THE SCHOOL FIGHT
CWmNUES , ^
;»-k’
- •’'3'■ ■
mmms^
Cmk tctoMt ud indoii^id by C.
[ to’itbe Twin
_ St 1»8»,
tettify to the'Toroclty of tho
qt t)to Deqicjm^ »Qd
Mb^l oftlb^ls. '3f3^-
It l8 iatoTiMUng to note •that
nn-^O^apWring & Thi* Joni^-
al'PB^rlK^!ot NoTena^jf, JgiS,
(lifutisa |Nsme tune ta'^bJoS-tWi
of MtNoH, aoF
id) by Hist
'S^ ■ ■ ♦ I •
4loeqfdlnK to a oUpplng, from
tka '**Mbrthwostern JPrees” which
waa haadad to ina, th» adltot an*
wosusaed on April 26, ^40. that
all oaBdfdataa for l^lltlcal office
woold be intarrlewed and their
xaaift>naea printed. I heartily agree
Wdth the gentleman in belleTlng
ttat the TOteia of Wilkes county
akonld know for what their can-
41datee stand. As I filed for a
member of the County Board of
■dncatlon, I was eligible for an
taterrlew, which I nerer believed
vonld take place.
As some may not be familiar
with or may have forgotten the
folncipal facta in the school fight,
•erhape, it is well for us to give
a resume of the outstanding
points. In an article in The Jou.rn-
al-^triot of October 27, 1938,
Jlr. A. C. Bidden charged that
the Democratic Szecutive Com-
mittpe of waikes County had
lenied a 826.00 assessment on
«ach of the public school teachers
ter the Democratic fund. In The
Jonmal-Patrlot of Novenrher 3,
1938, page 4, J. R. Rousseau,
Chairman, and C. O. McNeil, Sec
retary of the Democratic Execu
tive Committee, denied the alle-
of Mr. Bidden. On the
mext page C. O. McNeil, Chairman
of the Wilkes County Board of
Sducatlon, bitterly denied the ac-
onaatlons of Mr. Bidden, stating
that the report was "wholly un
true and without foundation,”
and that "the Board of Education
has made no demands upon any
teacher, nor has it authorized
anyone else to do so.’’ A photo-
■tatic copy of a cancelled check
made to the Wilkes County Demo
cratic Executive Committee by
Rnth Linney of the Roaring Riv
er school and slightly altered and
endorsed by J. R. Rousseau,
chairman, appearing in the
Greensboro, N. C. Dally News,
Jqly 2, 1939, and another photo-
atatic copy of a cancelled check
made to C. 0. McNeil by Mrs.
greatly dtrnag^ '
have ali||||^^AM)penf4«t|^d % lot
moire, ahd.^ojdn'e can foresee the
end of the deviltry started by the
raig Tliree." . ,
The County Board composed of
C. 0. McNeil, Rq^ Church >«tid
•‘Dock” Shepherd,Jhamfled, the
cotlon of the GentWtl Committee.
t&il Ahe had already Wr' ^ch-
;ance to the Demogb^'’IM»
ley's cheok Is dated Ociibog
2^ 1888, and
check is dated Novemhlf't ‘
VVvlOXI 01 lu^ S*»“B*Jr*»* WttMUmtwV* aavas* mm.y va^ov ww
It Is now appvet^ that, UU no 'lege. from CrOser, 'Th. M.
ifloh itwi' for ^ purpo(t%/ot die- Cfozer, A. M. from the Dnl-
mlsi^ SuperS^denf'^ry. In versifif fOf^Penmylrsnla, ph. Dl
violation oAhe4hw (ate Journal- tSNJil. the Unlvemly of , Pen^^-
Patrlot. A-p’»ii‘ l#a«-)'the.*®l»ri^ Th. D. from The-South^
ThraC' poBtVOhed the election, ^Theological Semie^
appeared. The statements by Mrs.
Lomax that Mr. Rousseau was at
the school to see that the lei^
or tributes were paid, that' the
checks were to be, dfawn to fj. Q,
McNeil, and that the_,checks
were to be delivered to McN^l
personally are iUuminaUtlg.
When the first mass meeting
waa called at the Wilkenhoro
school I went. This was to'be a
regular meeting of the Central qr-
Wllkeeboro Board, but J. T. Prh.
vfltte, T. M. Poster and Dv J*
Brookshire tailed to appear. Hav
ing dismissed eix of the- popular
teachers of the Wllkesboro school
and having chosen a faculty, com
posed of their
friends over the protest of Chair
man N. O. Smoak, and Secretary
C. A Lowe, these three members
—^"Blg Three’’—did not have the
courage to face the patrons and
explain their action. Chairman
Smoak and Secretary Lowe turn
ed over the meeting to Mrs. L. B.
Dula, president of the Parent-
Teacher Association. Several of
us were asked to express our
views of the high-handed action
of Prevette, Poster and’ Brook
shire. and the writer with two
others was appointed to appear
before the Central Committee the
next day to request the reinstate
ment of the dismissed teachers.
In my statement to the commit
tee I pointed out that I did not
have any iiersonal interest in the
matter, and was not acquainted
with any of the teachers, but
since the patrons liked them I
thought it would be best to give
them what they wanted. I tried to
make it clear that it was a seri
ous matter and if not satisfac
torily adjusted, it would continue
until neighbor would be aligned
against neighbor, the town and
county would be divided into
warring camps, the churches
rogkne
ly edueiifted man of the political
tyj». On the Ptl^
igjiBbt ttSft of nty’
ifonal wofJt. I apt
Mare College have an A.'B
;degree, from Wake 'Isorest Col
the “ttechert 'fteUIO day8.^At(Uir ha 1#M 1 Ire* hpahred
next meeting kSP tBtotr ,and thA “wfa.» P,. R. B. S. (Fellow In
check is datea Novomm*5 .^ *efq^gti formerly dhuatetad teacher* the Royal E^nqmtc Soci^
—both glTon bofor® th^'deiiilifr veM’Qot re-oJ«ct]?4. Various num Or^t Brithin and Ir«U^)Mi itt
m mw* K», ^QQtlDfcfl Olid irticlfl#-IH ttft ftiithftr fAnr '^nu alld
Marlon P. Lomax of the Millers would be split, and the school
hrs and a proteet--elgiwR A>y over
l.OpO patron^ Of ■ the stho^ fSt
lowed., Chalrtth" ^
retery Lowe, retea^' a
party to any 'of ^e^ ,ii*faMon8
work of the "Blg^ftete,” tfilgn-
ed, and their pMete vfete’iiHUed l?
M.' O. Edwards and Mt^-|RoQve.
■Thh "Btt Tliree’’ jqinhO'W' theae
two Of teelr liking, In
their folly. C.,yB. ffller,.. county
superintendent "crAwttrtjed” ahi
the county boqrd enjjported'the
action if the "Big Three.’' JTnal-
ly Long, was chosen by the trio
to supersede Mr. Story, and the
^ positions of the dismissed teseh-
relatlves and «rs were Oiled by relatives and
friends of the “Big Three.’’ What
kind of a echool Wllkesboro has
bad this, ysar no one seams to
know. No Parent-Teacher Associ
ation exists,' and many deroga
tory reports are current.' Those
who were present at the ‘ mass
meeting the first day of school
have their opinion of thoee in
charge. It has been rumored that
the same teachers, including
Long, have been elected for next
year, but so far the committee
has not had the courage to an
nounce It even in its own
"sheet.”
That the schools in WUkes
County are ruled by what might
■he termed "Fifth Columnists in
Education” and are in a deplor
able condition is unquestionable.
We are told of the great progress
of our schools',., but what are the
facts? The table based upon data
in "Statis School^ Pacts,” publish
ed by the State"Department of
Public Instruction of North Car
olina, and the “News Letter,’’
pwblished by the University .of
North Carolina, -give a compara
tive picture with adjoining coun
ties and With two truly progress
ive counties—rugged Buncombe
and Piedmont Mecklenburg.
^COMPARATIVE EDUCA-nONAL RANKING OF CERTAIN COUNTIB& IN NORTH CABQUIIA
V.W « ww• V ^ _L ^ ^ * F*,.,..A. A a - JFa — R ass Gmfm
Pub. High
Schools
80
89
87
79
74
89
35
69
92
26
Pub. Sch. Accredited
Libraries Elenu Sch.
87 40
17
86
61
0
86
64
70
0
13
16
and dismissing those from their
positions upon refusal to pay; the
muzzling, bribing, and enslaving
of our teachers: the employment
of relatives, friends, and spine
less people to teach our children
without regard to their educa
tional, ethical, psychological, or
psychiatric qualifications. I con
sidered that these children are
helpless victims in our han.ds.
They did not choose their parents,
birthplace, or social environment.
We alone are respons'jble for
these facts and conditions. For
these reasons I decided to file,
and if elected and approved to
use every inch of manhood I have
to better these conditions.
After it became known that I
had filed there was great con
sternation in the camp of the
"Fifth Column.” Mr. Eller bus
ied himself in Raleigh and others
bestirred themselves to keep my
Alexander
Watauga
Ashe
Snrry
Alleghany
Caldwell
Iredell
Yadkin
Wilkes
Buncombe
Mecklenburg U
According to reports a well
haown politician dismissed my
criticism of the educational situ
ation in our county by the ex-
cathedra statement that “Wilkes
la no worse than her neighbors.”
What are the facts? In the items
compared Wilkes with few excep-
tioBB occupies the lowest position
of the eleven. Compared with the
eight adjoining counties in high
achools and attendance she ranks
lowest, in public school libraries
next to lowest, and in salaries and
ccholastlc training she is third
from the bottom. In 1926-27 she
ranked 99 in scholarship of
teachers and in 1936-37 she
atood at*^ 85. while Alexander ad
vanced from 88 to 2. Except in
public school property, we are
approximately 60 rungs lower in
the educational ladder than Bun
combe and Mecklenburg. As com
pared with the entire state our
high schools rank 92, that is, name off the ticket. ’Two years
only eight counties in the whole ago “Dock” Shepherd’s name was
atate have poorer high schools, on the ticket, and had I not filed
"We do not have a single accredit- I no doubt C. 0. McNeil’s name
ed elementary school, and only j would have appeared In like man-
two counties stand between us!ner. According to our “Fifth Col-
and the bottom rung in attend-i umnists,” the office of memher-
«nce and public school libraries, ship of the Board of Education is
Our position is slightly better in ] elective when the “right” man
regard to public school property, | file' and there is no Republican
as we rank 83, and much better j opponent and appointive when
la tax rates, since we occupy po- ' there is danger of an “outsider”
»lon 50. In short, of the 100 co’.;n-1 aspiring to place himself before
ties in North Carolina, we tire the people. After 1 filed 1 was en-
-near the bottom in everything • couraged to mase the race by a
but taxes. We are a rural agricul- number of prominent Democrats
tural county, hut do not have and was assured of their full sup-
zigricultural courses in a single ^ port. But the “Fifth Columnists”
white school. Domestic science | will keep my name off of the tlck-
•nd commercial subjects are et and would have blocked the
taught only In a few. 'What a I confirmation had I been elected,
record! Comparing the low stand-j Of course I do not know that I
County has in North would have been elected, but I
Carolina and the low standards! would have liked for the people
Morth Carolina has In the Nation, 1 to have an oportunity'to express
. . I ^ijemseives. It would appear that
the “Fifth Columnists’’ are a-
fraid of something. This would
indicate that they have been do
ing things and wish to continue
doing things which they don’t
want the people to know. In fact
they are accused of doing things
that are below the dignity of a
Stalin, Mussolini or Hitler.
I should like to remark that I
waa not seeking the memberehlii
what hhance do our boys and
girl* have in compering with boys
*nd girls from the progresiive
of the North and West?
When I vra* requested to file
the poiltloB of a member of
tke Board Education of Wilkes
Oooftty 'Jiy proialiiont leader* of
. Jiartar. -f degherated upon the
Iqlf'*te"^arda and deplorable con-
MtUon* of our eehool*: the work
“fifth gcdiHnnUto*’ in levy-
ite upon the teacher* re-
gf IhMr -^ttical affUl-
• Teacher
Traiiiing
2
ai
99
61
96
37
65 64 84
76 90 86
85 87 83
17 27 2
1 11 37
family. I have 'been and will con
tinue in the school fight solely
to help elevate our schools from
the muck and mire of political
filth into which C. 0. McNeil
and some other Democrats or
rather New Dealers have lowered
it. There appears to have been
and continues to be a very defi
nite effort on the part of the
New Deal forces to place men in
control of our schools who are
totally incapable of their posi
tions, men who are easily con
trolled by the political machine.
'These in turn appoint ’cat’s paws’
for local boards, and these lit
turn help select teachers who
will do their bidding. This pro
cedure is carried out in pure dic
tator style without regard to the
rights of our children, our tax
payers, o?‘ the fundamental prin
ciples upon which our govern
ment was founded.
A truly educated man does not
disregard or look down upon a
man because he does not have an
education nor boast of his own
attainments. On the other hand,
any man who assumes a position
of trust in the school, for which
he is not educationally and, oth
erwise qualified and then uses
this position for political purpos
es to the detriment of Innocent
children deserves the condemna
tion of all decent people. From an
educational standpoint, to say the
least, it' is evident that not ail
of our school officials are repre
sentative of the people of Wilkes
County. Of course the State is
Democratic and if all members of
the school board, central commit
tee and local committees have to
be Democrats, why not give ns
men of education, men who are
sober, moral, ethical, religious,
and with a social vision. There
are enough Democrats (not New
Dealers) with these qualifica
tions to fill these school position*
In this countFv On the other hand,
this is a Republican county. Re
publicans pay the bulk .of the tax
es and supply the majority of
the children jfor the schools. If
we have any regard for the basic
author of four.'took* . and
I more than sixty sflicles,
^e repoftr and review*. I hare
epent tixUte r«te» letehiag in
Soiiie of tho heat unlrotMtite; ’lo
th«’United St«te*>.ln other words,
1 feel that l am. better
iqinUiffed to.,renddfviteT»i9i tq.it^
*9to^ and thu» to the chlldreh
of tlMH^Smnnty thi^' my oppoiv-
^%,:,been.re^:.:^l
hare Stftli'at I walv^Dlj^teq™^
in tegard to the school gltoatldn
in Wilkes, and had I
x'octly informed I wonld notJwre
participated. in the school tight.
Such 1# absolutely false, and had
I to go through with these mass
meetings, etc. again, I wonld
znaJce a guprem© effort io do oren
more than. I did. I was one of the
several h»ndred who pledged
themselves to continue this light
until condlitons are remedied snd
as such I remain. I am uitterly
opposed to levying a tribute or
assessment upon teachers for any
political purpose whatsoever. I
am In favor of employing teach
ers who are moral, ethical,
thoroughly trained and well
qualified regardless of political or
religions affiliations'. I am op-
poeed to selecting committeemen
for political reasons, and expect
to continue to fight to have men
on our Board of Education, Cen
tral Committee, and local com
mittees who are educationally
competent, softer, moral, and
who have put the welfare of our
schools and children above any
political Interest. I favor the
teaching of agriculture, domestic
science, and commercial courses
In all of our high schools. In
.brief, we need to divorce our
schools from poHtlcs,. we need
better educated and otherwise
equipped teachers, and those
with a vision of future possihlli-
tles. We need men and women on
our boarils and committees who
Troop 35 Conducting
Splendid Ticket Sale
As sponsors of the show “An
Angel 'From Texas.” at the Or-
Locitl Men Will
Enter BusineM
In Statesville
Charles Jenkins, Jr., and Wade
phenm Theatre, Tuesday, July Barlow, of this city, have taken
19, they are working bard
make >.iti a big success.
The Scoutmaster of Troop 36
feels that you cannot spend the
small sum these boys ask for a went to Statasville today to make
and who'have enough education
to see th© needs of a local and
and world irelatlo®*^!!*, and men
sufficiently educated and inform
ed to direct the educational, re
ligious, and social forces so that
Qur children will have a more
to develop.
H. G. DUNCAN.
Wllkesboro, N. C.
an’B College of the University of
North Carolina, Greensboro; and
Salom Rlzk, a young foreign-born
American citizen who is known
as “the Syrian Yankee.”
The five days of education and
fun will cost each club member
$5.50, which will include regls-
Do you want to know how to (ggg^ a room In a college
keep your old hens in egg pro- ... ,1...
dormitory, and all meals in the
college cafeteria.
The annual State 4-H Health
„c.., contest, culminating in the
poultry specialist of N. C. State the king and queen
i-v^tiAA.A fsxo/lincr nf a ....
duction during the hot summer
months?
Well, C. F. Parrish, Ecctension
of
College, says the feeding of a
moist mash at noon each day will
help to Increase summer egg pro
duction. He recommends that
three pounds of dry. mash be
moistened with milk or water and
fed to each 100 birds. “As soon
as the birds finish eating, turn
the mash troughs over so that
flies will not congregate in the
laying house,’’ he says.
The poultry specialist also foods contest,
vises the supplying of 4 to 5 pal-
of cool, fresh water each
J. C. Walla^'In ,
New Oi^^oe
nv uatt) auf rcsai u lui vu7 J, C. 'WallSCS, OB* 6f the OMMt
principles upon which our gov- widely known justtces of /toe
erhinent is founded, there is nO' pence la toto sMtlOBi, Juts
— earthly reason why Bepoblicans hig o|Hte ffom-b. A M. SBeet^
Of the Board of Education foe niseiR^t.'aot be at least eqfjkUy rep^ company bnHdinc on 0 street-to
amv 'niillfftil ■ Is* e_ auIa wap a
any personal aggrandisement or
jRWird for ^ . ^
I-1 ■
rww w» m m w ^wywysM^ wBonBO—^ wree
in Mbol maOef* in this, reoms piP
A. -# -a 1 jiatVi '
Old Hens Need Moist
Mash At Noon Daily
l&tr 4 nqsSei tnOwny, biina ter toe pest» years, le nsel to test afl aj#Hrsnto ter ■sierjm«i*i
Cto*ainN|. OMe, street raOWny* The nseiel raSway Is wi attel repHen-ef-etelHItes the nen
the etty^s streets. Lett: A tost to anie M'Ayjllcsnt WHItoai Mprayto wettoa. dWitoi Aeei
■eerebeeti. Iterniy ased “peer jpfgmne*- to yennlttlag totoV'etteh."
Bute deretaad’s streeta the safarl to tha eetetry.
a» jpto tost
to over Vance Motor company in
Statesville, Bnick dealer, and will
operate the business.
Messrs^ Jenkins and Barlow
better purpose.
They are planning a weeks
camping trip to Lake Wacaman.”
But to do so they must raise
funds tbi'ougb public subscrip
tion.
’These boys ask you to see a
good show, instead of a donation.
This is a part of their youthful
training, so encourage, and help
them succeed.
4*H Short Course
Opens At N. C.
State On July 22
’Twelve hundred rural boys and
girls, representing the • 60,000
members of the 1,500 4-H Clubs
in the State, will gather at N. C.
State College on Monday,
July
our DoaniB au« 22, for their annual State Short
ara sonnd menUlly-and morally course. Th«T spend a week
il" theVollew in study and recre
ation and In receiving inspiration
to see me bbbud » - — = — —
county situation in its national to take back to their local clubs.
Among the speakers they will
hear during the week are; Gov
ernor Clyde R. Hoey; Dr. Clar
ence Poe, editor of the Progress
ive Farmer; Dr. W. C. Jackson,
QUr CfliIU*CU vrai* uv..- - ..w , .
wholesome environment in which administrative dean of the Wom-
health In colorful ceremonies
will be one of the features of the
program. Three dairy contests
will be held, with the winning
teams In each receiving a free
trip to the National Dairy Show
to be held In Pennsylvania in
October. County teams of boys
will compete In dairy production
land dairy cattle judging contests,
and girls’ teams will compete in
tons
day for each 100 birds, and
sufficient number of fountains so
that there will not ba any crowd
ing around the drinking founts.
“Remember,” he says, “two-
thirds of each egg is water and
hens can’t produce eggs If the
drinking fountain is dry. Then
too, you can get 13 cents for
water when selling eggs at .lO
cents per dozen. Therefore, pro
vide plenty of fresh, clean water
at all timee.” .
Parrish also recommends that
poultry raisers check carefully at
this season of the year for lice
and mites. If mites are found
old burnt cylinder oil or kerosene
should be spread over the roost
ing poles. .Rodium flpurlde, eith
er as.a'dust or a dip, is snggeslad
for the control of lice. However,
lice can ibe contro'led by palming
the roosts with nicotine snl-phate
or some commercial preparation.
“Just keep this in ml“d,? the
spedailst a^rted,
son who makes a summer profit
from poultry is the pwson who
keepa the flock as comfortable, as
poaslble."
A Citizenship Ceremony will he
held following Salom Risk’s ad
dress on Thursday morning.
L. R. Harrill, State 4-H Club
leader, and Miss Frances Mac
Gregor, .walstant State ’eader, are
co-dIrectors of the Short Course.
New Quarter# For
Body Repair Work
Yadkin Valley -Motor Co. has
secured the -building vacated by
Barber’s Garage, on Gordon Ave
nue, and will combine the depart
ments formerly operated for body
and fender repair work and auto
painting.
The change, operating all three
departments under one roof, will
effect considerable'advantages. In
the menatime giving more room
for general repair work at the
Ford work shops. If you own a
car that needs any body or fender
work, or paint job, call 60 and
Mr. A- E. Rhoades, manager, of
toe ntiw combined department,
will give you prompt seryjee at
reasonable prices.
’ gPECIAL — ChlWwn’s Wash
Dteaoee warn on sale. The gayem,
mo^ ^amofwis yoong dream in
yeteB. Amaxtei^, low prIepA A
gtorfoBs otrittecttoo of
fine qiuaty cettm prtata, ahaa-
ton^ ROFHbb, ete. Newest styles,
wide flares^ dainty eotlarn. A Mg
fMtetr dtowt siylei .ter yowr
tf M stnati styles Mr ymn;
sii late, ter Gen*.
final arrangements pending the
transfer and operation of the bus
iness, .wbiqh will continue under
the name ol Vance Motor com
pany. Mr. Barlow will sipend his
full time with the firm and Mr.
Jenkins will dlride his time be
tween' that firm and his business
interests here.
.Mr. Barlow is wen and favor
ably known in Wilkes, having
been service manager tor Gaddy
Motor company for the past sev
eral years. For the present be
will continue to make his home
north of this city in the Mulberry
community.
TERRACING
Demands for terracing have
become far greater than the vol
ume of work the Lincoln County
terracing.unit can handle, reports
Assistant Farm Agent J. W. Web
ster.
Junibr Ordo^ To
Install Officers^
Tuesday Nilff
Officers for lb* ensBing shf
months will be tiwtaUed |U
meeting of • North Wilke
council of the Junior' order to
held.bn ’Tueeday evening, 7:80-
There will also be degree work
and attendancei of every member
of the degree teem is urgently re-
qosated Brery meateer is asked
to be preeent and vtoiUng Jeniora
will be welcome. RefrMhraents
will be served following the meet-
Ihg.
cmcKs
Approximately 97 per cent of
the day-old chicks placed with
4-H Club members of Polk coun
ty this year are living and grow
ing nicely, report Assistant Fitrm
Agent S. H. Dobson.
BALE—Entire ftock of ladies'
rammer hate. Oiarmlng feeture-
flatterin^ hats. Summer’s best
sellers. Priced for a quick and
.complete closeout. Straws, braids
and felts; wide and narrow brira.s.
Regalar $1.00 and $1.95 values,
now 10c, 26c and 48c.—’Tber
Goodwill Store, “’The Place for
Bary;ains.’’
WANTED!
100 llSEO CARS
DO YOU OWN ONE?
There are hundreds of Good Used Cars in this
section, and we are seeking to contact the own
ers. If you own one, KEEP READING! /
’ V '
Any Make or Model
Can Be Handled
We have conib'ned our body, fender and paint
ing departments under one roof, and now occu
py the building formerly used by Joe Barber’s
Garage, on Gordon Avenue, at rear of Rexall
Drug store), w« in. position to offer
you the very, best service on all body and fender
repair work, and highest quality auto painting,
at prices that will enable you to get new cat ap
pearance from your old car at minimum cost.
If you intend to trade, it will pay you to get your
car in f.rst-class condition before offering it, .A
little repair on the body, upholstering, fend««, 
and a good paint job will BOOST toe valtiR on.
the used car marke|t when you are ready to
trade.
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