Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-07-15


ing prosecuted, the Augusta Chronicle re-
marks: at is to be assumed that Georgia is
too progressive, too much interested in in
creasng the production and improving the
grade of her cattle, for us to believe for a
moment that such legislation could be
passed"
Our contemporary is right To weaken in
any wise those ealth-conserving and wealth
creating measures which are freeing Georgia
from the deadliest of cattle pests would be
an incalculable injury to the commonwealth
It is a matter of official record that in the
decade or so during which TICK eradlcatlon
has been extensively undertaken In the
South, this region has raised more cattle and
reaped larger profits therefrom than during
the entire half century preceding. So soon
as the tick was brought under control those
natural resources which make states like
Georgia so excellently suited to cattle In
i dustries began to count; our mild climate,
abundant pasturage and other aids to the
I cheap production of beef and dairy products
: became actual instead of merely latent assets
: Thus thousands of acres of land which h1th-
) erto had been Of little or no practical worth
acquired large values-large for the present
and almost unlimited for the future. Thus.
too new industries, such as the packing plant
arose and afforded profitable employment for
capital and labor alike. Moreover, millions
upon millions of dollars which formerly went
to faraWay markets stayed at home for the
encouragement of Southern enterprise and
3 the enrichment of Southern interests. And
besides all these gains, there came also, as
an essential phase of the increased production
of live stock, beneficent revolution in our
agriculture. The monopoly which cotton once
held upon the soil and upon the farmers en-
ergy gave way to crop diversification. Food
stuffs and feedstuffs were raised in plenty.
The precarious plan under which we pros
pered or suffered according to the uncertain
fortunes of cotton. SJlDDlanted DV broad
Iy resourceful and dependable system of agri-
culture.
The South could not have come as far
. as she has in this progressive course, nor
could she continue in it, without the move
ment for tick eradication, because the cattle
raising branch Of the live stock industry can
never thrive where that pest prevails. 1t Is
of the utmost Importance, therefore, that
Georgia prosecute this movement with I'M
broken vigor. Far from being weakened,
the measures which the Legislature has
adopted to this end should be reinforced
and heartily supported. community could
no more afford to put obstacles in the way
/, of dipping-vat operations than it could afford
to obstruct the efforts of firemen engaged in
fighting conflagration It is to save i'm
periled property that dipping watts and other
instrumenta1ities in the campaign against the
cattle tick are employed-nor only to. save
it but to make possible the development of
its full value. In adopting statewide legis-
lation for this purpose the General Assem-
bly, followed the example of Southern Com
monwealths where such measures had been
tried and found blessing. Georgia cannot
afford to lag in this field of productive en-
.terprise. She cannot afford to leave unpro-
tected and undeveloped those wOndrously
rich resources for catt1e-rais1ng with which
she is endowed.
There is no natural reason why the per
capita wealth of Iowa should be three times
that of Georgia. But there are natural rea-
sons a-pIenty why the natural wealth of Geor-
gia could be three times that Of Iowa. Once
bring the live stock industries of this state up
to a parity with those of her thriving sister
of the Northwest, and we shall have an en-
pire indeed, an Eldorado in reality Let
every obstacle to such development be pushed
aside, and every aid reinforced.