The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-03-30

AAoeitOiis Ia, March 81 have
oeen spending a week in Elberton.
visiting different sections of Ebert
county, and noting the wonderful i'm
provements made in this prosperous
Northeast Georgia city.
1 do not know of town in the state,
with its population, that has grown
and developed like Elberton in the
last fifteen years. or since the building
OF the Seaboard Air Line Railway.
Where less than two decades ago were
old pine fields are now imposing brick
blocks, and every vacant space on a
residence street is occupied by beauti-
full homes.
Eioerton is the county town and bus
mess metropolis of that fertile strip
Of country forming a broad peninsula
between the Broad and Savannah
rivers, and not only this entire trade
goes to Elberton, but it attracts bust
ness from across these rivers.
The People of Ebert.
The people of cid Ebert have ever
been noted for three things: Their
progressive spirit, their open-handed
hospitality. and uncompromising dem
ocracy. This is one place. too, where
prohibition Of the liquor traffic is strict
~ enforced. Ebert was. one of the
frst counties in Georgia to adopt pro-
hl0ltion, and her courts and juries be-
ing in full sympathy with the cause.
heavy fines and penalties were enforced
against violators of the law, and no
quarter given to blind tigers. 1 was
ElhArfnr,
saw neither signs of drunkenness nor
liquor drinking. The citizens tell me
that their town and county are abso-
lutely dry" and they have demon :,
strated the fact that prohibition can
be enforced, and made a success. They
boast that there is not young man in
the town who is addicted to the use
OF intoxicants, and they are justly
proud of this record. There was a
puny effort to adopt the dispensary
system in Ebert, but public sentiment
was so overwhelmingly opposed to
any such innovation that the scheme
died a-borning
Even in the dark days of reconstruc-
ton, so far from the Republicans gain
ing a foothold in the county. the
unterrifed Democrats of Gilbert
somehow always managed to pre-
vent the negroes from voting or pre-
vailed upon them to give their support
| TO the Democratic ticket. In fact. ii
Is stated that there never were but
| TWO Republican votes deposited in an
| Elberton ballot box.
Registered and Voted a Steer.
Elberton boasts the distinction of be-
ing the only county in the United
states where a steer ever voted. IT
was shortly after the war,Swher1 the
Republican party was enrolling and
| marshaling the newly enfranchised
| blacks into line, in order to control the
| governments of our Southern states.
| one or Their registration officers came
TO Elberton and began TO enroll the ne
groes. The young Democrats looked on
| with jealous and suspicious eye. and
| any one familiar with the spirit of
4 the people of that county could plainly
see that trouble was brewing. After
the work had. been going on for, sew
eral days, Tug Tate, a young farmer,
4 one morning came into town leading
an old steer, and with his charge going
| up to window where the federal on
| Ger was listing names. stated that he
| had a voter to register efnpha sizing
the request by pulling a couple of pis-
tolls from his bootlegs and depositing
| them on the table. The officer, see
| ing determination i'm Tate's eye,
asked that the voter be brought for
WdI0 lHdI ne might De lnLerr0gaIeQ.
TUX Tate's Voter.
There he stands" replied Tuz, point
| ing to his steer, land his name is
| Buck Tate. He is as intelligent, and
has just as much right to vote as those
| ignorant I1iggers you have been en-
rolling here, and what is more, Buck
Tate is an uncompromising Democrat,
and came here to see that he is regis
tered. Now, will give you just three
minutes by this watch to register Buck
Tate" glancing significantly at the
guns on the table.
without another word Buck Tate's
| name was put on the list, and when
| election day came, a crowd of the Ell
bert county boys brought Buck in tri-
umph to town and voted him. 1t is
| said that those young Ebert Demo-
| Gratis continued to vote Buck Tate sew
| eral years, and when he at last died
| with the hollow-horn, a young steer
was found to take his place. Tuz Tate is
now an honored citizen of Augusta,
and is still doing work for organized
| Democracy.
How Toombs Became a Freemason.
At the close of our civil war, and
when Gen. Robert Toombs was
| fugitive and the Federal soldiers in
| hot pursuit of him, one night he went
| to the home of Col. L. H. o. Martin,
about three miles. distant from Elber-
| ton. Col. Martin concealed his dis
| tinguished visitor, and went to town
to consult as to the best plan to Sc
| cure his safety. 1t was decided best
to throw the protection of Masonry