I WATAUGA DEMOCRAT
ESTABMRWB in
PUBU6HSD EV?R? THURSDAY BY RIVERS PRINTING COMPANY, INC.
PR. C RIVBRS. JR. WXTOB AN? KANMQBA
JEAN RIVERS, ASSOCIATE EDITOR
An rndepwideat Weakly Nmmir
iublMwJ for 45 Yors by Robert C Rivera, Sr.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES (BPFECTIVE FEBRUARY 1, 1989)
IN NORTH CAROLINA
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Si* Months 1 ? $!*>
Pour Months ... >130
OUTSIDE NORTH CAROLINA
One Y?*r *4.?fr
?s Months $8.60
Four Months $2.00
All Subscription* Payable la Atfcikee
NOTICE TO SUBSCRIBERS ? Id requesting change af address, ft is important to
mention the OLD, as well as the NEW address.
Entered at the pestoffice at Boone, N. C., as second class matter, nndar the act of
Congress of March 3, 1879.
MEMBER NATIONAL EDITORIAL ASSOCIATION
NORTH CAROLINA PRESS ASSOCIATION
Labor Available
The labor survey conducted on be
half of the proposed shoe factory for
Boone by local Chamber of Com
merce officials and industrial com
mittee members, along with the of
ficials of Watauga Industries, Inc.,
shows that there is a bountiful labor
supply here, and those who are con
sidering locating here are heartened
by the response.
A great many men who are com
muting to Lenoir and other manu
facturing centers are anxious' to
work at home, many who have been
employed in the North for years
want to return and a lot of people
who fit into neither category are
available.
The persistent efforts of the
? Chamber of Commerce and Watauga
Industries to attract added payroll
have resulted in great benefits to
the community through the two en
terprises which have already located
here, and which have added treroend
ously to the local economy. The em
ployment picture, has, however, been
weighted toward the distaff side, it
is said, and the proposed new in
dustry will take up part of this slack
by providing a good many jobs for
men as well as women.
With a continual slight loss in
over-all county population figures,
there is an abiding need for more
jobs to keep the people at home,
and all those who have labored so
consistently in this endeavor should
have the gratitude of all the people.
With the farming enterprise, the
college and the tourist Industry, this
lection has prospered, but the mi
gration has continued, and so many
of our young people are deliberately
educated for work which they can
not secure in this county. The more
manufacturing we get the greater in
ducement will be for our young peo
ple to stay at home.
Saw His Shadow
If the groundhog's beady little
eyes were not dimmed by sleep, he
saw his shadow for certain last Sat
urday, and is suppoaed to have re
treated into his burrow to snooxe
out another six weeks, when winter
is supposed to hold sway.
And a mountain jpian Watches
groundhog day, like a lasy worker
eyes the clock, not that he believes
in that sort of thing, but it's just
something that's been handed down
through all the generations.
Of course it is fairly Ukely that
the clouds will break on most any
given day, and whether or no| thaj
happens any wise old man of the
hiljs can tell you that, following Feb
ruary 2nd, there would have to be
a lot of rough weather.
K we haven't forgotten the winter
of the big simjw it was a good winter
tilliFebruary came in to bury us deep,
and while the short month is apt
?? * *
to fetch in a few days of good
weather, sometimes swelling the
buds on the peach trees, she will
dish up the cold and the snow with
out tnency setting the stage for
March's tempestuous reign of wind
and freezing weather.
But anyway the groundhog watch
ers tin this section, or those of them
who claim to believe in the cunning
of the little Whistle pig in matters
of rain and of snow and bitter cold,
were set back a smidgin when Sun
day brought fair skies and good
Weather whicfc was still holding on
Monday.
. But there'll be big storms galore
but when March is only a short
monfh -away a mountain man's an
ticipation of branch lettuce and "sal
let greens" is quickened, and he
bears up with greater strength
against the blizzard's force.
College Costs To Rise
College costs, now ranging from
$800 to $5,800 a year, will jump to
a range of $2,000 to $14,800 a year
by 1975, according to Changing
Times, the Kiplinger Magazine.
"High as college costs are now,
they're going to jump drastically in
the years ahead," reports an article
in the current issue of the magazine.
Basing figures on a steady annual
rise of about 5 percent in educa
tional costs and 2V& percent in liv
ing costs, the article gives these esti
mates for tuition, fees, rooms and
board
1962: A range of $500 to $3,700,
with an average of $2,000, in public
schools; a range of $1,150 to $5,800,
with an average of $2,450, in private
schools.
1065: Public schools, $1,000 to
$4,300, average $2,500; private
sahools, $1,450 to $7,200, average
$3,000.
1670: Public schools, $1,400 to
$6,600, average $3,600; private
schools, $2,050 to $10,300, average
$4,360.
1975; Public schools, $2,000 to
$9,600, average $5,150; private
schools, ,950 to $14,800, average
$6,200.
Hard Work Makes Progress
(The Waynesboro Newa-VirglnUn) .
The personal stock-taking that is sup
posed to accompany the average Ameri
can's plunge into a new year might well
iaclude the question: Is the individual's
capacity ? or wtUmgaess? to do hard work,
even to endure hardship if necessary in
performance of duty, diminishing In this
country?
Any one of us can perhaps ftnfl ample
evidence, too, that hard work has not
ekactly gone out of fashion in the United
States. Dedicated workers abound in our
9>ace and defense efforts, in many less
4>ectacular channels of government, in
professions like the law and journalism
and medicine, in industry, on the farms.
The 18-hour day is still a reality iit many
places.
Yet there are in our lite today many,
tiany manifestations of a vastly different
attitude toward waft and hardship. As
acientific progress has steadily freed us
from the back-breaking physical labors
dhce Decenary ft* the barest existence,
?tore an more Trf us seem to have seized
upon this liberation as a kind of perman
ent pass through life.
Crime has many causes ? some of
them different in different periods of his
tory. Ket we enduring cause is the de
sire of some to gain the fruits at labor
without working. With our great material
abundance providing more "fruits" than
ever, this particular soft approach appeals
to increasing numbers.
What naif iftke noa workers team to
want h not aaly the material benefit but
the status that, in this country, goes with
having things. The new commissioner of
Ulkited States education, Frances Keppel,
aimed a shaft A suck people whan a
newsman asked him whether teachers in
America deserved a higher status. He
replied: "I hold to the old-fashioned view
that status should be earned."
Such a comment ought to touch a deli
cate nerve among Americans who think
it can be bought, or stolen, or faked, or
achieved by a variety of other shortcuts.
Another Chick For The Nest
From Early Democrat Files
Sixty Years Ago
February 5, 1903.
Married on last Thursday at
the residence of Mr. John H.
Cook, his daughter, Miss Mag
gie Cook to Mr. Lum Pennell,
both of Deerfield. The Demo
crat extends congratulations.
Mr. J. J. Mast of Vilas, who
has been critically ill far some
weeks, died at his home on
Monday night of this week. He
was a goad man, a useful citi
zen and his departure is deeply
deplored.
Mr. Jasper Kincaid, who was
reported so critically ill in our
last issue, is improving raidly,
in fact he is now able to be out
a little.
Yes, Monday was cloudy all
day, and as his hogship failed to
see his shadow, we take it that
we will now have a spell of good
weather for a few days, at
least.
Sory to learn of the feeble
condition of our friend John
H. Council] of Blowing itoolc.
He recently returned from a
southern trip, where he had
been with the hape of recuper
ating, but his health remains
unimproved and we are told
that he is on a rapid decline.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. B. J.
Councill, Jr. another wee baby
boy. It is also a noticable fact
that Ben has entirely recovered
from what he took to be quite
a severe attack of rheumatism
before the little one arrived.
Glad to see Col. Jae Todd in
town yesterday after his illness.
He returned last week from
Globe where he tells us he met
all his living children, and a
most sumptuous dinner was
served by his daughter, Mrs. P.
P. Moore.
On last Friday night our aged
mother, Mrs. Jane L. Rivers,
by an unfortunate step fell and
badly crushed the bonei In her
left wrist. Though seventy-five
years of age, she Is bearing the
suffering well and Is getting on
nicely.
Married on the 29th at
Shulls Mills, J. B. Reid to Miss
Laura Moody, with James B.
Reid officiating.
Thirty-Nine Years Ago
February 7, 1924.
Born to Mr. and Mr*. W. Roy
Johnson, a girl.
Attorney T. A Love of Avery
county, was in Boone Monday
transacting legal business.
Saturday, ground hog day,
was clear warm and bright. Of
course this timehonored weath
er prophet got a good squint at
his shadow, and as the story
goes, returned to his burrow
from which he will emerge for
40 days, during which time we
are to have exceedingly rough
weather. It seemed up to Mon
day evening, that his hogship
was going to fail for once in his
prognostications but not so for *
today, the anow is falHng and
perhaps rough weather is
ahead.
J. H. Brown of Adams, who
has been a constant subscriber
to the Democrat since it was
established, came in Monday to
square up a little balance and
renew for another year. When
he planked down the dough he
remarked: "That is the last cent
I owe any man in Watauga".
Good 'for you, Jess.
Mrs. R. K. Bingham, who
some weeks ago underwent a
Just One Thiiig
By CARL GOERCH AFTER ANOTHER
For years we've had the idea
that we'd like to own some kind
of a boat. The other day we
were talking to a friend about
it and he had this to say:
"I've got an uncle who used
to own a 38-foot cruiser. He
kept it about two years. After
he had disposed of it, I asked
him whether he had got much
pleasure out of It. He studied
for a moment and then said:
'I believe every man has two
very happy moments in his life;
one is when he is able to buy
a boat, and the other is when
he's able to get rid of It'."
Hj.A few days ago we received a
letter from Mr. P. H. Rlkins of
Spencer who told Us about a
tornado that hit In the area of
Mt. Gilead about 1800. In its
course it demolished a house
on the Montgomery County sifc
of the Yadkin River and passed
on into Stanly County.
"New the mast interesting
part of the story," says Mr. El
kins, "fa the fact that this tor
nado dttnolished among other
things a house in Montgomery
County, picked up a mattress on
wfcioh a Httle girl was sleeping,
una set (he mattress and girl
down on the Stanly County side
of the river with only a slight
minor injury to the little girl.
I believe her name was Rebec
ca Lewder tod that she lived
for many years in Albemarle."
The General Assembly will be
coming to town next week and
as always many school children
from all over the state will
start visiting Raleigh, ' the new
State House and the legislative
sessions.
When these school children
look down from the gallery, all
lawmakers look alike to them.
Some member gets up and
makes a fiery oration and none
of the visitors knows who he ia.
Why wouldn't it be a good
idea for all senator* and rep
resentatives to wear large num
bers on their baeks? tame at
football players ? and then, by
consulting a list of names ? the
visitors could readily identify
every member.
Referred to the Committee on
Propositions and Grievances.
The eUtus ?f cities and towns
In North Carolina certainly ha*
changed in the last 80 years.
We came across a little item the
other day which lists the ten
largest towns in North Carolina
in 1872, and here they are:
1. Wilmington, 13,446.
2. Raleigh, 7,790.
3. New Bern, 5,840.
4. Fayetteville, 4,600.
6. Charlotte, 4,476
6. Salisbury. 3,927.
7. Beaufort, 2,480.
8. Washington, 2,074.
?. Asheville, 1,400.
10. Plymouth, 1,389.
Not only that, but in 1872
there were only fifteen towns
In the | entire state that had a
population In excess of 1,000.
k .
serious operation in the Shu
font Hospital at Hickory, re
turned to her home in Boone on
Monday afternoon and her
many friends will be glad to
know that she is rapidly Im
proving.
Drs. Tate and Hardin of the
Banner. Elk Hospital passed
through Sunday en route to
Winston-Salem to attend a
meeting of the State Surgeons
in the city.
Mrs. R. C. Rivers had the
misfortune of getting one of
her thighs broken last Saturday
morning. Mrs. Rivers is very
appreciative of the kindnesses
shown her by her many friends
since the painful accident.
The youngest child of Mr.
and Mrs. Preston Jennings has
been very ill with pheumonia
for several days but is slowly
improving. This is the little
ane'd!jecond attack of disease
within the past few months.
Fifteen Years Ago
February 5, 1948.
Mrs. Charlie Boone, who has
served with the U. S. Army in
Korea for the past eighteen
months, has been discharged
and is now at the home of his
mother, Mrs. Esther S. Boone.
Mr. Boone will likely enter Ap
palachian State Teachers Col- '
lege for the remainder of the
term.
Mrs. Evelyn Bingham Smith
and daughters, Linda and Sara,
recently spent six weeks at the
home of Dr. and Mrs. R. K.
Bingham while Mr. Smith at
tended the Unir. of N. C. Mr.
Smith Joined them here for a
few days before leaving for
their home in Macon, Ga.
Mrs. W. B. Abrams of Pine
tops, is a patient at "a Tarboro
Hospital where she is suffering
from a broken hip, sustained
In a recent fall. Mrs. Abrams is
the mother of Dr. W. Amos
Abrams, former Appalachian
College professor.
Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Smith,
who have made their home in
Boone for the past three years,
moved to Blowing Rock last
week where they will establish
their permanent residence. Mr.
Smith will retain his law office
in Boone.
Mr. Arthur Dougherty of Le
noir, was a business visitor in
the community Monday.
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Coe an
nounce the birth of a son on
February 2, at Watauga Hospi
tal.
Pfc. J. W. Cuddy, who re
cently completed his boot train
ing at Paris Island, S. C., is
Spending ten days with his
mother, Mrs. M. A Cuddy here.
Mr. Lynn Fox left Tuesday ?
for his home in Nekoma, Kan
sas after spending a week at
the home of his parents, Mr.
and Mrs. J. B. Fox at Valle
Cruets. ?
Mrs. James Council] under
went a major operation at Duke
HMpital, Durham, two weeks
ago and is recovering rapidly.
Mrs. Councill is expected hom?
this week.
Oak Grove Baptist Church
the srefle ctf iu lwppwsiw
ceremony Wednesday afternoon,
January 28. at 8:00 p. m. when
ma Betty Kathleen Berry, on
ly daughter of Mr. and Mrs.
Stanford Berry, became the
bride of John Edward Ward,
son of Mr. Lionel Ward and the
lata Mrs. Ward.
KING STREE*
BY nOTS RIVERS
In going through some old files, we happened to
notice that we (the Democrat, that tt), are knee-deep
in our seventy-fifth anniversary year Come July 4 the
"rag of freedom" will have rounded out three-quarters
of a century of continuous publication, under the same
name ? seventy-four of them being in the Rivers family,
members of three generations having already worked
on the sheet, with no let-up in sight. . . And we take
pride in the good health of the Democrat and are con
tinually pursuing new plans for its further expansion
and development. ?
Maybe ? good many people
don't know it, tat there have
been other newspapers in the
coaaty, the fhrat being the Wa
tauga Journal, which pane*
out lew than aix months be
fore the Democrat started Ut
relentless career ... An eight
page tabloid, the Journal was
published by a man named
McLaughlin, who managed to
hand-set a couple of pages, the
remainder being what was
known as a patent aheet (print
ed by a national syndicate,
with a couple of pages left
blank for local news). ... We
know little of this venture. . . .
When we could have foupd
out, it hadnt occurred to as,
maybe, that our dad wouldn't
always be around, and we
dldnt question him much
about It. . . Anyway, on Jan
uary ti, 18*8, the Lenoir
Topic had this to ay: B
"DIED in Boone, Watauga
County, North Carolina, at ?
o'clock, January 16. 1888. the
Watauga Journal. The Jour
nal was born in the same place
November 17, 1887, being just
one month and 29 days old. . .
The Journal came to its un
timely end by reason of its per
sistence in the use of a diet
too strong and powerful to be
digested by its weak digestive
organs. It now lies in state at
its former residence, the Hort
on House on Main Street."
Don't know whether this is
to imply that someone work
ing at the Journal was throt
tled by a viper which escaped
from the fiery jug, or whether
Editor Scott meant that the
editorial policy of the Journal
proved to be Hs undoing. . . .
At any rate the Watauga En- ,
terprise came next, was pub
lished for a year or two as
a Republican Journal by Thos.
Bingham, we believe, and oth
ers, and it was there that Bob
Rivera the first took time out"
from his carpentering and
learned to set tyve. . . . Don
H. Phillips published the Wa
tauga News, across the Street
from the Democrat office in
191S, and we have been unable
to locate a copy of that paper
... If any reader has one or
more copies we would appreci
ate having them. . . . Could
even do with the loan of the
papers, so they could be micro
filmed, and become a part of
the rqgprded newspaper his
tory of Watauga County.
* * *
Lived Here . . Long Ago
Alonzo Payne died the other
day in Asheville, and on his
request, his remains were
brought back to the old Boone
cemetery to be Interred with
his kin folk. . . . He'd been
gone a long time, and follow
ing his retirement from busi
ness had made his home in
the mountain metropolis.
Lon Payne did some bart>er
ing down in the east room of
the Old Brick Row (about
where Um W. W. Mac store.
stands) more than forty-five
years ago. . . . Glenn Salmons
practiced dwtirtfy at the other
end of the long row of bed
rooms, used as added lodging
space by Coffey's Hotel (later
Cri tcher's), and one could
stand at the back window of
Lon's Barber Shop and look
directly into the Coffey House,
now the Creed place. ... No
structures were in between.
In those days ready-made
cigarettes were not sold In
Boone ? the sentiment was
against 'em. . . . ton and Dr.
Salmons disliked rolling the
fags, and the Rivers >boys mot
orblked some packages down
from Blowing Rock now and
again and retailed them for a
small profit, so's we conld buy
a gallon of gas and go again.
. . . There was no running
water, Lon heated his towels
in a tin can with a gasoline
burner under It, and used the
stove In winter time. . . . Most
of the barbering was done at
night time, and he'd clean off
the whiskers and trim the hair
for about twenty cents, as we
recall, and at the same time
provide a gathering place for
all who were out on the town.
... Lots of things have bee*
said from the pulpits we've
fartj during the intervening
years, which we have forgot
ten, but a heap of the things
we learned Id that crowded
little room where Lon Payne
set up a barber chair are fresh
In our memory.
A son of the late Rev. J. M.
Payne, a powerful Baptist ser
monizer of his time, and a
brother of the late Rev. W. C.
Payne, Lon was widely known
and just as widely liked. . . .
Good natured and generous,
and with a sparkling sense of
humor, we liked him and he
contributed a lot to our pleas
ure in our short-pantalooned
days. ... If we ever get
around to recording some of
the first-hand history of fine
people we have known on the
Street, such wholesome and
kind souls as Lon Payne will
be bountifully remembered.
Uncle Pinkney
(MacKnight Syndicate)
DEAR MISTER EDITOR:
Most of the time the sessions
at the country store goes along
as smooth as frog hair, but Sat
urday night they was a diff
erence of opinion it the meet
ing. Everything was in good
humor and nobody was mad,
but some of the fellers was
taking sides, Democrat and Re
publican.
Ed Doolittle come in all
riled tip on account of him hav
ing to pay 5 cent fer a stamp
to git , his income tax report
mailed. Ed don't buy but one
stamp a year and that's when
he has to git his annual master
piece off to the Internal Rev
enue Department.
In the first place, allowed
Ed, he was 100 percent unim
proved when the Democrats
come up with this ifjea' back
under Truman of making farm
ers mail off their report in
February ahead of everybody
else. In the second plaee,
claimed Ed? who has always
voted the straight Republican
ticket? this 5-cent stamp is a
good example of what the
Democrats it doing to this
twiitfy.
Furthermore, announced Ed,
Democrats to the champions
and inventers of high taxes
and the over-balanced
He told the fellers thk. ??.
nedy was the best President
this country has ever had,
sinos Eisenhower, A&d Ikit At
HIS PALAVEfUN'S
has done mare fer cheap
money than anybody since Ju
lian Ceezor.
And Ed allowed that up to
Kennedy, politicians was con
tent just to git their feet in
the public trough but now they
has took to laying down long
ways in the thing.
Clem Webster, who started
voting Democrat back under
Woodrow Wilson, said he
would hare to take issue with
Ed on a number of items.
First off, said Clem, he was
of the opinion that Ed was
sending that chicken scratch
ing of his to the wrong place.
He ought to mail it to the
Poultry Department and let
the Department of Agriculture
check it. In the second place,
Clem claimed, Ed ain't never
filed a report {hat didnl show
a net loss on the year and it
would be hard fer Ed to tell if
taxes was high or low or the
budget over-balanced or under
In the third place, trgued
Clem, Ike enlarged the pub
lic trough so big that li poli
tician had to lay in it long
*?* to tooMrM felling out.
And furthermore, Clem Slid
Ed could've saved that one
cent on his annual stamp by
mailing In hii chicken scratch
ing afore the price went up on
January 7. He accused Ed of
being careless hi the matter of