85 years ago: January 11, 1940

DUBLIN COURIER HERALD, DISPATCH, and PRESS

CANDIDATES IN COUNTY ELECTION

Thirty candidates went to the post today to take part in Laurens County’s 1940 political classic with only four county officers escaping opposition and one county job going begging for takers.

O.D. Cullen, Chairman of the County Democratic Executive Committee, rang down the curtain on qualifications at 12 o’clock noon after three new candidates had paid entrance fees to Brooks Bryans, secretary of the committee, during the morning hours and two others had qualified yesterday afternoon.

Ordinary W.H. Adams, Treasurer Mrs. G.C. Bidgod, Tax Collector Trammel C. Keen, and City Court Solicitor Stanley Reese were the only county officials out of a list of 12 who escaped opposition in the February 7 primary. There were no takers for the county surveyor’s job, entrance fee for which was $5.  

Horace D. Keen, Dublin fireman, was the last candidate to qualify, entering the race for tax receiver in which three prospective candidates had already qualified. Mr. Keen qualified a few minutes before closing of entries.

R.L. Tindol, Dublin merchant and former City Councilman, entered the race for county commissioner from first road district, boosting total entries in that race to three. George F. Sheppard, the other candidate to pay his entrance fee this morning, entered the race for coroner.

Millard Bell, Brewton merchant, qualified yesterday afternoon with Secretary Bryans for the race for county commissioner from the third road district .

Harry L. Burch paid his entrance fee to Secretary Bryans yesterday afternoon for the race for county school superintendent.

Prior to closing date for candidates the county democratic executive committee met in the court house to decide whether J.B. Bedingfield or E.S. Baldwin had qualified first in the race for Clerk of the Laurens Superior Court.

The Committee ruled that in as much as Mr. Bedingfield gave Secretary Bryans a January 3 post-dated immediately following first meeting of the committee and that Mr. Baldwin paid in his money the Monday following, Mr. Baldwin was the first to qualify. The committee ruled that the post-dated check was not legally cashable until today and therefore Mr. Bedingfield only paid in his entrance fee today.

Meanwhile, interest in the campaign continues to grow with qualifying of voters progressing at rapid clip with Tax Collector Keen. Deadline for voters of the county to get the official qualifications to the Tax Collector is January 20.

Secretary Bryans announced the official qualified list of candidates as follows:

Clerk of  Superior Court

E.S. Baldwin

Sidney F. Brown

J. H. Bedingfield

Ordinary

Wiley H. Adams

Sheriff

I.F. “Ike”Coleman

Eugene “Gene” Gilbert

Judge City Court

E.L. Stephens

W.W. Larsen, Jr.

Palmer W. Hicks

Solicitor City Court

Stanley Reese

Tax Collector

Trammel C. Keen

Tax Receiver

A.E. Hadden 

Ernest W. Green

E.E. Clark

Horace D. Keen

Treasurer

Mrs.  G.C. Bidgood

Commissioner No. 1

J. Lewis Allen

Robert M. Lord

R.L Tindol

Commissioner No. 2

Joe Frank Graham

V.J. Taylor

Commissioner No. 3

Lamar Thigpen

Eason Stewart

L.O. Beacham, Jr.

Millard Bell

School Superintendent

Hershel Whitehurst

Elbert Mullis

Harry L. Burch

Coroner

O.D. “Pike” Knight

George F. Sheppard

BUILDING INCREASE IN ’39

Charging along on a wave of prosperity, Dublin’s building enjoyed a banner year, a check-up of the records in the office of City Clerk Millard  A. Rogers reveal.

Permits for 1939 were approximately 25 per cent higher than during the previous 12-month period. Total permits during 1939 were$95,732 as compared with $71,430 during the1938 twelve-month period.

Building led business in this section in a general upswing during the past year, ending in a record breaking Christmas trade season which saw sales mount as high as 10 per cent over 1938 in some businesses. Large crowds jammed Dublin streets and stores all during the Christmas season, bringing jingling cash registers back to emulate Santa’s sled bells as a prelude to Christmas.

Permits during December of $4,050 boosted total building in the city of near $100,000, going well above permits issued in December 1938 of only $780.

Highest point reached during the past year was in June when a total of  $18,150 worth of permits were issued. Lowest month of the year was January with $2,825 in permits. Another high month was in  November when $17,000 worth permits were called for by Dublin builders.

A feature of the 1939 building boom was the increase in permits for owner occupying homes ranging in price from $2,500 to $4,000. A number of their homes were built during the year with still a large number under construction at present and being made ready for actual construction.

IRISHMEN DROP FIRST AWAY BATTLE

     Billy Keith

Dublin coach Bonnell Jarrard’s high school Irishmen invaded Rentz last night and lost a fiercely fought contest to the Rentz quintet, 24-20, ending their four-game winning streak.

Handicapped considerably by the “crackerbox” court, the Irish played the winners a nip and tuck game all the way, and the score stood at a stalemate twice during the  game. The Irish were off form and missed countless shots at he basket. Olin Kersey took the scoring honors for the locals with six points to his credit.

Moody Brown, Irish guard, was dismissed from the game by the foul route late in the third period after playing a whale of a game. Brown is the first man on the squad to be issued a foul pass this season.

“Red” Baggett and R.G. Knight took the scoring honors for the winners with 10 and 6 points respectively. These boys were also outstanding in defense for the Rentz team.

Rentz took an early lead and held a small margin all the way through, except the two times when the score stood at a deadlock with two minutes left in the fourth quarter the Irish were trailing Rentz 18 to 21. 

Rentz led the locals 16-10 at the intermission.

The line-ups:

Dublin   (20)

Clarke (5)        F

Kersey (6)       F

Beall (5)          C

Brown (2)        G

Shepherd (2)   G 

Rentz    (24)   

Baggett (10)     F

Faircloth (3)      F

Knight (6)         C

Rowe (5)          G

Roache            G 

Substitutes

Dublin: Morrison

Rentz: Daniell  

SUNDAY SERVICE

Laurens County Negro farmers today went about the work of tilling their soil following a Sunday service here called for the general purpose of giving thanks for last year’s crops and praying for Divine blessing upon 1940 crops. 

A large assemblage was present in the county courthouse to hear W.T. Anderson, Macon newspaper publisher, and A.W. Curtis, assistant to Dr. George Washington Carver, prominent Negro educator.

Mr. Anderson emphasized a live-at-home program and a development of farm markets as the salvation of Negro farmers. He spoke of the harmony existing between the White and Black races in the South and gave as a guide for better racial relations the Golden Rule.

“I am unwilling,” he said, “to do to the other fellow hat I am not willing that he do to me.”               

CONCERT TICKETS ON SALE

The Dublin Civic Concert Committee resumes the sale of memberships for the series of concerts in this city, in the county, and  in nearby towns. Mrs. Fred L. Brown, Chairman, reminded the public today that the first concert will be given this month.

Memberships for the series sell for two dollars for a family; this includes every member of the family. No single tickets will be sold at any time during the series.  

Some memberships were reserved before the holidays, and the committee asks that persons making reservations contact one of the members of the committee and secure their membership as early as possible.

Brilliant artists will perform. The first is Patricia Makinson of Atlanta, a young soprano soloist.The concert will be in the Senior High School building. The other two artists are Julius Chajas and Virgil Fox. Mr. Chajas is a well known pianist. A refugee from Vienna, he is living in New York City at the present                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 The renown Virgil Fox will perform at the organ later.

It is possible that a fourth artist will appear during the series, and according to Mrs. Brown, members will                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             then have the opportunity of enjoying these three or four during the season at the price of admission for a performance of only one.

Members of the committee with Mrs. Brown are Mrs. J.R. Laney, Mrs. C.C. Crocket, Mrs. J.F. Flanders, Mrs. M.Z. Claxton, Miss Leah Kittrell, and A.T. Stevens, Jr. Representatives from other towns are Mrs. MIllard Daley,  Wrightsville; Mrs. W.T. Chappell, Dudley; Mrs. Will Stallings,  Soperton; and Prof. W.M. Ouzts, Rentz.    

CEDAR GROVE SENIORS 

     By Marion Purvis

We, as theSenior Class of Cedar Grove HighSchool, wish to thank Santa Claus for his kindness to us. We received a letter from the “kind old Man” the Friday before Christmas saying that his sled was broken and he might not get around to see us. He must have come through the snow on his mule all right, however, because he came to see all of us. 

Julian started the New Year off in an excellent way: He came in the door the first thing on Monday morning, January 1,1940, with a big armload of wood for our stove. If that’s any sign our class room will be kept warm the rest of the winter,and we do hope there is something to it.

Driving licenses are messing this class up a little. Cleo gave us notice that he would be absent from school on a certain day to get his driver’s license. Since then he has been missing in the classroom a number of times and when we ask about him we are told that he had to drive a car somewhere. If he wants to drive somewhere, he can drive us all to the Ritz one night. If he’ll come to school and keep our attendance up, some other class can’t steal the show.

Annie Lou Humphrey of Jacksonville, Florida, a former member of the class, who was home for the Christmas holidays, came to see our new school building. The reason we know she came to see it is that she left her name on the blackboard in our room, wishing us a glad New Year.

The senior class as a whole has adopted the following New Year’ s Resolution:

“We resolve to use the time for studying that we have hitherto been using for improving our personality.”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

MANAGERS PICKED

Mayor Dee Sessions today named three managers for the special election called by the City Council for January 17 to elect an alderman from the city at large to succeed himself.

Mayor Sessions named Palmer Hicks, Justice of the Peace; J.F. Rutland, and J.N. Donaldson.

Polls will open at 8:00 A.M. and close at 5:00 P.M. with the voting booth in the fire department, as usual, it was announced.

Bruce Suggs, Dublin railroad man, has qualified with Clerk M.A. Rogers to make the race. The council passed a resolution calling the special election after Mayor Sessions resigned on December 31 to take over the office of mayor to which he was elected without opposition in last fall’s city election.

The councilman named in the January 17 election will serve out the unexpired term of Mr. Sessions which ends on December 31, 1940. Regular election for the aldermen from the city at large will be held later this year.

DESERVES BOUQUET

When Dr. Hodges made his farewell talk on retiring from the mayor’s chair last week, he paid particular tribute to Millard A. Rogers, the Dublin City Clerk for the past12 years. He is “one of those people one hears little about but who plays a big part in making the wheels go round.” 

He commended Mr. Rogers by saying, “I want to recommend Mr. Rogers to you, Mayor Sessions, because you, or any other mayor, would be lost without him.”

It was a well deserved compliment to Mr. Rogers’ efficiency. He has lived in Dublin since he was nine years old and was connected with the banking business here for 17 years. Twelve years ago he was offered the place of city clerk and has held the place ever since then. So far as is known no council has since even considered putting in another clerk so satisfactory as he has been in handling of the office.

He is ably assisted by Miss Gussie Belle Rawls, who-but there’s another story to be told in detail in another place.

IRISH OPEN HOME SEASON

     By Billy Keith

Dublin High’s green and white basketeers are completely mobilized and ready for action after being idle over the holidays. Tonight the Irishmen will launch their home season against the arch rivals of Wrightsville in the high school gymnasium. The tip-off is set for 8:15.

The locals opened their season on December 13 in McRae with a 38-9 victory, and on December 15 Jeffersonville bowed to the Irishmen. 33-21. The Green and White are now seeking their third victory.

Coach Jarrard will have a full team of varsity lettermen in the starting line-up and a reserve corps that is capable of relieving the first team at any time. Olin Kersey, a junior playing in the first string forward position, has been the spark plug on offense in the last two games with 17 and 12 points respectively to his credit, taking the high scoring honors in both contests.

The Irish men were defeated by Eatonton last year in the finale of the sixth district tournament after finishing one of the best seasons in the history of the school’s basketball career. Roy Bedingfield and Charlie Waller, forwards, were placed on the all-district pick. but both of these boys were lost by graduation.

Admission for the home games this season will be ten cents to everybody, and there should be no reason for anyone failing to come out and give the Irishmen support. 

Tonight’s probable starting line-up: Clarke and Brown, forwards; Beall, center; and Kersey and Shepherd, guards.

TEN THOUSAND BOND INCREASE

Local investment in U.S. Savings Bonds at the Dublin Postoffice for the year ending December 31 showed a 25 per cent increase over the preceding year. Savings bonds investment in 1939 amounted to $49,856.25 as compared with $39,806.25 in 1938, which is an increase of $10,050.

This form of savings investment has been on the increase in Dublin for several years, and the 1939 record is in line with the  general trend of better business conditions, observers pointed out.