VOICE OF
DEMOCRACY * c
Billie Jean Cansler and Betty Willingham,
daughters of two Ecusta employees, placed first
and second in the Voice of Democracy contest
held in Transylvania County in November. To be
eligible for entry in the contest, high school stu
dents of the county had to submit original
speeches, written for radio presentation, and based
on the theme: "I Speak for Democracy”. The con
test was sponsored by the Brevard Junior Chamber
of Commerce, Radio Station WPNF and the radio
dealers of Brevard and Transylvania County.
Billie Jean, the first-place winner was awarded
an Arvin radio. Her speech was recorded at the
local radio station and sent to Raleigh as Transyl
vania’s entry in the State contest. A senior at Bre
vard High School, she is the daughter of Furman
Cansler (Replacement Crew).
Betty was awarded a Tru-tone radio as the sec-
ond-place winner. She too is a senior at Brevard
High School and is the daughter of Obie Willing
ham (Power Department, Cellophane Div.)
The Echo is proud to reproduce for its readers
a written copy of their prize-winning speeches.
I SPEAK FOR DEMOCRACY
By Billie Jean Cansler
"I see an America where rivers and valleys and
lakes — hills and streams and plains — the moun
tains over our land and nature’s wealth deep under
the earth — are protected as rightful heritage of
all the people.” Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke these
words and I wonder if you see what he saw in our
American democracy?
I speak for democracy—not because democracy
cannot speak for itself but in our fast moving
atomic world it seems to be only a faint sound,
sometimes not even heard by the leaders of our
nation. Our ancestors bravely fought for what we
today call our American heritage, but I ask you,
does it rightfully belong to you and me? Have
we really earned this great democracy which they
bestowed upon us? "We owe it to our ancestors
to preserve entirely those rights which they have
delivered to our care. We owe it to posterity not
to suffer its dearest inheritance to be destroyed.”
In those few words an unknown man laid claim
and stated an obligation to you and me as Amer
ican citizens.
As an immigrant watches for the Statue of
Liberty as a stepping stone toward a new life, so
do new countries look toward a model democracy
that can survive. As a football player battles the
line and comes through victorious, so does de
mocracy as it battles a line of dictators. Commun
ists, and Socialists.
Democracy has no marked beginning. The
search for it has long been in the hearts of men
even as the search for the Holy Grail burned in