Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-02-17

CARTERsvILLE. Feb. 10, 1902.
To The Atlanta Journal:
- HAVE JUST returned from trip
through Virginia and the CARROLL
mas, and a most pleasant time at
the towns 1 touched. 1t seems TO me
that have been on more trains out of
time in the last six months than in all
the travel Of my life.
The traffic to Florida is immense
The tide sets more and more that way
every winter. 1t has been said that
Florida lives on fish and Yankees.
do not know how fish are, but they
have got Yankees by the thousands
down there now and more TO come.
They may be going down there for
their health, but they are the biggest,
latest, finest looking fnvalids have
ever seen in search of health.
The growth of the North and South
Carolina towns all along the way
strikes one as he passes through those
states. Goldsboro, Durham, Green's
boro. Charlotte, Spartanburg. Green
vile, etc, seem to be in a race with
each other, business blocks going up.
beautiful residences being builded,
streets improved and everything wear
ing an air of prosperity.
BY the way, the good roads train and
crowd is touring North Carolina at this
time. This is the biggest thing that
ever struck the south, in my candid
Judgment. Little idea does the average
fellow have of the immense proper
lions of that thing by seeing the an
nouncement, 1.-The good roads train
will be at so and So.
When l ride through the populous
and prosperous middle states, every
road is macadamized and every high
way beautiful to look upon, and then
try to take a drive as I did a few
days ago here in Barlow county. it
makes one tired to look at the roads as
well as it makes the horse tired to pull
the buggy. If 1 had money to burn
would gather up every old farmer in
Georgia and take him a free ride
through Indiana, Ohio and portions of
Kentucky just to show him the roads.
/ think 1 would so disgust him with his
old muddy roads at home that they
would all sign a petition that the good
roads train come their way, and by the
3 way, this good roads train means simply
this: Loaded on cars is every piece Of
machinery for blasting, for crushing.
for handling rock, and that good roads
train will halt at a town, unload their
machinery and build a mile of sample
them see what 1t is, and it is sorter
like a fellow that's been smoking a
two-for to have box of good Havanas
given to him. Whether he is able to
< buy Havanas after that or not he viii
(. never enjoy his two-foFs any more. 1t
( is sorter like fellow seeing another
fellows wife that is prettier than his
wife Ever afterwards he feels like he
might have waited longer and done
better.
: Every prosperous town see IS mac
adamizing its streets, putting in cleo
tr1c light plants and waterworks, and
modern conveniences multiplying all
around. I have been thinking serious
~ of calling a convention I'm Carriers
Vile and showing them a photograph
of a town with macadamized streets,
electric lights, a town that is alive
and growing, just to see If we
couldn't spring some life into this
town and do something someway and
somewhere and somehow.
1 wish we all had good roads to go
and hear the speeches that are going
to be spoken in Georgia for the next
few months. The candidates for the
r governorship are going to speak, man.
/ wish 1 had nothing to do but follow
the boys around and exhort for them.
or exhaust for them as the old negro
said. If they left anything unsaid I
would like to say it for them if they
said anything 1 didn't like 1 would
like TO discuss that phase of their
speech. I have done heard Guerry.
endorse him from beginning to end.
He declared most emphatically that
he had no war to make on railroads
and corporations. He only asked that
in equity and justice all corporations