are not permitted TO linger about
the place until the dead hours Of night
and then 60 home to their wives and
children. but must get what they want
and retire from the place. 1t is interest
ing to stand in the neigLbOrhood of the
dispeusary near the closing time, six
o'clock. and watch the colored brother
as he rushes to get there before the tex.
pens2ry,' as he is wont to call it, closes
its doors for the Gay. Usually in 4 town
the size of Dawson, where the negroes
are as thick as hops, it takes from five
to seven clerks 10 dispense the arden to
those who might have the price of half
pin, the least sold, about them. The dis
pensary is a regular Klondike to the town
aud county IN a financial way. l was
told by Mayor w. i. Cheatham that the
clearing for the week preceding my visit
was 800 daily average and that for the
week preceding this the daily average
was even more than this. This is only
for the Dawson dispensary, and it might
safely be said that the dispensaries at Sas-
ser and Brentwood are not worried at the
present price of cotton.
OF course Terrell county people are a
unit as to their choice for agricultural
commissioner. In Hon. o. b. Steven.
they will have good, true and faithful
officer. They recognize his ability and
fitness for the place, and are not slow in
letting the state know his qualifca-
tions for the office. / found Mr.. Stevens
in his Office in the Stewart building.
His mail had just arrived. Letters came
from the mountains to the sea board, all
giving the candidate news from their
respective communities which was very
encouraging to him and his co-workers,
inasmuch as they were unsolicited and
many from people he did not know.
Prof. NJ. }. Yeomans, who has charge of
Mr.. Stevens correspondence, handed
me a batch of letters Mr.. Stevens had re-
ceived the day before. There were
probably one hundred letters in the lot
from as many different towns, and to
have read all of them, | would
have been there a week, but | saw
enough TO assure me that this dis
tinguished gentleman was leading
in the race and conducting his
campaign on high plane. Mr. Stevens
has Away been friend to the poor, and
he is very popular with this class. He
will begin this week making personal
canvass of the state, and everywhere is
meeting with encouragement.
A good newspaper is an index to a
community'S progress along social, COM
mercial and industrial lines, and in this
respect Dawson is not tagging. In The
News, of which that prince of good fel
lows, E. l.. RaineY, is the editor and own
er, Dawson has an able sponsor. THE