Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-10-12
Gov. Hardwick Pays
Tribute To Georgia
Executive Denounces Vicious Propo-
ganda On The State 49,

I
1t nc State of Greogia is one Of
the richest and faircst domains Cod
ever gave to man" declared Govern
or Hardwick in speech he delivered
to a record-breal,ing crowd at the
Johnson County Fair" 1t has within
its limits an unsurpassed variety OIL
soil and climate. The agriculture
experts tell us that there arc twenty
six elemental soils in the United
States: of these twenty-six Georgia
has twentythree within her borders
her closet rival in his respect, being
California with nineteen.
The mountains OF our state TEEN
with mineral wealth, as yet largely
undeveioped. Her fields groan with
the rich largess of 4 generous and
bountcous nature. Every year they
whiten a richer fabric than the tabled
fleece that Jason sought. The rich
est and most luscious fruit spring al
most spontaneously from her SOIL I'M
til she is famed far and wide as the
Peach State" and the watermelon
State. The boil weevil, in his de-
structive march across Georgia, has
undermined ard almost overthrown
King Cotton, but in his stead his
Majesty, the Hog, and her Majesty
he Cow have come into power, and
with our splendid facilities for past
uring and with our balmy climate that
permits our cattle to Craze all of the
year round we are now challenging
and will soon destroy the supremacy
of other sections of the republic, less
favored by nature in the cattle-rais-
ing business. and in all of its branches.
God was good to us when he gave
us Georgia, the land that is flowin'
with milk and and honey, and sur T.
we may >ay, with the prophet ID
"Now are oui lines cast in pleasant
places" | know practically every
foot of Georgia's SOIL and | love it,
every inch, from her towering noun
tains that pierce her crystal skies to
her rolling plains that stretch in rich
ness and beauty from river back to
river; from her red old hills, ribbed
with everlasting granite, to her shining
coast line, where the roses never wi
Their and the flowers never cease to
bloom. Yes l know and love every
inch of her sod. beautified by nature
and elcrified by history, rich with the
teen;ng products Of an unrivaled soil
and richer still with the heroic blood
Shed upon it by the fathers who died
that you and might be free.
The governor also paid high trib-
ute to the people of Georgia, refut-
ing imputations of their alleged mis-
treatment of negroes, which he term
ed vicious propaganda" that in no
land, in all history, have two wholly
separate and distinct races ever lived
side by side, in almost equal numbers
with less trouble and less friction. in
more harmonious and peaceful rela-
tons, than the white and black races
in Georgia and the other Southern
States at the present time" He al
so asserted that the people of Geor-
gia have never denied. or sought to
deny, to any person in the State the
freedom of religion.
Governor Hardwick, reviewed in de
tail the fiscal affairs of the State. He
showed that when he was inaugurated
governor last June the State treasury
was actually facing a deficit of ap,
proXimatelp two and one half million
dol ars. He then showed that in order
to preserve the credit of the state thai
provision was made Tor the discount
of the rental of the Western and At.
lantic railroad for period of five
years, while at the same time the leg.
islature levied new tax of one cent
per gallon on all gasoline consumed
in this state, which will produce al
most of il not quite double the amount
of the railroad rental. Having thus
dealt with the deficit for this year ur
to January | 1922, the legislature pro.
ceeded to make the appropriations ant
provide for the revenue for the veal
1922 and 1928.
In obedience to the great principle
of sound business we have been com
PEELED to fashion our garment accord
ing to the cloth, to appropriate wha
our revenues would pay. and no more
and if the financial affairs of the Stat,
are to be put and kept on a firm
and stable basis. this great principa
must 0e religiously adhered to in thu
future. and you may rest assured tina
so long as am Governor of Gcorgi;
it will be adhered to-, declared Gov
ernor Hardwick.
Governor Hardwick proposed tina
the State abandon the field of propert,
taxation on the ad valorem basis, leav
ing this to cities and counties and sub
stitute graduated income tax.
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