The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-11-12
DALE COUNTY IS
 VERY PROSPEROUS Farmers of That Section lnde-
 pendent and Happy OZARK Is A MODERN CITY Cotton, Corn, Meat and Molasses Make Rich the Wire drass Country.
 Farmers Who Sell More
 Than They Buy.
 
OZARK IS A MODERN CITY
RY FRANK '. EVANS.

BY FRANK v. EVANS.
 Ozark. November 11.-(Special.) This goodly county of Dale was carved out of Henry and Covington by act approved December, 1921. and was named in honor of General Sam Dale, the great border hero. a story of whose life as an Indian fighter '4s studded over with spirit stir ing incidents unsurpassed by any thing in legend or history It is said that when General Dale died in Mississippi in 1s41. a Choctaw chief stood over his grave and exclaimed: "You sleep here. Big sam,' put your spirit is chieftain and a brave in the hunting grounds of the sky"
 Dale is in the southeastern part of the state, south of Barbour, east of Coffee and west of Henry and Houston. and north of Geneva, which latter county separates 1t from the Florida line.
 The surface of this county Is partly fiat, partly undulatlng. The soil gener- ally is light. but productive, and the low lands or creek bottoms are generally fertile.
 l TIC AWdkCnl..S Oplflls
 Until 1888 Dale possessed no commercial facilities, and there were extensive pine forests in the county in which the sound of the axe had never been heard. That year the Central of Georgia extended a line from Eufaula to this place, a dis tance of sixty miles, and in 1889 the Ala bama Midland, now the Atlantic Coast Line, came through, thus awakening in- dustry, and leading to general develop ment and untilization.
 The first court house of Dale was at Richmond, then at Daleville, then at Newton. It was brought to Ozark in 1869.
 Delightful Ozark.
 Ozark is a beautiful town of 21OO inhab- itants. This being one of the white eoun- ties of the state. Ozark is the center of a most quiet. peaceful and cultured sec tion. Asked what are the features about the little city which most attract the visitor, one would answer, Cleanliness" and surely that is a most winning fea- ture of any city or community. Then there Is a substantial air about the town.
 Ozark occupies an elevated position In the center of the town and on the highest point, stands a handsome new court house, erected in 1902, at a cost of $25 900. The structure is modern and the general arrangement of court rooms, offices, jury rooms, etc., Is superb. Upon the square surrounding this court yard and building are handsome brick stores. There are no old wooden shacks to mar the beauty of the business center, nor to detract from the symetrieal scheme It all looks like progress, life and activity.
 HeaIthful Section.
 The health of Ozark is accounted al- most perfect and the several doctors whose shingles hang hereabou.s, declare that this healthfulness is somewhat distressing to the profession. However, all peoples must have doctors, and the six or seven here are by no means back numbers. but up-to-date The splendid ar tesian water which flows from these wells, the salubrious climate, and these soft and balmy breezes must always prove conclusive to health
 City Government.
 The city governmental towns must have governments-is under control of Hon. w. w. Kirkland, mayor, and Alder men: J. W. Pippin. l.. P. Carroll, l.. B. Martin, A. c. Golf and M. O. Carroll. This board constitutes a wide-awake and progressive administration, and Mayor Kirkland is pubic-spirited, attentive to official duty, and ambitious for the pres cHl SldluS cho AbAhiO oAASAi6tA OA @AAs young city.
 The tax values in the town are assessed at S5OOOOO this year, and the rate of taxa tion for all city purposes is only one-half of one per cent. The city government Is run on the most economical plan. In fact these people need very little governing as is shown by the fact that two police men, one In the day and one in the nigh take full care of the town.
 
 The Dlspensary Idea.
 There are no barrooms in Ozark. There was time when there were several here They were closed after years of worry with them Then the town went perfectly dry This condition went on for years until 1899, when the city, by authority oi an act of the legislature, and by vot' of the people, established a dispensary Your correspondent Is informed that thi. dispensary idea meets with general satis faction, though, as a matter of course some people prefer absolute prohibition under any and all circumstances, or a any cost. However, the books show tha the Ozark dispensary netted the cit, treasury the past twelve months $7700.
 The city has a bonded debt of 900, bu from the proceeds of these bonds invested in school buildings electric light and wa ter works, all of which utilities are obso lutely owned and controlled by the city.
 Interest In Public Schools.
 The great and growing interest mani fested in this section of Alabama on tn subject of public schools will prove a rev elation to the visitor and the student o events and conditions If there is a polit teal issue in all this section 1t Is thi one of public instruction. in fact 1t l not an issue in the exact sense, but 1t i an awakening which must prove pleasing to every one interested in the future O this great state of ours. The man wh today opposes the graded school syster and taxation for support of the same i not accounted a representative man of tn era which has dawned upon us. As a illustration. This little city of Ozark wit 2100 people has a magnificent public schoc system a modern brick and stone struc ture which cost the people $15,000 cast and enrolment of $40 children. a superin tendent and seven teachers, nine months term in every year, and all under contrc of a progressive board of education, o which the mayor of the city is ex offci chairman. This is an object lesson, an one worthy of study.
 Strong AgriculturalIy. | Ozark receives annually about 12.0( bales of cotton, besides quantities of othe agricultural products. The Dale count | farmers are said to be in excellent fna