Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1925-04-09
Colony History
Noted Editor Writes Interesting Facts
About Early Days of Colony
La .nrI & lOOS


About Early Days of Colony
Daytona, Fla, April 6, 1925
Mrs. Lon Dickey, Fitzgerald,
Dear Mrs. Dickey:-
l am in receipt of yours of April 2
and thank you for sending me the man
uscript in regard to Fitzgerald. | can
add just few more words which may
be OF interest to you:
In 1894 when the people of the Da-
kotas and portion of Nebraska were
| in desperate straits by reason OF the
failure of the crops. l read story IN
the Washington Post of the distress
under which these people were labor.
ing. Immediately wrote an editorial
and the Associated Press kindly sent
| it out, calling upon the people OF the
South who had exceptionally good corn
crops that year to contribute to their
fellow farmers suffering in the west
The response was rapid. kilograms
poured in on me the day after the an
nouncement was made, from railroads
and others, congratulating the Manu-
facturers Record on this suggestion
and offering help Practically every rail
road in the South offered to give tree
transportation to all shipments that
might be brought about. | think the
first telegram | received was from w.
B. Sparks, then railroad president OF
Macon, not only offering to carry the
shipments free but to contribute tull
load OF corn. Within a few days so
much stuff was offered, the question
was how to handle it. Governor North
ern had just retired from the guber-
material chair and established himself
in the land and immigration business.
After considerable telegraphing | sue
ceeded in getting him to agree that all
these shipments could be concentrated
at Atlanta and he would take charge OF
handling them The matter commanded
SO much attention throughout the
country that newspapers sent special
correspondents to Atlanta to take pic
ureS OF the trains and tell the story OF
what was being done.
| received very promptly from sew
eral governors i'll the west kilograms
of full appreciation OF the suggestion.
Governor Northern agreed to follow
these trains or precede them to the
west. In addition to the rice sent from
Louisiana, corn and bacon from all
parts OF hte South West Virginia con-
tributed several train loads OF coal.
Governor Northern's visit to Nebraska
and the Dakotas was warmly heralded.
Mr.. w. B. Baldwin, then President
of the Southern Railway, said to me
that whether | had intended this sug-
gestion out of desire to benefit the
| Western people or as an advertise
ment of the South, it was without ques-
ton the greatest advertisement OF the
| G l., haat1 CU IN the
public.
Among those from who l had re-
ceived letters on the subject was MI
P. H. Fitzgerald, who wrote me ne
had never before known that the South
raised corn.
He told me of the plans OF his col
ony. the location of which had not then
been settled. But following the ship
men of corn, he went down to Geor-
gia, met Governor Northern and then
bought the tract of land on which
Fitzgerald is now settled. One or two
Georgia papers vigorously criticised
Gov. Northern, claiming that the soil
of that section was so desperately poor
that it was an outrage to carry West
ern people to it. How little they knew
of their own section is shown by the
rapid development of Fitzgerald into
the thriving city of the present.
Not only by reason of my interest
in the South at large, but because OF
this intimate connection with the found
ing of Fitzgerald, I have always taken
especial interest in the progress OF
your city. 1 wish you all possible sue
cess in the plans which you now have
under way for the celebration of the
thirtieth anniversary of the founding
of your town.
Most of these facts have been so
often published in the Manufacturers
Record that they would hardly be new
to many of our readers. but as you
progress in your plan for the anniver-
sary, shall be glad to have you keep
me informed and possibly l can say
something that will be of interest.
Very truly yours,
RICHARD H. EDMONDS,
Editor Manufacturers Record