Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1911-07-06
A Trip to South Georgia.
To The Farmers State COnven-
ton at Fitzgerald, Georgia.

| left Tennile, Ga. on the morn
ing of the nth of June via the
| WrightsviIle & Tennille R. R. and
upon reaching Wrightsville and
Dublin the delegates began to pour
in for the greatest convention that
has ever been held in this state, by
the organization in many respects,
for harmony and business and
cooperation; it will never be sur
passed.
You or any man, that had ever
met with them four or five years
ago, could very readily see the
wonderful advancement that they
have made in education The
Farmers Union and Rural Delivery
bespeak themselves upon the
countenance of almost every man
and it was very clear to my mind
that in Education and also in finan-
ces that they had advanced fully
one hundred per cent within the
last five years. They were as
stately and business like set of
men as has ever gathered in this
state, strictly to business, upon
business methods, but enough for
the convention proper.
AS we began to move out from
our starting point, Tennille; we
began to notice the fine crops and
| tell you also, there is being
something done in the development
of the farms in the section through
which we passed. All along we
saw great massive fields of cotton
and corn. Seems to me like the
finest that | have ever seen at this
time of the year and the farther
we went the greater the surprise.
| had never travelled beyond
HaWkinsville on this route and
reaching Hawkinsville, we took the
Gulf Line to Double Run, thence
over the A, B. & A. to Fitzgerald,
Ga. | was in sections of this
county some eighteen years ago
and the most astounding facts to
me, was the wonderful develop
ment and improvement in that
section. Twenty years ago the
entire county was massive pine
forests, and today the timber has
been turpentined sawed and a
large per cent of it put into some
of the most magnificent dwellings
on the farms and towns and cities
have sprung up and doing some
wonderful stunts in the business
world.
Fitzgerald, l mention this be-
cause this was my destination, is
only eleven years old and has a
population of six thousand inhab-
itants, four banks, a high school,
two newspapers, one tri-weekly,
the other semi-weekly, two, pos
sibly three, big hotels managed
by competent officials and one of
them is run by a Washington
county man and his wife, Mr.. Will
Hammock. The Lee-Grant, the
largest one in the city is named
for the two most noted generals of
the Confederate war. Lee for the
Confederates and Grant for the
Unions.
Hand-in hand the South and
North has developed into the
greatest boomers that your scribe
has ever had the pleasure to meet,
big-hearted, energetic, educated
and refined, they are marching
abreast with all the up-to-date
and modern improvements and
in the entire city and county
seems to me, to be in one place,
with one accord, and that to build
ZIP Fitzgerald and Ben Hill county
and let me tell you they will do it,
for they have the Yankees to
turn the trick for them.
| never was more royalty enter
tanned, not only me, but every
member of the convention, auto
riding banquets theaters and
everything opened to us and the
man or men that did not enjoy