Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-05-15
SEE GREAT VALUE IN
II TO SUMTER.
Great Auto Run Will Adver-
tiSe This County.
What Chairman Shelf
field and President
Lanier Say.

The great auto run about the state,
circling Georgia over one thousand
miles Of road, and passing through
Sumter county, has attracted more at
tention locally than any event IN the
world Of autOing since machines be-
came popular here and the purchase
of them began on a wholesale scale.
While l will not enter machine
and personally would not care to ur-
dertake the long ride over the STATE, %
said Chairman Sheffield, of the coun-
" commissioners, q can appreciate
the great value of the proposed con-
test to the state as a whole. While
the good roads movement is not Ian
gushing, there are still a number of
counties in which it needs stimulating
TO the end that there may be event
ually complete systems Of fine high
ways throughout the state. AS it is
now county here and a county there
has fine roads, but an intervening
county too often has miserable roads,
breaking the continuity of travel.
Once we can do away with this, have
the various county good roads sys-
tens connected up, believe that GeOr-
gia will be the mecca of thousands
of people from the North and West
every winter, people of means eager
to see the state, wiling to spend their
money freely in doing 50, and likely
to have their interest so aroused that
they will become regular winter visi-
tors, and perhaps some of them may
become investors.
Has Great Advertising Value.
Il fully appreciate the great adver-
tis. .ng value of this contest to Sumter
count" continued Chairman Shelf
field Every car that starts on the
run, from perhaps thirty or forty
cities or towns will come to Americus
and will pass over the good roads of
Sumter in going through the county.
This county will take front rank in
counties aveled that have fine
h highways. They will carry the news
to their home counties and wherever
they go. I really Believe the value to
our county from the contest, in this
way will be immeasurable. l will
certainly watch the development of
the preliminary arrangements with
the greatest of interest and will do
all that lies in my power to stimulate
and assist it. | believe the interest
will grow and it would not be sur
prisfng if there were hundreds cf
ears starting at the same hour in this
tour of the state"
Sumter Can Win Prize.
President Frank Lanier, of the
Americus Automobile Club, is another
one who sees the importance of the
road contest next October. Like
Chairman Sheffield, he sees the great
advertising value for Georgia and for
Sumter county. 81 believe we can
easily carry off a prize" said he yes
terday in discussing the coming event.
With our magnificent Smithville road
which can be given any attention
needed just before the event, and
with the Oglethorpe road fixed in time
for the tour, / veritably feel conyinc-
ed that q road prize is already as good
as given to Sumter county. We must
see to it that this is the case. I can>
not think of anything that would do
more just now, when SO much atten-
ton is centered on this subject Of
good roads, than to have it go out all
over the country, in the newspapers
and the various journals given up in
whole or in part to automobiling, that
Sumter county won the prize, as hav-
ing the finest roads traversed in the
entire western half of Georgia, or
even in the entire state, for we can
make these roads the best with little
trouble and expense. Tens of thous-
ands would recognize in that fact that
Sumter county was a county of en-
terprise and progress and such a rep
utation is worth an enormous sum to
county"
Others talk in similar strain. The
auto fever here is apt to grow more
intense righS along through the sum-
mer and Americas will he very ant
to have several cars entered for the
great fell event.