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LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
Nixon: A Change In Position
About a year ago (September 13)
.presidential candidate Richard M.
Nixon said in a speech here in North
Carolina: "It is my view there is too
much of a tendency for our courts
and federal agencies to use the whole
program of what call school inte
gration for purposes other than educa
tion."
Last October, this column asked
the vice presidential candidate Gov.
Spiro Agnew in a Raleigh TV inter
view to "make compatible, Mr.
Nixon's criticism of federal agencies
that try to act like school boards and
his statement that there was nothing
wrong with these same agencies using
their powers to prevent communities
form operating their schools under a
freedom of choice plan."
Mr. Nixon made it clear in his
Charlotte interview that he would
favor freedom of choice as a method
of school operations. Mr. Agnew made
it even clearer that it was his belief
that freedom of choice would be the
accepted thing under the Nixon Ad
ministration. In private conversation,
Mr. Agnew was even more outspoken
on the question thyi in his on-the-air
statements.
Congressman L. H. Fountain, Wio
has been scraping HEW for some time
now in behalf of beleagued school
boards in North Carolina's Second
District, reveals in his weekly column
<^Ofti Washington today that the
lUnon. Administration is now bent on
K^?1he Whitten Amendment to the
MllfcAppflSjiriations bill which would
?flpfthat' federal funds would not be
(iij? because of freedom of choice
i - To spotlight the ever changing
Nixon stance, the Congressman re
rnlnds his readers that the Administra
won did not oppose the Amendment
in the House. Pressures from civil
i
rights groups have obviously gotten to
him and his equally changeable HEW
Secretary Robert Finch. The Amend
ment is for all practical purposes
doomed now in the Senate where it
was given only a slim chance of
passage without Nixon opposition.
Gradual and orderly desegregation
of southern schools isn't enough for
the liberals and the civil rights advo
cates. There seems to be an intense
feeling that some type of forceful
revenge must be a part of the transi
tion. Too many of these people can
not stand the fact that disruption has
been kept at a minimum in most
school districts.
There has never been a better
phrase with which to describe the
conglamaration that in America. The
freedom to choose sums up every
worthwhile thing for which this
nation has stood over the years.
What a shame it is that Mr. Nixon
always adept at changing his colors
when it suited his political purpose
has sold out not only his personal
honor but the nation's standards as
well.
Just another example of the dif
ference between what a politician says
and what he does once the people
elect him. The people may one day
correct this policy, but in the mean
time, personal freedoms and the ed
ucation of this nation's children must
play second fiddle to these people
who seem to have an uncanny knack
for pressuring even the most powerfyl
politicians.
U'? sort of disheartening to dis
cover that, after all, Richard Nixon is
no better than Hubert Humphrey
might have been. At least Hubert said
he wouldn't change things. In this, the
man must be given a high mark for
honesty. Maybe that's something.
As The House Begins To Rock
It seems to me the (ate
My be open for the entrance
of ? stout-hearted man.
I ay that because of the
near panic that seems to be
gripping the integrators
Have you noticed Bob
Finch's didoes Poking his
noae right past the Justice
Department lawyers in an ef
fort to undercut his subor
dinate. James Alien? He did
Finch has asked the courts -
the Federal courts, of course -
not to do what was requested
by Allen; Finch wants the
courts to 4ow down.
For thoae who came in
late. Finch li Dick Nixon's
long-time toady, now serving
as HEW secretary . And Allen
li the Typhoid Jimmy of the
educational wortd. His title is
Commissioner of Education.
Together, they make a very
odd couple.
Alton. K seems, had the
Big Equalizer all ready; he
meant thto fall to integrate
Mississippi's public schools,
top to bottom, high water or
low, right now, next month.
When Finch came alert to
Allen's intentions and to the
consequences of such rash
ness. he flew right past
Typhoid Jimmy, without any
sort of a by-your-leave, and
requested the courts not to
do any such thing; for the
Lord's sake, take it easy.
That two elements of the
same governmental agency
could get so out-of-phase
looks like panic to me: rock
head confusion, to say the
least
What caused the con
fusion. panic, or whatever it
Is, I suspect was Nixon's ap
pointment of Warren Burger
to the post of Chief Justice.
That plus Nixon's more re
cent nomination, that of the
South Carolinian, Fourth
Circuit Chief Haynesworth to
ffll the seat left vacant by the
"retired" Abe Fortas.
Why not? As memory will
tall you, many, many Su
preme Court decisions, these
recent years, have been
ludicrously rendered by the
narrowest of margins, 5-4.
By John J. Synon
And many of them have
dealt, peripherally at least,
with race mixing. Allen
knows that; so does Finch.
Now, then. Since the
Black Monday Decision of
1954 came as a result of
trickery - it did, in one degree
or another: the NAACP con
cealed available evidence, for
one thing ? and since that
decision in a legal sense is a
thoroughly rotten decision. It
seems to me Allen must fig
ure the jig is up. So, he wants
to barrel in, like a too-eager
burglar bent on really clean
ing out the joint, and Finch Is
concerned lest Allen's heavy
handedness wake up the
household.
What I have in mind as an
antidote for such unseemly
brigandage Is an individual,
some chairman of some board
of education who will stand
on his hind legs and say,
"You have taken too much
already."
The Erapltfin Times
E?Ublbft?d 1870 ? Published Tuesday* L Thursday* by
The Franklin Times. Inc.
Bickett Blvd. Dial OY6 3283
Louliburg. N. C. '
CUNT FULLER, Manaflnf Editor
ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Buiine** Manafer
NATIONAL EDITORIAL
Advertising Rata*
Upon Request
ASSOCIATION
IBM
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a* second dan mall matter and pottage ptld al the Poll Office at Louuburg. N . C. 27549.
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Ridiculous Situation
Henderson Daily Dispatch
Status of the public schools in
Warren county, as the result of court
decrees forbidding the separate War
renton district as authorized by the
State Legislature, is both deplorable
and ridiculous. It is regrettable be
cause of the young people who will
suffer for the loss of a year, or part of
a year, in school. It is ridiculous in
that the courts, under control of the
supreme tribunal in Washington, are
wrecking the schools in the name of
integration.
Spokesman for Health, Education
and Welfare have frankly admitted
that their objective i? to mix the races
in the classrooms and not primarily
education of the children, whether
black or white. A good question is as
to which, is important in the estima
tion of the bureaucrats, whether edu
cation or integration. Is it more de
sirable to educate or to integrate, the
latter, of course, with the sole ob
jective of votes at the polls?
Residents of the town of Warren
ton, and those in Scotland Neck in
Halifax, by any stretch of the imagina
tion, have the right, under the
American system, to establish schools
to their liking. But the tyrants in
Washington decree otherwise. They
want and are determined to have their
way and to force the issue, no matter
who agrees or disagrees, whether
white or black.
Gentlemen' in Congress are not
ignorant of the situation, but the
majority of them lack the moral or
political stamina to halt the bureau
crats in virtually making law to suit
plans and purposes.
As it now is,_ many families in
Warren county are enrolling their
children in schools of Henderson and
Vance county. In doing so, they' are
compellled to provide transportation
for the children ovef itingj'fWw of
many miles every day to reach their
classrooms. The same authority'which
orders procedure forbids use of State
buses to arry the children.
It is a harassing condition the
Warren county people are facing. And
there ought to be authority some
where along the line to stop the
dictators in their reckless program.
Let him say: "I'm head
turnip here, I am the one who
makea the decisions as they
pertain to this school district
and I tell you that what you
are trying to do is both im
moral and illegal and because
it is. you are not going to get
away with it. I refuse ab
solutely to comply with your
orders. Put me in jail if you
want to, under the jail, but
this turnip just aint-a gonna
do it."
In the light of the narrow
ness of past decisions and in
the light of the recent judicial
appointments. I am of the
opinion, if some stout-heart
ed man did just that the left
wingers would dissolve into a
swtvit.
Even without such a
champion, I suspect that Is
what we are seeing now ? the
beginnings of a swivit - with
Nixon's right hand (Finch)
over-reaching his left hand
(Allen).
That la what I suspect be
cause second and third tier
Federal judges politicians
that they are ? have rabbit
.ear*. They have heard, as you
and I have heard, and as Allen
and Finch have heard, the
new tones emanating from
Washington. And having
heard, they may be expected
to fall in line, like ducks at a
drake's cackle.
So. what Is needed is a
stout-hearted man who
knows the meaning of Never.
Just one and the whole war
ren of deceit will begin to
collapse
Give me one such, and I
wll give you 10,000 more.
The Food and Drug Ad- i
ministration reported re
cently that evidence ?f two
drugs used widely to control
convulsions can rid the
human body of residues of
the pesticide DDT.
TAX
TREADMILL
THE NEWS REPORTER
Whiteville, N. C.
If you feel as though you're on a tax
treadmill, don't worry about it. You are.
The Chamber of Commerce of the
United States observes that the federal
government is spending tax money a lot
faster than you can earn it or send it in.
If it takes you an hour to fill out your
tax return-and most people struggle with
it Ipnger than that-the government will
spend $22 million in the same amount of
time, before you even get the envelope
stamped.
The calculation is based on the federal
budget for fiscal 1970, which proposed
outlays of SI 92.9 billion-SlOO billion
more than 1960, just 10 short years ago.
Because the total figure is so large as to
be almost incomprehensible, it may register
more clearly in terms of spending speed.
Counting every day and every hour during
the year, including weekends and holidays,
the spending pace is:
$22.02 million per hour.
$367,000 per minute.
$6.1 16 per second.
No wonder taxpayers are beginning to
question why they should pay higher taxes,
when the federal government keeps
spending more and more.
? It's not too late to ask for a slowdown.
Congress has just begun to act on fiscal
1970 appropriations bills. The national
chamber is urging further reduction in
spending plans for 1970. Taxpayers should
ask their legislators to insist upon
significant cuts.
COME
1 ro
THINK
OF IT "
f by
frank count
Melvin's boy-Hot Rod Smudgen--was over home the otfeer
night and me and him got to talking about things going on in
the woTId today. Hot Rod always liked to talk to me mostly,
he said, 'cause I understood him.
Well. I aint no sigh-kye-a-trixt. although Hot Rod nee^f one
if anybody ever did? I do try to put myself in hii place. It giU
sorta hard to do sometimes. I ain't never had long hair and t
ain't never had no Fu Manchu mustashe or Ho Chi Minh goatee
but I try to put myself in Hot Rod's shoes.
Hot Rod had been away for a spell. Meivin explained. So
Wo'? Kmiiakt him nvpr
"VB &?" - -T
to get caught up on the,
news.
"What's new, Unate
Frank?", he asked. He
always called me UncJ?,
Prank. 1 didn't never
like it much but MeJ
vin's old lady thought
was cute. She aint no
kin to me and neither^
Melvin. I thought on;
time when the youngin
was little, I'd smack his
jaws and maybe stop
him from it, but 1 hesi
tated and next thing I
k no wed he was six foot
or more and weighed
nearly 200 pounds and
I give up the idea.
"Oh, aint nothing
much going on. Hot
Rod," I said. "A few
arrests here and a few shootings there. Same old thing.
Nothing don't never change around here," I told him.
Then he asked me if I'd seen his new car and I said I hadn't.
He said he wanted me to take a ride in it and I promised I
would. "Let's go", I said, "I'd like a nice ride so's I can cool
out. You got air on it?"
"Man", he said. He ain't never called me that before.
"Man", he said again, "Its got air and four in the-floor and the
really biiiig engine, racing tires, no hubs and it's ready to roll.
Man, roll." . r
Well, I could tell he wont exactly right. Hot Rod ain't
never been nobody's clever boy. Melvin hisself ain't the
brightest I ever seen. Me and him went to school together
tt.is r..sn,;es.i oss.nt.j v *su
I decided it might be 'best to humor the youngm. "Hbt
Rod", I said, rtl ain't sure I understand all you're teHing me,
but I sure would like to see your new car."
He took the hint and said come on outside and I did. There
she set. Red as a fire engine and all shined up. She was pretty
alright. Had a few dents here and there in the fender and tbe
tires was worn near bout slick, but she was a pretty one. It sure
did look better 'n Rob Blind's old Essex and that was the class
of the neighborhood. Best looking car I ever seen except for a
Edsel a traveling man was driving one day but he was just
passing through. Fact is, he didnt git quite through*. He hit
Zeke Potter's mule and run off into Snake Endergrass's pond
and won't never heard from since.
"Well, Hot Rod, III go to ride with you if you promise not
to run it fast. I can't stand it when you youngins start driving
forty-five and fifty. It makes me nervious. Promise?"
"Sure, Uncle Frank. I promise I wont run no forty-five or
fifty. But I can't take you to ride right now. IH come back
and git you about midnight. I want you to see what this buggy
will do." \ .
Well, I said I don't quite understand this youngin and I sure
couldn't understand what I could see better at midnight than I
could see in the broad open daylight. So I asked him.
"Well, III tell you Uncle Frank, some folks don't yndar
stand these new cars. They need plenty of room and the airk
heavier at night and the roads are clearer and you can redly
put it in the wind. I might run up on somebody who thinte
his'n run faster than mine. Now if I do, you know I got to
show him better. It's a principle with me. Uncle Frank. You
know how it is. I got to protect my four-in-the-floor's honor."
"Tell you what, Uncle Frank. Ill pick you, up right hin
about 11:30 and well go down t tf Centerville where it's quM
or we might cruise over about White Level where them
challenging roads are. Youll like it, Uncie Frank. K'tawhoit
heap of fun."
"You did say Centerville and White Level, didnt you, Hot
Rod? I thought you did. Well, son, I hate to be a ipoil-qmrt,
but you see, son, I done seen Centerville and White Level botlr
And although I ain't seen them at midnight, I'd juit as soon
not. Think 111 just set this one out, boy. Think you rright
ought to do the same. Like I always aid, a body could git
killed hot rodding at Centerville or White Level."
HEAVENLY BLUNDER
A Baptist minister in Raleigh has
disclosed that members of his congregation
are concerned over chances that astronauts
on some future interplanetary journey will
blunder their way into Heaven. He has
undertaken to ally such fears with the
explanation that Heaven is beyond mortal
reach.
We won't presume to argue the
theology of such a position.
i
Until vtrv lately, though it hadn't
occurred to us that a mortal could reach
the moon. -Norfolk (Va.) Virginian-Pilot.
A & '?