The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-10
UNION SPRINGS IS
 VERY PROSPEROUS Bullock County Full of Vim
 and Good Cheer RICH FARMING SECTION Diversity, Good Seasons, Patience and Honest Foil Make Happy Homes
 and contented People in
 Southeast Alabama.
RICH FARMING SECTION
BY FRANK v. EVANS.

your correspondent. but that makes no difference. Union" prevails here to i pleasing extent, and if 1t springs from the delightful environments, the hospl- tality, culture and general refinement of the people, you at once find the appro- priateness of the name.
 All Alabamians know of Union Springs, because this city has furnished the state some of it's strongest men and has con tributed largely to the building up of the industrial social and education depart ments of the state under the new order of things
 Union Springs is not a new city, but is what Alabamians regard as an old town It was founded in 1888 and incor- porated in 1852. It was a stage coach town then. Today it is quite a railroad center.
 Bus, Season of the Year. This is the busy season of the year at Union Springs therefore the bus mess center shows up its best today, and such a busy town 1t is. The cheerful faces and the crowded streets indicate prosperity here, and it is encouraging to see it, for 1t has not always been so. The writer is informed that the thIee great warehouses here will handle 250O0 bales of cotton this season, I 1t is now coming in from all points of the com pas by the wagon load. Great big wagons, too, some with four and six mules drawing them, and all heavy laden. It looks like old time scenes In the south. The negro driver mounted on the back of one of his wheel mules, the bull-whip in hand, the faithful mule and the gee and the "haw," the crack of the lash and the creaking of the wheels carries one back to antl-beilum days and gives him food for thought.
 Corn to Sell.
 And your correspondent has just wit messed another sight which indicates an onward and upward march in the prog Iess of this great agricultural center. The scene was a line of seven wagons heavily laden with native corn in the shuck coming into Union Springs for the market.
 Now then, 25,00O bales of cotton at, say, $50 per bale, and Union Springs or Bull lock county farmers have $1,50,OOO. From this amount they are to buy no corn this year, nor hay, nor peas, nor pota- toes, nor syrup-but have produced all these on their own plantations.
 Frui: Growing.
 Then, too, friut culture Is receiving marked attention In this vicinity Peaches, pears, oceans and walnuts are proving highly profitable to those Whc give them proper care. As an illustra- ton, Mir D. c. Turnipseed, large lano owner near this place, converted lOO' acres of his cotton land in.o a peacf orchard a few years ago, and the nei yield to him from the crop of 1904 Is saio to have been $150OO, and 1t is estimated that next years yield will double his profit. No one estimates it a less than $25,000 for 1905.
 Comparatively New County.
 Bullock county, of which Union Springs is the seat of justice, is not as old as It's principal town. In fact, it Is one oi the new counties of the state. It was formed from portions of Macon, Pike Montgomery and Barbour in December 1866, and was named in honor of the la mented Col. E. c. Bullock of Barbour The county contains 600 square miles The surface Is comparatively level, the soil prairie, gray and light. North ane west of Union Springs 1t Is prairie land and east and south 1t is sandy; therefore Union Springs is on the dividing line.
 City of Unior Springs.
 Union Springs has a population of 35OO and that these people are prosperous IS evidenced by the fact that the homes are kept in perfect order, are beautifully ornamented with trees, shrubbery, How CTS and paint, and are cleanly to no ticeable degree. The colonial style o architecture is still in vogue here anc many elegan new homes of this style have recently been erected, which Il l characteristically southern, and thes' people wisely and tastefully cling t' southern ideas and traditions.
 The city government Is ably managed | by mayor and six councilmen, and tn' administration is a progressive one Hon R. E. L. Cope is mayor and makes most capable executive. He is ably as sisted by Councilmen Hugh Foster, J. H Ely, R. J. Lawrence, W. M. Crosley, w R. Vickerstaff and J. D. Nordman.
 The bonded debt of the city Is $4l' 6et which bears interest at and per cent l This money was used mostly for tn erection of water works and electri light plants, which are owned and op erated by the city. The sum of Sn,6Oo an old debt incurred in giving aid to tn 1 first railroad built to this place. man. years ago, when such application of state, county or city's credit was war ranted.
 As an offset to the total debt of Uniol Springs the city owns today in It's owl right sS1, 900 of convertable property. S' 1t will be seen that the city Is stronl financially.
 Excellent Public Schools. No city in Alabama can boast nor perfect and flourishing public school sys tenn than the one supported by Unioi Springs The city is just now completing a magnificent modern school building O pressed brick, stone and hard-woo finish It is a perfect model for evei the larger cities It is two stories, broa' halls, wings. basement, cloak rooms, dozen recitation rooms and handsom and commodous auditorium. It use the same system of heating and ventila ton as that used by your own large school buildings, and altogether woul' prove an ornament to the great cities o our land and country.
 There are also schools provided for tn negro race, and all are under the super vision of a board of education, of whicl Mayor Cope Is ex-officio chairman Tn white school employs superintendent l and nine teachers. and they are to occu nv the splendid new building on the frs | of December.
 | The enrolment is about $50, and I flint the people here exceedingly proud of tn system and thoroughly welded to tn nublIc school idea There are no privat schools in Union Springs.
 Order and Quiet.
 This city has no bar-rooms, therefor it is quite orderly at all times. Fou churches grace the town. and one police man at night and one in the day are al | that are needed as guardians of tn peace. A city dlspensary manages tn liquor traffic and the proceeds from thi 1 % into the general fund of the cit | treasury.
 | Union Springs enjoys delightful wate l from two public artesian wells, which 1