Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1909-10-23
Americas, Ga, October ss, 1903.
SUMTER COUNTY SHOULD BE REP.
RESENTED.

There will be a convention in the
city of Macon, under the auspices of
its Chamber of Commerce, on October
%, in which Americas and Sumter
county are peculiarly interested and
in which this city and county should
have official representatives. 1t IS
the convention called, as a result of
the meeting at Cordele some time ago,
to discuss methods of bringing South
western Georgia more prominently be-
fore the public, outside of Georgia,
with view to inducing flow Of de-
sirable immigrants who will aid in the
rapid development of this section CT
the State, recognized as offering
greater possibilities than any other
portion OF Georgia.
Sumter county, it is true, is an old
settled county, with a history dating
back eighty years, with many magnifl-
cent farms, and a population that is
second to none in the state in the way
of intelligence and progressiveness
But there is still ample room in the
county for many hundreds of families.
There are large old plantations to be
are sections that still await primary
development into farms, and there is
accordingly every reason why we
should be on the alert, quick and
prompt to make our advantages
known, and to avail ourselves of
every opportunity, such as the Macon
convention may afford, to bring Sum-
ter prominently to the front and ac-
lively identify it with every movement
having immigration as its purpose.
1t is stated that over a million peo-
pie were carried into Texas and Okla
homa last year as bona fide settlers.
How many came into the great terri
tory of South Georgia? Some, it is
true, but a few thousand would be an
outside estimate. Into Sumter county
some families came from other parts
| of Georgia and from South Carolina,
|
direction for their future homes. But
the movement is small compared to
what it should be, to the advantages
offered the homemaker, and the terri
tory available right here for farms of
| 100 to 300 or 400 acres in extent.
Texas and Oklahoma have been adver-
! tised; Sumter county and Southwest
| Georgia have not been advertised.
That is where the difference lies. No
one will pretend that either Oklahoma
or Texas, in their finest territories, OF
fer anything that is superior to what
| Sumter county offers. 1t is the open
statement of every one of experience
| who visits this county that they have
travelled over many states and met
with nothing superior to what is Of
fered here to the farmer along any
line. A county that is at the same
time great as a cotton producer, great
as a hay and oats and corn producer,
great as fruit country, great as a
prospective dairying and poultry coun
ty, a county whose crops are almost
| limitless in variety and that repay
abundantly the labor and the mnoey
| expended upon them, has few rivals
and no superiors. Such a county we
all know Sumter to be.
The coming convention at Macon
has not been heralded as much as it
| should have been. But the State Fair
| will draw many to that city and it is
probable that there will be a consid
cradle attendance of those interested
in the future advertising of this Sec
ton, of the entire Southwest Georgia
Our real estate men should be among
those present. But there should also
be an official representation that will
stand for the entire business interests
of the city and the agricultural inter
ests of the county. The President of
the Board of Trade might well avail
| himself of his authority to send a
couple of delegates to the Macon gath
| ering. We certainly cannot afford to
| ignore or neglect such a meeting right
at our doors. We must not be salts
fed OF sit content on the fact that the
county is aIw.ys steadily progressing.
| We should seek to make the progress
more rapid, more deci 1--WE, to the end
that our future prosperity may wax
much greater than we have ever an
ticipated. Let us then be up and be
doing"