The Ft"
I l?cy TvtWtf A Tfcvr*4?y
Times
hfiil AM Of PrMklw C? *f
Your Award Winning County Newspaper
LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
Breaking The Faith
In the aftermath of the war-like act
of shooting down an unarmed Ameri
can plane by North Korea, the Presi
dent of the United States found time
Wednesday to meet with advisers and
arrive at a decision 'on school guide
lines.
Meeting with his HEW Secretary,
Robert Finch, Attorney General John
Mitchell and others, Mr. Nixon
through Secretary Finch announced
the result of the meeting was that "no
change is contemplated in the guide
lines".
This, of course, is not surprising.
Mr. Nixon is not the first politician to
ignore campaign promises after being
elected. Chances are he will not be the
last.
Aside from the fact that the most
pressing business today is the loss of
the airplane and the 31 American
lives, Nr. Nixon's reason for arriving at
the "no-change" policy for schools is
startling.
Under Secretary of HEW John G.
Veneman told newsmen Wednesday
that "in addition to it being a moral
issue the administration could not
afford to break faith with thousands
of Southern school districts that had
desegregated under the current guide
lines".
Even the most seasoned political
observer will have to admit that this is
one of the most ludicrous utterances
yet to come from any administration.
Last year Mr. Nixon toured the
South telling one and all that things
would be better for school administra
tors, school boards, children and
parents in the next four years if only
he were elected. He was, he said,
opposed to federal bureaucrats threat- .
ening school units and forced inte
gration.
Now the administration tias the
brass to tell the public that the reason
it is not carrying out its campaign
promises is that it wants to keep the
faith with those to whom the
promises were made by not keeping
the promises.
If Mr. Nixon could just fox the
North Koreans and the North Viet
namese as he has done the southerners
who accounted for his election, we
might have peace in the world.
Freedom. Foundation Award Winning Letter
By Mike Brewer
From the days of the infancy of our na
tion to its present position as the greatest
power in the world, the theme of "A Free
Ballot ? A Free Country" has sounded loud
and clear in the halls of American History. It
was expressed so dramatically in Patrick
Henry's never-to-be forgotten line of "Give
me liberty or give me death." This concept
of liberty meant the right of each individual
to express his feelings and opinions as to
how his government should function; with
the key instrument of expressing this feeling
being the vote or ballot. Henry's liberty or
death principle did not die with the colonial
era but has continued to live in the hearts
and minds of a very freedom loving citizen
through the annals of our proud heritage. It
is very much alive today for when the public
and its elected officials witness the right of
the individual to the vote being infringed
upon, they act swiftly to correct the situa
tion. This has been exemplified by the pass
age of the historical fifteenth and nineteenth
amendments, and more recently by (he 1957
Civil Rights Act. There are many other ex
amples of this country's desire to obtain for.
everyone an equal opportunity to voice his
opinion as to what course this nation pur
sues, but these are too numerous to men
tion.
From our analysis, there arises a ques
tion: What do these striking illustrations, in
providing the free ballot, have to do with the
development of a once small band of thir
teen colonies into the most powerful nation
the world has ever seen? The answer to this
^question lies in the idea that the system of
allowing the vote to every individual possible
has created an environment suitable to the
best possible growth of a democratic govern
ment. This growth in turn arises from the
laws and concepts which act as a catalysis to
the moral and spiritual development of this
country. These laws and concepts come
from a wide divergence of ideas and opiniorc
expressed by the public.' The public tljen
makes its wishes and desires known throUgh
the use of the prime tool of a democratic
society - the free ballot. The free ballot to
the individual is his one means of saying to
his fellowman. his elected and appointed
superiors, his country and the world, THIS
IS THE WAY I FEEL. OR THIS IS THE
WAY I WOULD HANDLE THE SITUA
TION. If one takes away the individual's {
right to the free ballot; one no longer has a
free country. Instead, a situation is created
wherein an expression or belief which one
has to offer has been virtually put to death.
If an idea or concept is put to death, there
results a cancerous growth which tends to i
eat away upon society. The core of this can
cer begins with the restriction of the indi
vidual's most precious right; the free use of
the ballot. This growth then spreads to the
individual's associates, family and friends
who perhaps in turn are also denied this
right. It further spreads by means of apathy,
discontent and disbelief in the concepts of a
free society until a large segment of the na
tion or country is interpally destroyed at its
own hands. Once freedom of expression by
ballot is impeded and restricted, the decay
of the once proud nation begins. Wars, rebel
lions, apathy, discontent, anarchy, and all
the monsters created by the above described
situations raise their ugly heads as stalwart
reminders of the foul situation.
May Almighty God grant this nation one
great blessing; that its government, its .
citizens and its leaders have the insight, the
-knowledge and the judgment to see that the
only solid foundation upon which demo
cracy stands is the free ballot. May our
Creator also grant us one further blessing; an
insatiable inspiration to strive to improve
upon our position on the right of the free
ballot for all. If we endeavor to do this, then
the eyes of the rest of the world will cast a
sparkling beam toward us and seem to say
"this is the nation which cares; this is the
nation which is truly "A government of the
people, by the people and for the people,"
both rich and poor, white and black." Let us
then join in a concerted effort my fellow
country men to never be satisfied with the
status quo, but rather to endeavor to achieve
that Uptopia in which the free ballot is the
passageway to a successful life and well
being. Let us u*e as our guide in this great !
quest the immortal words ,of one John F. {
Kennedy: "Let us go forth to lead the land
we love asking his blessings and his help but
knowing that here on earth, God's work
must truly be our own."
The Fra^Mn Times
Established 1870 - Published Tuasdays & Thursdays by
The Franklin Times. Inc.
Bkkatt Blvd. Dial GY6-3283 Loulsburg. N. C.
CLINT FULLER. Manafln| Editor ELIZABETH JOHNSON. Business Manafer
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
Advert ill nf Rate* ^ | ASSOCIATION
, Upon Request
, SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In North Carolina: Out of Stat*.
On* Yaar. $4.64; Six Months. $2.83 On* Year, $6.60; Six Months, $4.00
Three Months. $2.06 Three Months, $3. 50
Entered at second dam mall matter and postage paid at the Post Oftkc at Loubbun. N. C. 27549
t 4
'Gentlemen, we're facing a serious crisis in the middle east. The
Israelis insist on defending themselves.'
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
WHO'S GOT THE ANSWERS?
Mount Olive Tribune. Mount Olive. N. C.
Some questions are really bothering
us. and we can't find easy answers be
cause they seem to lie beyond a curtain
which the mind shrinks from drawing
aside.
Golden Frinks, for instance, is quoted
as having promised the late Good Neigh
bor Chairman David Coltrane that he
would end the boycott of schools in
Hyde county by some several hundred
students, but since Mr. Coltrane died
before the boycott was to end, Mr.
Prinks now feels no obligation to call
for its cessation. Question: how can hun
dreds of school students circumvent the
N. C. State Law which says they shall
attend school until they're 16 years of
age? Question: Does this mean Mr.
Frinks is more powerful than state law?
Question: Is anybody doing anything
about this particular open lawlessness?
Now, also from Hyde county, comes
news that a delegation which Willie
Bolden, a Southern Christian Leadership
Conference official says may reach 5,000
persons, is going on a pilgrimage from
Swan Quarter to Raleigh Sunday to
"dramatize" the Hyde county school de
segregation dispute.
Now the folks will travel by bus, ex
cept that they will alight a few miles
from towns along the mar:h route, and
parade through these towns. Question:
Has no one considered the traffic prob
lems to be created by this type of activ
ity, and done anything to prevent it?
Question: Does anyone other than the
marchers have any rights to pursue the
activities of their choice Sunday? Ques
tion: Shall a delegation from Hyde coun
ty, even 5,000 strong, disrupt traffic,
the normal activities of usually-peaceful
Sunday afternoons, with impunity?
Question: Is there no law protecting the
rights of. nearly 2,000,000 other Eastern
Carolinians next Sunday afternoon who
might wish to travel the same streets
and roads of these bus-traveling march
ers?
Recently a Beaufort lawyer billed the
state, and collected, an exorbitant fee
in the minds of most legal and all non
legal citizens) for searching the title for
lands bought by the State Ports Author
ity. The fee was $28,600, and justified
by the "Code of Ethics" subscribed to
by all practicing attorneys which says
how such fees shall be determined and
how minimum they shall be. Question:
what is the difference in attorneys join
ing together in price-fixing activities, and
corporations, such as drug-manufactur
ing concerns, doipg the same thing?
State Attorney General Robert Morgan
has announced he is filing suit against
five nationally-known drug firms accus
ing them of conspiring to fix prices of
certain wonder drugs.
But attorneys, through their "code of
ethics" can conspire to fix prices the
public must pay, and there's no hope for
the public caught by the code. Question:
would an attorney who would take ad
vantage of such codes fo extract such a
fee from the taxpayers (you and us), and
his fellow lawyers who helped develop
such practices, and approve of them, be
depended upon in a "court of law" to
correct such practices?
You get the picture. Even on the
national level the action by Congress this
week in raising its own pay beyond any
reasonable percentage figure brings
forth question after question, with no
answer for the average citizen.
Now then, the final questions: in the
light of the trend toward natioual and
public dishonesty, avarice, greed, selfish
ness, and unconcern for one's fellowman,
how long can We possibly last as a na
tion? Question: which way will the mass
of average, decent, law-abiding citizens
who make up this nation ultimately turn?
Will they join the minority tearing our
society to bits and pieces; continue in
different to the collapse of law and
order from what it was when this na
tion was a-building into the greatest on
earth; or rear up on their collective
hind-legs and fight once again to put the
parasitic, debauched, dollar-sucking, pub
licity-hungry kooks where they really
belong in our social order?
We're getting awfully tired of the
first two reactions. ? CB.
'COME
TO
THINK
>* OF IT..."
by
frank count
"Frank," said the little woman the other day, "We got to
do something about it. We can't let the youngins know."
"Oh." I said, "I think they're old enough to understand.
After all when we were their age, we knew what it was all
about."
"I know, Frank." she said. "But things change. We got to
protect the youngins nowadays. When they're older, well try
to explain it all to them. "
"I don't know. At their age,
I'm sure somebody has already
said something to make them
wonder. Who knows, they might
have already picked up some
thing about it at school or may
be at the pool room."
"Well, I'm worried. They
been acting funny lately and I'm
afraid they'll let their curosity
get the best of them. They may
even decide to try it themselves,
Frank. I just couldn't stand
that."
\ "I think you're over reacting,
woman," I said. She always get excited over the least little
crisis.
"Well, if I am, I am not alone. You read where they're
gonna clean up television. This is so's the youngins won't see
all the stuff that's causing them to act up. There's some talk of
cleaning up the magazines and newspapers and the books. I tell
you, Prank, it's serious. You can't go anywhere nowadays
without seeing it going on. The youngins are bound to notice."
"It ain't all that bad, woman," I said. "It's been going on
1 for a awful long time and hiding it ain't going to do any good.
Sooner or later, the youngins are gonna try it for themselves."
"Maybe we ought to just confront them with it head on,"
she said. "Maybe we ought to call them in and tell them the
facts. Frank. You may be right. They might already know
more'n we think they do. It's mostly yore fault anyway," she
added.
She always did manage to blame me for everything from
cancer to hangnails. Now she was accusing me of con
taminating the youngins. It shore must be nice to be a woman
and not have no faults at all.
"Naw," I said. "Just leave it alone. Let them learn for
themselves. It won't hurt them none. Let them decide if they
want to or not. You cant tell. They might not like it and they
might decide to wait until they're older."
"I don't know. I read where Congress is going to take some
action. Maybe them Congressmen can do something. It's about
time somebody done something for the youngins of this
country. It's a pore shame the way they show it on television
and every place else. Folks dont seem to care anymore, Frank.
They gotta help us raise our 'n and we got to help them raise
their's. A lot of folks done forgot that, Frank."
"I wish you'd stop fretting, woman. It aint the end of the
world. The youngins is smart. They know what's right and
what's wrong. I done told them to behave. I done told them to
act like me and they'd be a success. You know that, woman."
"It aint no use, Frank Count," she blasted. "The time has
come for action. You gotta quit. That's all there is to it. I done
made up my mind. I aint going to worry about it another day.
Them youngins is going to be raised right."
"Aw, come on now. You gotta be joking. You know I aint
gonna quit. I can't quit and besides I' cant see where its hurt
me none " \
"Well you can go on living in sin if you want to but you
jotta do it where the youngins cant see you. Yes sir, I done
made up my mind. From now on, Frank Count, you're gonna
do your smoking out back of th? barn. You ain't going to do it
where the youngins can see you."
Back of barn? Well, come to think of it, that's where it all
started anyway.
Medal Winner Reenlists
Philadelphia ? Sgt. David
C. Dolby, a Medal of Honor
winner has re-enlisted after a
year as a civilian and has
asked to be reassigned to
Vietnam. The 22-yeu-old ser
geant said he felt he was
better suited to helping his
fellow man^ in the Amy than
at construction work.
Raleigh - The legislative
days in Raleigh are busier
since the Easter holidays. The
dally calendars are lengthier
and the committee sessions
more crowded with bills
which must be studied,
argued and Finally voted
upon.
This week brought the
deadline for introducing local
legislation
during
this fu
sion and a
great
many lo
cal bills
were sent
up In both
the Houae
and the
h ?
Houae de
f e a t e d
rather de
ite.
CHURCH
ciaively, by tabling motion, a
bill to abolish capital punlah
Report From Raleigh
By Rep. JOHN T. CHURCH
mcnt In North Carolina This
bill had been sent out for
floor debate by the commit
tee to which It was referred.
However the vote against It
was not surprising. The pre
sent governor and several
other high state officials have
expressed their view that cap
ital punishment should be
abolished. Many legislators,
reflecting the feeling of their
constituents, continue to feel
that a degree of punishment
to fit heinous crimes should
be provided. They feel that
there have been a great num
ber of such crimes in recent
years which resulted In the
travesty of the criminal, while
convicted of the crime, m
caplng punishment because of
court decisions, delays, so
called legal errors or by I en
iS*" "* ?''"ilnbtritjve
^ PonWuMm ctpi
now. "*n( entirely. N?,
pre*nOy Js
"????*. J ,.* ?*?? "any
from ^1?UI-'
?ftty to** *M high.
Th?* Polieifx "* of
? biu"tn>** been <fc
c?nip?niitjon P"mit lpw/
Proving "torn* ? Court cases
tE^StfrS
^?srss^C
?"wawSSs
I feel that this bill has a
great deal of merit, particular
ly In view of increasing legal
rights and responsibilities of
women and their role in the
world of business and com
merce as well as in the house
hold. I believe there should
be some sensible control and
restriction over jury verdicts
awarding damages not only In
these but other damage ver
dict cases. They should be
realistic in all cases.
I am Inclined to favor a
bill by Sen. Julian AUsbrook
to exempt persons with clean
driving records from taking
written examinations for driv
ers' license renewals. This bill
Is pending in the Senate. It
would continue requirements
for eye examinations and In
clude certain other safeguard
provisions But if a person
had no record of accidents or
traffic violation in a four
year period I believe the writ
ten examination might be
waived.
Pilots And Cuba
Amsterdam ? The Inter
national Federation of Airline
Pilots Association has warned
that It may call a world wide
strike for 12 or 24 houn if
airline hijackers are not suit
ably punished.
Firecrackers
Washington - James H.
Crimer, a geological survey
engineer in Memphis said
they are udng firecrackers to
make subsurface seismic sur
veys and maps needed for
urban and suburban construc
tion projects. He explained
that each type of soil or lock
resists differently to sound
waves.