Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-07-23
STOP THE ANNEX AND GUBERNA.
TORIAL MANSION PLAN.

/ The representatives in the legisla-
Iture from South Georgia, and Middle
Georgia. for that, should see to it that
no appropriation is made for the pur-
chase of site either for an annex %
the state capitol or for a building lot
for a new governors mansion. Not a
dollar should be appropriated for eth
er of these suggested Improvements
Iuntil the people have had an oppOr-
tunity to pass upon the question as 20
the future location of the capital Of
the state.
1t is probably true that the Atlanta
and North Georgia contingent gener-
ally will try to force through meas
ures that will tend to maintain Allan
ia as the capital. But if the South
Georgia representation unite, as they
should do, they can effectually block
any legislation along this line.
1t is an open question now whether
the people Of Georgia would not vote
to remove the capital from Atlanta if
given an opportunity after few
months campaign along that line. The
entire vast section south of Macon
would be practically unanimous for a
removal and it is likely that much Of
middle Georgia could be brought to
see the plan in the same light Es-
pecially is this true now that it has
become apparent that the state must
undergo a heavy expenditure for an
annex to the present capitol building
and must make a large investment in
a new executive mansion. These two
facts have pressed home upon the peo-
pie the necessity of carefully consid-
ering at this time whether it would
not be good policy to remove the cap
ital to a point nearer the middle of the
state. The sentiment in favor of such
a change has been growing rapidly
and the course of political events has
manifestly tended to intensity it.
Originally the Times Recorder did
not look with much, if any, favor upon
the proposition. But recent events
have converted it to the removal plan
The fact that the state must make
large expenditures in the near future
on the capitol annex and governors
mansion was not so apparent when
the capital removal scheme was first
preached Neither was it SO evident
that North Georgia intended to main
tain its strangle hold on the state Of
fees.
A change of the capital from Atlanta
to Macon will do much to break down
the narrow control of the state polit-
ically by North Georgia. Then, too it
will be in keeping with the general
progress that the state is making in
this direction. The greatest progress
in the past ten years has been in the
section south of Macon By far the
greatest development from now on,
year after year, will be in this section.
In ten or twenty years two thirds of
the states population will lie this side
of Macon. Why, then, expend more
money on buildings that tend to keep
the capital away off in a corner where
it is distant from the great mass of
the states population?
As stated, the representatives and
senators from this section should
unite in a definite and determined OPP
position to any appropriations for
either the proposed annex or the gov
ernor's mansion. Those two matters
should be held up until the people
have spoken, after a little more edu-
cation, as to where they really want
the capital to be in the future