Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-10-27
AUTO TRAVELLERS
PAY HIGH TRIBUTE
To GEORGIA ROADS
Tuesday Nights Program at
CordeIe Developed Into Reg
uIar Open Air Fest, With
Speeches by Tourists
BY w. T. WATERS, JR.

d.t II.
gram in Cordele developed into a regular
open-air speech-fest before thee tourists
went to bed. Governor Smith was intro
duced TO a very fair-sized crowd that
assembled at the corner by, the Suwanee
house. and responded by preaching some
good roads doctrine to them that founo
ready response in their hearts-for Crisp
is one of those Georgia counties that
are rhelpins to give their state a ma
| tional reputation for its good highways.
This was presumably Governor SQlith' 5
last appearance with the tour. 4Ae mad
already informed his friends that some
important business demanded his immedi-
ate return to Atlanta. This disrupted the
arrangement between Governor Smith
and Governor Gilchrist. of Florida, the
latter having already accepted the for
mer's invitation to ride in the Georgia
governors Maxwell as his guest from
the Florida line into Jacksonville. Gov
ernor Gilehrist was not to be so deprived
of his participation in the tour, however,
for according to the Floridians in the
run, he informed them over long dis
lance telephone that he would embark
lin the gubernatorial car at Madison and
ride into Jacksonville anyhow, for the
HOOPER PRAISES ROADS.
Governor Smith introduced several
speakers at Cordele, becoming extempor-
aneously the master of ceremonies. Pres
ident r. A. Hooper. of the American
Automobile association. responding to the
governors introduction, surprised and
delighted his hearers by stating that
1.-THE roads we have passed over today
are in my opinion. the best stretc-- o.
continuous road that we have ever trav-
eled in the United States" Later he
said: "I believe the state of Georgia
win lead every other state in good roads
in very few years If it continues as it
is going now" He had already referred
to the convicts he had seen busily at
work on the roads, and had commended
the people of Georgia for abolishing their
convict lease system. A. G. Batchelder,
chairman of the executive committee of
thea. A. A, was another of the speak
ers. Said he:
1--WE had never had a real automobile
tour until we came down here into your
southland with this. the greatest tour
ever promoted by the American Automo-
bile association"
Referee p. ]. Walker highly commend =
ed the days roads as among the best
and most practicable he had ever tray-
eled. Dan Carey, of Atlanta, and other
speakers, were called into service before
the crowd grew willing to quit and go
indoors out OF the cool night air. The
outdoor audience was yelling and cheer
ing in good old Roman style before that
moment arrived.
There was an interesting stage in the
tours proceedings Tuesday evening,
when 1t came 10 the fixing of the sched-
ule for Wednesdays afternoon run, from
Valdosta through many miles of Florida
sand to Live Oak, the night stop. The
Floridians Cor some of them) wanted to
see it remain at 20 miles an hour for the
faster cars. Naturally there was some
objection to this from the entrants who
know but little of sand road driving.
The referee and other officials were tenn
porarily. up a stump. They proceeded
to gather all the information they could
about the afternoons roads, with the
plan in mind to shoot then at a happy
medium.
The schedule for the mornings run
was 16, is and 20 miles an hour--the
same as Tuesdays, which was made
easily by nearly all of the cars. This
would carry the cars to Valdosta, the
noon control. over a stretch of road even
finer, if it sounds possible, than that
covered from Macon to Cordele.
FOUR CARS WITHDRAW.
The bulletin showed Tuesday evening
that four cars withdrew from the con-
test at Atlanta-W. d. Alexander's
White gas car, e. Rivers Pierce Arrow,
b. NJ. Grants Marmon and John Keiley's
Haynes Others that had been disquali-
fed were shown indefinitely as not re-
ported.
No. 46, White gas, entered for the
Jacksonville metropolis by Julian How
ard. was reported at Cordele as having
been wrecked on the road just north Of
GAINESVILLE sustaining a broken axle.
The party including Messrs. Carter, of
the Metropolis, and Montgomery, the
moving picture man, wired that they
were coming on by train. None of the
particulars of the accident were then
given. 1t was assumed the car would
be repaired Immediately and come on as
quickly as possible.
The party in the Thomas of ]. EpDs
Brown. of Atlanta, became even more
popular at Cordele Tuesday than they
had ever been before on the trip, for at
Cordele they extended the courtesies
of the Southern Bell Telephone and
Telegraph company TO the tourists under
a special permit of the state railroad
commission. They could give only intra-
state service, however. the application
of new laws prohibiting their doing
what they did so generously in 1909 AMI
1910 when they laid the lines of the
Southern and American Bell open to the
tourists to any point on the Atlantic
seaboard. The Southern Bell party be-
gan their courtesies to the 1911 Glidden
gia last Saturday.