Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1922-03-23
Aid Pledged To Mark
Central Dixie Highway
Aommittee Representing Waycross
association Finds Boosters All
Along the Route
(By v. l.. Stanton)


On last Tuesday a committee com.
posed of Mr.. Dan Morgan, c. w
Young, J. D. Linville and myself, left
IN Mr.. Young's car to log the road
from Waycross to Macon. Our re-
ception at Douglas, Ocilla, Fitzgerald
Abbeville, and Hawkinsville, was
all we could have hoped for. These
princes of progress Hon. w. R. Bowen
and 1sadore Gelders at Fitzgerald
took us in charge and entertained
us at the famous Lee-Grant Hotel.
in behalf of the Chamber of CONNER
7ee, and pledged us generous con-
tribution of money toward the expens-
es of erecting the signs
At Hawkinsville we were greeted
by three of Hawkinsville's boosters
Messrs. J. J. Harvard, R. F. DeLamar,
tsand Morgan Thompson, whose inter-
: est in the Dixie Highway Central
route is of the highest value in help
/ fitness, these gentlemen will cooper
ate in all the Central Dixie Highway
association undertakes and they
pledged US their financial help. At
Abbeville the Mayor DR.. Googe and
his able, progressive council will help
in the expenses with Mr.. Beckham,
the city electrician and good roads
booster is solidly behind the Central
Route.
We arrived in Macon at six o'clock,
wednesday evening. After supper,
we called on Hon. w. T. Anderson,
: of the Macon Telegraph. Mr.. Ander-
son showed his intense interest in
our work and in the Central Dixie
Highway short route, Macon to Jack
sonville, by keeping us in conference
vat his office until one o'clock Thurs
day morning and then graciously in
vited us to take breakfast with him
self and Mrs Anderson at the Demp-
, sey, which we accepted and after
breakfast Mr.. Anderson went with
the committee to the Chamber of
Commerce and made strong speech
in our behalf-he told this body that
WayeE% was doing what Macon
shorSnave done long ago and said
NJ, lated to see to it that Waycross
red due credit for this progress
!, SRI btep she had taken in posting the
Dixie Highway. He urged that the
Macon Chamber of Commerce should
! contribute toward the work Waycross
had undertaken to post the roads,
which he said, was badly needed as
any tourist passing over the route
would testify, as there was not a sign
: on the entire route south of Macon
wherein the name of Georgia's great
Central City was mentioned whereas
on the signs Waycross was now putt
ing up, Macon was prominently feat
ured. In fact the ligns six feet by
item were in themselves a picture good
to behold.
In passing, let me say that w. T.
y Anderson has been the constant
friend of our Central Dixie Highway
!. via Fitzgerald, Douglas, Waycross,
I, and Fokston, and had IT not been
for the valiant fight he made in our
behalf when the two routes were Sc
! lected we would have lost out entire
ly for notwithstanding the facts he
brought out before the committee of
.4even governors, at the Dempsey Ho-
tel in Macon at that memorable con-
vention, almost the entire committee
= were against him and practically sin
gle handwed he won out convincing
them at last that to leave out the CEN
4 trail route-one hundred and eight
miles shorter than the coastal route
and piercing the very heart of the
a. state would be almost crime against
the people who lived along the CEN
trail belt and of the nine counties,
whose products of the farm and field
.overtopped in money values, the en-
s1Are products of the thirteen counties
of the coastal route, he did not argue
against eliminating the coastal route,
indeed he argued to designate that alt
so, but he was too generous to want
= only the one route as some others of
the committee contested for, and so
this great Central Highway, Macon
to Savannah, is the child of w. T. An
.derson's vision of what it would mean
VITO Georgia and this Great Central sec
ton, Il was his faith and loyalty that
has at last made it possible to over
come the sahara of sand lying between
Waycross and Fokston and to finally
. triumph over it, till today one can
ride at a sixty mile gait over it and
make the trip from Waycross.to Jack
i -sonville in three hours. Indeed go
further and pay him this tribute, it
Vas his loyalty and support that kept
! the heart in those of US at Waycross
J. and Fizgertald who held on to This
& good hour All hail to our friend
,afaA5, to that matches gentleman and
YAof vision, W.. T. Anderson. whom
Some day, let us hope, the entire state
shall hail as governor and in whose ad-
min;strative ability Our people shall
1reap rich reward-Waycross Journal