The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-03
CUT-OVER LANDS
 OF SOUTH ALABAMA Tax Values and Intrinsic Worth Do Not Agree DIVESIFIED POWER Creek Indians Still Here and Happily Assimilating With Whites-Mat-
 ters Educational and Indus-
 trial Around Brewton
DIVERSIFIED POWER
BY FRANK V. EVANS

the middle and upper counties, are as sessed for taxes at a higher average rate per acre than are the stout lands of north Alabama. Attributable, no doubt, to two facts: One is that they have been more extensively advertised; another may be that the tax officials are guided by the demands of the land market.
 Tie writer came down the road the other day with a gentleman from Chi cago, who was representing a syndicate which sent him to investigate some of the cut over pine lands of south Mississippi wild lands, which had been offered at from $15 to $3o per acre. He wanted in formation from me as to how best to es- innate real land values, and informed him that a good way would be to go to the tax books. observe the returned values and multiply by about four. This may not be exactly fair in Mississippi, but I am sure it would be in Alabama. Tae average tax returns in north Ala bama on land is about s per acre; down this way about s, and yet the people kick about high taxes, while they boast of rich and productive lands in Alabama.
 Well we all like the "boost." if we do not all encourage the "kick," because the boost is reasonable. just and true. Here in Escambia county your corre- spondent has been shown a 40 acre field of cut over pine land which this very year produced 45 bales of cotton. He has been shown fields which produced 50 bushels of corn to the acre, patches which produced 300 bushels of sweet po- tatoes to the acre; bottoms which yield ed 300 gallons of sugar cane syrup to the acre, groves that would provide hundreds of pounds of oceans and English walnuts for the market, and plantations modern 1y equipped that produce every year thousands of pounds of the finest leaf to- bacco. I see daily cars and wagons with hardwood and yellow pine timber from lands near by, brought into this very market and here manufactured into every imaginable lumber shape see this tobacco passing through the nimble fingers of factory men and factory wom- en and transformed into thousands of the most fragrant cigars. I see cattle grazing upon these wiregrass lands in herds, and hundreds of hogs feeding upon binder patches and upon the fall ing mass from forests of pine, oak and hickory
 And then I do not wonder that these land owners want fourfold more for their lands than they are willing to pay In toll tD the tax gatherer; and I don't wonder either that the man from Chicago fails to solve the problem of how to get at values
 Water Abundant
 And we'll wateredl Yes, abundantly, copiously, gloriously. Besides, the Con- ecuh river and the monster creeks and rippling brooks that meander through Escambia county to the sea, flowing wells of purest water, from artesian depths in enormous volume, in this town of Brewton. Right in sight of where l write and only yesterday the master or g. palatial home met response to the tap ping of six inch drill at depth or $40 feet and today Brewton is boasting of this well because it casts up to an enormous height 600 gallons of pure, clear water per minute-enough to provide the entire town, though all for the use of the one home, and they do say anybody who has the wherewith can do the same lining on any lot in Brewton.
 And let 1t not be forgotten that Castle bury. in Conecuh county, and in the cut over pine country, not many miles north of Brewton, Is the center of the most ex- tensive strawberry beds in the state and the county of Baldwin, just south of us, in the cut over lands. is this year ship ping many crates of luscious oranges from her own groves to the great mar kets.
 No wonder then that the westerners are sending prospectors down this way to look at the cut over pine lands Of the gulf states south to see if they are not worth more thnn four times the value placed upon them on the tax digests, and quite as much as the boosters claim. Amidst all this wealth. development and prospective future of this section it
 
 terest manifested in matters educational here, Public schools in the rural dis tricts and the graded schools of the towns are numerous, well managed and vol attended, and, by the way, three races of children are enrolled as pupils and three races of teachers are on the payrolls, which I have examined. These are whites reds and blacks. Tie whites and the Indians are generally taught to- gether, but I am told there is one school Of no Indians, all of whom look as much alike as cow peas. There are several h. dian teachers in charge of classes of whites and reds mixed Brewton has o splendid brick school building, quite a large and imposing structure, and it is well attended and conducted under the most modern system. In each Of the SUI burbs of the town there are well equipped primary schools, and rural schools are numerous and accomplish ing great work.
 few years ago Methodist minister here, Rev. J. M Shofner, conceived the Idea of establishing an industrial school for girls. He began in a modest though earnest way, and soon his efforts took root. The site of old Fort Cranford, within a mile of Brewton, was selected as place for this school. The grounds were procured and work begun of con- structing buildings for this school. MT E. Downing. one of the big capitalists of Brewton, was attracted by the proposi- ton and with generous heart and libr eral hand financed the school. Today "The Downing Industrial school' is a real live and growing institution with an enrolment of about 100 bright and de- serving girls, who are being sustained and educated at cost of S7.50 each per month. The school building is large and imposing brick structure and the dormitories sit opposite iR a beautiful oak grove, homelike and attractive. The historical grounds surrounding the buildings have been transformed into gardens, meadows, orchards and pastures l A herd of cattle, under care of the girls add to the picture. These girls do all the cooking sewing, milking, poultrying and gardening for themselves-thus acquiring practical knowledge as well as scholarly attachments.
 But back to the Indians: The Shomos and other prominent decendants of Chief Red Eagle, who still live in this part of Alabama, are of the Creek tribe. Many of them were slave owners and not few of those now living are land owners by inheritance from their forefathers. Many of them .have intermarried with prominent white families and, unlike the Choctaws, do not assimilate with ne- groes They are highly respected as & people and on the school rolls are listed as whites" "Fort Cranford," upon the exact site of which sits the Girls Indus- trial school, was established by General Jaclxcou i,, hic warfare against tha In