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LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
Take The Step Tuesday
It isn't the most brilliant piece of
legislation to come out of our over
paid General Assembly, but the Local
.Option Sales Tax is all we've got.
If we want to tell the world we're
tired of state and federal bureaucrats
telling us what to do with our own
money, we can make the move Tues
day.
If we want everybody to have a
part in paying for our county and
municipal governments, we can say so
Tuesday.
If we really mean it when we say
we want to see our county progress,
we can put meaning behind it Tues
day. .
If we want better law enforcement,
better hospital services, better schools
and other services, we can take a giant
step Tuesday.
If we really want new industry and
( -
are to be able to provide needed
services for it, we can say so Tuesday.
If we want to strengthen local
government with local revenue under
local control, we can Tuesday.
If we want to be fair to those
property owners who have carried the
load all these years, we can show it
Tuesday.
If we want our communities better
tomorrow than they were yesterday,
we can start Tuesday.
Then, on the other hand, if we
want to say this is another tax, we can
do that Tuesday.
It's up to us. The difference in
moving forward and moving backward
is just one step. We can take it
Tuesday.
Either way you plan to take it--be
sure to vote- Tuesday.
Letters to tiu Editor
Supports
Editorial
Dear Editor:
I have just read your edi
torial on the Moratorium. As
a matter of coincidence, I
have also just read the cover
featured TIME magazine arti
cle which asks the question,
"Should the U. S. pull out of
Vietnam?"
The answer to that often
asked question, from one
who has "been there" is,
"No!" The previously men
tioned national magazine
article has stated, statistically,
that barely one out of 200
Americans participated in
M-Day activities. Is this
worthy to be considered by
the administration, or anyone
else who considers such
things seriously, as a "man
date" for action. One in my
position would hope not.
Americans tend to be
lulled into easy, rationalized
solutions to problems which
drag on to the point of be
coming weary. But ask your
self the question: "who has
the right to become more
weary, the people .who are
over 1- re actually facing the
thri^i or the union members
wb e bothered by the un
coivt.iience of paying a ten
percent income tax surcharge
to finance this war?" The
generals have said repeatedly
that the American fighting
man in Vietnam has proved
himself equal to if not su
perior to former defenders of
freedom. As your editorial so
aptly points out, they have
just cause to.do so. Not only
are our forces proteotiAf the
freedom of these wonderful
and well-deserving people in
the Republic of Vietnam,
but, as I become more con
vinced each day, the future of
the free world in the struggle
against Communism rests
right here in this small South
east Asian country.
What better evidence of
the' suspect motives of the
Moratorium leaden exiits
than the message they re
ceived from Hanoi, which
stated, "May your fall offen
sive succeed splendidly"? As
Jack Anderson pointed out
recently in his "Washington
Go-Round," "They are not
against the war, they're just
on the enemy's side."
The people who are di
rectly engaged in this war are
not on the enemy's side, nor
are they on the side of the
people who would have us do
less than stand up for those
principles which have made
our country unique among
nations, past and present, in
the struggle for human free
dom and dignity.
Thank you for confirming
that- everyone back home is
not on the losing side.
James White Egerton
Commander, U. S. Navy
Naval Advisory Group
Naval Forces, Vietnam
APO San Francisco 96626
Opposes Sales Tax
Dear Editor:
As Chairman of the Re
publican Party in Franklin
County, I am opposed to the
one cent sales tax to be voted
on - on November 4.
I feel the people of Frank
lin County are paying enough
tax.
The County Commission
has promised to take off part
of our property tax provided
we vote for the one cent sales
tax.
It has proven throughout
our history once a tax has
been added it is never re
moved. Just when do we the
people of Franklin County
have to bargain with our
County Commission.
Our needs are great here in
this County, but they will not
be cured by more tax.
We must stop this snow
balling of tax collecting.
On November 4 we have
the privilege to vote against
this tax. Let us show our
General Assembly and Coun
ty Commission we dont want
anymore.
Archie BUnn
Favors Sales Tax
Dear Editor:
Everyone wants the assu
rance of a good law enforce
ment agency, and the satisfac
tion of knowing the hospital
is there when we need it. We
want all of our children to be
prepared to take their place
in society with the best edu
cation we can give them. We
feel safe in the knowledge the
health department is on the
job. The agriculture depart
ment makes possible much of
the progress in the produc
tion of food and Tiber for all
of us. When some-one we
know or love needs it, we are
all thankful for the social
services provided in our coun
ty. All of us need the services
of some of these agencys all
of the time. Like everything
else these days the cost of
providing the services of these
agencys is increasing. On
some of these services the
county commissioners have
no choice. The law says they
must raise the money. So the
money will be raised. There
are only two questions- How
will it be raised? Who will pay
it?
No one likes taxes but
every-one likes what they
buy. Every county citizen
benefits in some way from
the county taxes now being
paid only by the property
owners. Certainly those who
own property in Franklin
County are more concerned
about her welfare today and
her future than those whose
only ties are a job and
friends. It is only fitting
therefore that the property
owners pay a larger share of
the cost of county govern
ment and services, but isn't it
time to broaden the tax base
in the county so that all of
Franklin citizens may share in
the responsibility of paying
for these services? Is it right
to continue to increase the
burden on some when all
benefit? I believe most of our
people want to be responsible
citizens ^nd share their part
of the load. Of course there
are some free riders who have
never listed any taxes and
never paid any.
On Nov. 4, 1969, we will
all have an opportunity to
vote on an additional one
cent on the dollar tax for our
county. I am confident that
everyone, who thinks
seriously what this can mean
to the future of Franklin
county, will vote for "A
Penny For Progress "
John H. Ihrie, in
President Franklin
Farm Bureau
The main purpose of ed
ucation is to teach people to
think.
Intelligent adults are kind
to the children they meet In
life.
The Fr^^n Times
The Franklin Times, Inc.
BtckettBhrd. Dial GY6-3283 Louisburg, N. C.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In North Carolina: One Year, $4.64; Six Months. 12.83
Three Months, $2.06
Out of State: One Yeas, $5.50; Six Months, $4.00
, Entered ti second class mal matter and
postage paid at the Post Office at Lou it
bun, N C. 27549.
Established 1870
Published Tuesdays & Thursdays
by
CUNT FULLER,
Managing Editor
Advertising
Rates
Upon Request
ELIZABETH JOHNSON,
Business Manager
'CheersP
? The Charlotte Observer
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING
Shuddering At The Thought
Henderson Daily Dispatch
For the most part, the present
generation of Americans knows only
what it has read and been told of the
great depression of the early 1930s.
Only those who lived through it and
who are still around can appreciate
what happened on that "Black Tues
day," Oct. 29, 1929. That was only
the beginning of the worst economic
catastrophe this country had ex
perienced since the Civil War. It took
four or five years to snap out of it,
and the emergence was slow and
painful, leaving its scars.
The depression and its accompany
ing disaster and suffering set off the
era of socialism in America. The
fanatical effort of the Roosevelt ad
ministration to restore the economy
was fraught with developments and
conditions which no one in those days
thought could ever happen here. But
it did, and present-day extreme
liberalism is an outgrowth of those
terrible months and years.
It makes no one happy to recall the
collapse and its tragedies. Those who
lived in it know; those of the present
generations are not particularly im
pressed. They have lived during the
greatest era of prosperity this or any
other nation has ever experienced.
Where we stand now is in the midst
of a recession threat and the para
doxical growth of inflation which has
not been checked. You can find
people who are fearful of a setback,
however mild. It is difficult to sup
pose that anything catastrophic can
recur. On paper, it seems unthinkable,
with all the built-in phases of the
economy and protections against a
depression. No one expects a repeti
tion of the 1930s. But it will not be
surprising if there is a slowing down
after a decade of plenty and abun
dance. High prices, high salaries and
inflation are an unusual, if significant,
combination.
The Nixon administration is turn
ing over heaven and earth, as the
saying goes, to check inflation, and at
the same time avoid even a mild
recession, to say nothing of a depres
sion. Government authorities in con
trol of the economy are walking a
tight rope in an effort to determine
what is best and what is next down
the road of the future.
We are enough of an optimist to be
convinced there will be no serious
recession, with its incipiency on the
fortieth anniversary of "Black Tues
day" at the end of October, 1929.
There are those, however, who cling
to the theory that only a recession of
sorts can correct the inflationary
trend of the present. They may be
correct, but we are convinced there
will be no repetition of the dark days
so many remember so vividly of four
decades ago. It is not blind optimism
to assume the upward trend of the
economy as a whole will not be halted
for long.
Reports On Defense Spending
Prom the Office of Congrenman L. H. Fountain
Washington. D. C. ? We must not
lose sight of the nature of the enemy
we face in this perilous world when we
discuss the oft-criticized military-in
dustrial complex.
A stark statement in a recent edi
tion of the Soviet Armed Force* Com
munist Party Journal points out that it
is mandatory for young recruits in the
Communist armed forces to be edu
cated in "hatred for the enemy." The
Journal then added, "The enemy is led
by the United State*." So, if anyone is
still in doubt as to who our enemy ic,
just reflect upon that statement. Rus
sian troop* are taught to hate us
It has become very unpopular to
defend our military. And admittedly,
the military cannot always be defend
ed. But the underlying cause of its
unpopularity Is undoubtedly the frus
tration many Americans feel over the
no-win war in Vietnam. Till* is under
standable. We all want the war to
come to an honorable end and to bring
our soldiers home again. We all want
peace. Regrettably , some will take it at
any price.
However, In peace or war, America
must be kept militarily strong. Our
continued existence a* a free nation
depends upon It.
At the same time we must be
continually vigilant to see that the
taxpayers' dollan an wisely spent.
Waste and unnecenary spending mint
be eliminated.
We have seen some Improvement In
procedure* for appropriating military
funds In recent years. Notwithstanding
the support which the Armed Service*
Committees of both the Home and the
Senate get from embers of their re
spective bodies in authorizing legisla
tion, no longer does the Congress vote
the military a blank check. Nowadays
specific sums have to be requested for
specific projects: aircraft, missiles,
naval vessels, tracked combat vehicles,
research and development, etc. This
spotlights major items for debate pur
poses; brings them out In the open.
Defense spending for Fiscal Year
1970, while an astronomical sum ($78
million). Is actually a smaller percent
age of the Federal Budget than In
many past yean. The 1970 figure is
about 38 per cent of the Federal
Budget, compared to 42.5 per cent in
1968, 41.8 per cent in 1964 and 62
per cent in 1963. Anyway you look at
these figures they are still big. The
point I'm making is that the picture is
In no way as bad as some have
attempted to paint It.
Those who attack the military- In
dustrial complex may overlook the
fact that defense expenditures de
clined by $100 million from Fiscal
Year 1968 to Fiscal Year 1970, while
at the same time other agencies of the
Government increased their spending
by $12.4 billion and while the cost
living spirited upward making every
thing coat much more.
I believe in and advocate economy
in Government, but at the same time, I
can understand how those in positions
of authority dont rest easy when they
realize that our admitted enemy, the
Soviet Union, has at least 13 new
fighters, eight of them prototype*.
2
"COME
T0
THINK
OF IT..."
by
frank count
1 can't stand to see a man cry. I never could. Women cry
and I know they're just usingrthis to git what they want- as if
they don't anyway. But, men? Well, they're different. They
ain't supposed to cry. I reckon that's why it tears me up so
when 1 see one doing it.
But there was old Rob. He was just setting there in front of
his emporium and the tears was falling like rain. He was
sobbing and sniffin' and
I could tell something
was wrong. Rob wont
happy. Something had
took place to upset
him.
"Rob, old friend", I
said cheerfully. "What
in the world is wrong
with you. Is your
mama-in-law come for a
visit? Did somebody
leave some stray cats at
your house? 1 know.
You're cutting a wis
dom tooth. Is that it?"
He just looked up at
me with them blood
shot eyes and cried i
even harder.
"Rob, there's got to
be a reason. Grown
men don't iust set
around crying. Your corn hurt? Did that no-good son-in-law
bring your girl home to live? Your car insurance is due? I'll bet
that's it. Your car insurance is due and your youngin just
started driving. Well, what is it Rob?"
He didn't even look up. He just kept bawling. I decided to
try to cheer him up.
"Hey Rob, remember that time you asked me What's a
Agnew? There's another one, now Rob. It's a What's a
Haynsworth? I don't even know what's a hayns, Rob. That's a
joke, son. You're supposed to laugh at it."
His old lady come out of the store about that time. Fact is,
she almost brought the store out with her. She couldn't quite
git through the double doors. She tore part of the molding off,
but by wiggling sideways she Anally got out. You shoulda seen
her before she went on her diet.
"Hilda", 1 said, "What in the world is wrong with Rob. I
ain't never seen him like this. You ain't hit him again have
you?" ?
"Naw, Frank. He's crying 'cause he thinks he has killed one
of his best friends."
Well, now, that's different. That could be serious and I
begun to worry hard. There's a law agin killing your best
friend-or anybody else's-and Rob could git in trouble doing
stuff like that.
"Who'd you shoot, Rob. You really think he's gonna die?
Maybe the bullet went straight through. He might git over it
Rob."
"Frank, I done a terrible thing. You oughtn't to even be
standing there speaking to me. You oughtn't to even be
wasting your time on anybody sorry as me. I done wiped out
the whole community."
"Wiped out the whole community? You mean you shot
more'n one? You musta been some sorta mad, Rob. Tell me
about it. When you do it?"
"I been doing it for a long time, Frank. That's the worst
part. I been doing it for years. I didn't know it and I shore
didnt mean to do it. I was just money hungry, that's all.
Money, Frank, that's the root of all evil."
Well, I had to agree that Rob could squeeze a dollar tight as
anybody but I didn't really think he'd kill for one.
"What'd you do, Rob? Cleaning your gun. It go off
accidentally? How'd you kill a whole community, Rob. How
come I ain't heard about it?
"It aint happened yet, Frank. Aint nobody died, but
they're sure gonna."
"Well, if they dont they're gonna git mighty old", I said.
"What'd you do, Rob? How come I ain't among them?"
"Oh, that's the sad part, Frank. You are among them.
Every last of you gonna go. It's all my fault. Yall trusted me to
look after yore welfare and I let you down. But I didnt know,
Frank. You got to believe me. I didn't know them Diet Pepsi
had cyclamate in 'em. I've got a terrible burden to bear, Frank.
I think III just end It all."
"Hey, wait a minute, Rob, where you going?" ?
"Goodbye, Frank. I'm going to breath some polluted air."
while we have no new fighter aircraft
in production; that the Soviet* have
360 submarine* as opposed to our 146
(and ftom some of these submarines,
they can launch nuclear missiles and
other weapons of death); that they
have 26 surhce-to-eurface missile
boats and we have none; and that
there are 136 communist patrol boata,
while America has none.
Let me add when I look at these
facts, I dont rest essy either. Notwith
standing all this, we are still the
strongest and most powerful nation on
the bee of the globe. But we cant
fight any more "no-win" Vietnam
wars and we must plan and work hard
for the future If we are to remain
strong.
It is far better to have weapons and
not need them, than to need them and
not have them.
Meter Substitutes
Los Angeles - City workers
collect $1.3-mllllon in small
change from parking meters
annually and a collection of
various substitutes. Among
the favorites are wish en
foreign coins, pull-tab rings
from beer cam, wedding
rings, religious charm* and an
occarional $6 gold piece.
Smoking
Rome - The United Na
tions Food and Agriculture
Organization's committee on
commodity problems has re
ceived a report that cigarette
smoking ia more prevalent
than ever throughout the
worid-desplte warnings on
health.