The Carolina Journal October 23, 1968 Page 3
Oh
Yeah
by F.N. Stewart
“Politicos —’68”
Follow The Fall
It began to rain twenty minutes after the nine of us in four cars
pulled out of the University parking lot. It rained for the next twelve
hours straight. During that twelve hours we drove to Wiseman’s
View, pitched two tents, ate supper, and managed to get a few hours
sleep.
It is approximately 120 miles to Wiseman’s View, which is outside
of linville Falls, North CaroUna. It would normally take two and a
half hours to drive that distance. In the rain it took the four cars
nearly four hours. Althought that accounts for the twenty minutes
the nine of us spent wandering thru a grocery store buying nearly
twenty-four dollars worth of food. The name of the store is Food
Land and it advertised North Carolina’s “Lowest Food Prices.” We
told the cashier that we shopped there because of the sign. They
may change the sign. We stopped again ten minutes later for Mike to
get a hamburger because he couldn’t wait for supper, we also got ice
for the coolers. This stop took another twenty minutes. Ten minutes
later, we stopped again and went into Charlie’s Army and Navy
Surplus Store. The small framed middle aged woman, \^o was not
Charhe, paniced at the sight of so many potential shop lifters. We
bought several ponchos, one rain coat, some paints, and I got a hat
to keep the now heavily falling rain off of my head.
As we drove into the mountains the clouds descended. And you
might say that we were in the clouds for the rest of the night. We
thought that we were in the clouds because the rain didn’t seem to
be falling but just constantly there. The road into Wiseman’s View is
gravel and single lane and running along the ridge of the mountain
and was covered with clouds so that the headlights penetrated only
thirty feet. There are very few stretches in the road, over the four
miles or so, that are straieht for thirty feet.
More Rain Time
Having reached the View, we put up a tarp between four trees.
Now we had a place to stand out of the rain. Next we attempted to
set up a ten-man tent. I had watched that tent go up several times
before so I knew more about it than anyone else did. I knew nothing
about setting up a ten-man tent. An hour and several thousand
gallons of rain water later we gave up and tied the tent up to several
trees and one car. Then we attempted to put up a six-man tent. A
half an hour later we gave up on that and tied it up to some trees.
Supper consisted of soggy sandwiches and hot coffee and booze.
More of the latter than any of the former. It was mixed with rain
water, except for that which was drunk straight. The sleeping bags
and blankets were pulled out of the cars and toted thru the rain into
the tents. Several guitars were also carried inside and for a couple of
hours the rain kept the beat for the music and singing inside the
tent.
By one o’clock the number of the ranks had grown to thirteen.
Also the big ten-man tent began to leak over my sleeping bag and
over several others. By three o’clock the six-man tent had two inches
of water on the floor. The occupants deserted the tent and moved to
the cars. At four o’clock Mike Combs went into the woods to find
the bathroom. At four thirty those in the ten-man tent was
awakened by Mike calling from the woods, because he was lost and
couldn’t find the tent. Mike was not really aware that he was
barefooted, soaked to the bone and standing ten feet from a two
thousand foot drop off. I flashed my light from the door of the tent
in the direction from which his voice was coming. Mike saw the
light, walked to the tent, and was given some blankets and the
flashlight,we told him to sleeo with Billuos in the car.
Saturday Mornine
Saturday morning the clouds went away. The rain now was a
drizzle, and we discovered we had camped over night in an area
which carried a $500 fine for camping overnight. We had breakfast -
eggs, bacon, coffe, and booze. Much more of the former than of the
latter. Then we moved the tents.
By two o’clock Saturday, the ranks were up to twenty people.
Several of the girls started preparing the barbecued chicken which
would be supper. The guys were in the woods, either hunting or
chopping up a log. It took eight guys four hours, with one axe which
had a loose head, to chop up that log for firewood.
Also, by two o’clock the sun was shining in a bright blue sky and
the autumn fohage, still glistening with rain water, sparkled across
the mountains. The blue haze in the distance lent an air of
enchantment to the rainbow-colored hillsides. The rain had stopped
for good, and the rest of the weekend was to be beautiful.
The fire finally started, and the woods soon filled with the smell
of woodsmoke as a cool afternoon wind began to blow. The chicken,
which had been wrapped in soil, cooked over the coals was delicious.
We had pitched three tents, a four-man, a six-man and the
ten-man tent, by late afternoon. The wind was really blowing by
now. It was about dark when a sergeant from a Special Forces unit,
which was having maneuvers on the mountain, came to tell us that
he had received word from his headquarters that hurricane Gladys
was going to be pushing over the mountain at better than fifty
knots. The people in the four-man tent started packing to go home.
The wind blew even harder, and they decided not to go.
Several of us decided to walk back down to the View to shoot off
some small skyrockets. A small accident occurred, and about fifty
skyrockets started spewing on the ground. Everyone ran, except one
guy who was lying on the ground next to the fireworks. The rockets
started going in all directions, several nearly went up his pants leg.
The wind turned cold,and the fire glowed upon the faces of those
sitting around it. Once again the guitars were brought out, and those
who could began to sing. One guy playing a flute was nearly blown
out of his tree...
The conversation in the tents continued until well past midnight.
The late sleepers on Sunday awoke to the smell of eggs and bacon
and a cold morning. We cleared catpp by one o’clock and began the
Sunday afternoon drive to Charlotte.
ROCKY COULD HAVE
DOOMED GOP
an editorial by William G. Allen
in this election year - 1968, the
public opinion polls have been
notoriously inaccurate and
ambiguous. On July 28, 1968,
Gallop Poll announced that
former Vice President Richard
Nixon could defeat any
Democratic opposition. Yet, on
the following day, Harris Poll
announced that Governor Nelson
Rockefeller of New York could
defeat any Democratic opponent
with a clear margin where Nixon
was a borderline case. Harris and
Gallop got together and resolved
their conflicting reports by saying
that Rocky had overtaken Nixon
after the Gallop Poll was released.
What did all this polling really
mean? Very little! In past
elections, polls have been very
helpful, but not in this one. The
polls have only superficially taken
into account the strength of all
the parties and groups involved in
this election. Actually, it is not
possible for sentiments to be
accurately measured in this
election year, without the use of
lie-detector tests. This evidence
was most clear in the polling of
support for former Vice President
Richard Nixon and former
Governor of Alabama, George
Wallace.
Throughout Nixon’s campaign
for the Republican nomination
for President of the United States,
: he consistently ran about 10%
: ahead of the polls in every
; primary. He evidently had support
: from many people who showed
; their colors only by secret ballot.
: Perhaps these people did not care
; to openly back a man who had
• been publicly stigmatized as a
: loser, even though they believed
; him to be the best man for the
; job. The point is even clearer in
: the case of George Wallace.
; Ponder - who would publicly
: admit that they might vote for a
• man who had been cast by the
■ press and both major political
: parties: leaders as a political leper,
• an undesirable, and a demagogue -
: even though they harbor a secret,
■ but deep-seated disgust for the
j laxness of the courts, and the lack
: of integrity and the credibility of
politicians. These voters can not
be polled, but will uncloak
themselves only inside the voting
booth. The Wallace swell grows
every eighteen seconds when some
citizen falls prey to an assault - or
every fifty-eight minutes when a
new murder is committed.
Needless to say. between now
and November, every “Cleveland
Incident” will recruit hundreds of
thousands of voters into tliis
“silent group”. Wallace’s stand
against the liberal courts, against
rioters, against crime in the
streets, and against Communist
sympathizers, has support that
cannot be measured by a poll.
Wliy? Because polls rely upon
objective and forthright answers
in a system where it is not
respectable to associate with a
candidate who represents such
radical policies as nationalism, less
federal control, less socialism, and
war on criminals.
What will the potential Wallace
votes mean? Presently they mean
very little, but had Nelson
Rockefeller won the Republican
nomination, it is very possible
that the conservative wing of the
party would have voted for
Wallace in November, thereby,
probably electing Hubert
Humphrey as the next President
of the United States. Until August
7, 1968, the evening of the
Republican nomination.
Rockefeller had been celebrated
as a “winner” - never having lost
anything. This was simply a myth.
When Rockefeller failed to win
the 1968 Republican nomination
for President, it was not the first
time that his own party had voted
him down - it was the third. If he
could not even unite his own
party, one wonders how he could
realistically expect victory over
the awesome power of an
ncumbent administration and the
Democratic Party in November.
Perhaps Rockefeller could have
won some independent votes, but
the same polls say that Nixon
could have attracted as many or
more. Rocky might even have
won-over some dissident
Democrats, but he surely would
have lost the already tottering
South, and many Conservatives of
his own party (who could not
forgive him for 1964), as well as
tire Presidential election itself.
Nixon was the only Republican
who could hold the party
together, defeat Wallace in most
Southern states, and win the
Presidential election in 1968.
Accordg to Gallup Poll, Nixon
had the strong support of at least
seventy-five per cent of the
Republican rank and file. This
kind of party support is a
prerequisite for unity and victory.
Nixon’s tremendous backlog of
executive experience, extensive
travel, party popularity. Southern
and Western popularity, and
appeal to Independents and
Dissident Democrats, singled him
out as the only Stabilizer, and the
only key to a Republican victory
in 1968.
William G. Allen
Intramurals
By Rod White
The Gladiators massacred the
Engineers twenty-four to zip
Wednesday afternoon. The
Engineers, captained by Louie
Thorn, were unable to mount an
effective attack and made the
crucial mistake of putting the ball
up for grabs several times too
often. David Cory picked off five
of the Engineer’s passes, setting
up several potential TD’s and
[scoring one. Besides being a key
factor in the defensive secondary,
JCory passed for the majority of
yardage which was gained by the
Gladiators. Martin Lucas and
Deral Robinson also scored for
the Gladiators.
Both teams had trouble with
ff penalties as the players and
'■ officials could not agree upon
what was illegal, in fact, after the
score began to mount, the most
interesting part of the game was
the arguments between players
and officials, officials and players,
and spectators and officials.
Unnecessary roughness was one
of the penalties called several
times as tempers began to flare;
however, when the gun sounded,
everyone walked off the field as
friends.
,4nrels, .\cI'm»h.s, and Twrdve
From The Couch
by Phil Wilson
Dear Phil,
I am a Charter menber of a
X Club on Campus (a few
qualifications being blond hair,
blue eyes and[ a few others we
X both know but won’t mention.)
Now that I am married 1
X understand that I might be in
danger of being excommunicated
from this club. Personally 1 feel
that my being married warrants
my being promoted to the
X position of Arch-
V Since you are a charte;-memberof
this club also, 1 am asking for your
X opinion in this crucial situation.
Seeking Arch
• Dwayne
y Dear Dwayne,
Fear no more. The Angel Corps
had a meeting Saturday night.
Following a short caucus, it was
X decided that, although your
position is slightly tarnished by
$ marriage, you are still acceptable
X as an Angel.
However, your status is still
hanging loose. I have been
promoted to Angel No.l, with
Pete and John quarreling for
positions two and three. Our
esteemed leader. Dr. J. R., will
have to pass judgement on your
Angel order soon.
Personally, since you and
Becky are providing the Corps’
ifirst mascot, I think you deserve
Arch-angelity. But, to go against
orders from His Holiness Dr. J. R.
might endanger my own status.
I’ll make the recomendation to
the Angels immediately!
Dear Phil,
I’m beginning to get confused
about the secret organizations on
campus. Everytime I think that I
know what’s going on, anotner
cult springs up. 1 Presently have
questions about two that I have
heard of in the past week—
Action and the Derby Dozen.
What types of organizations are
those and how can somebody get
into them?
J. O. G.
Dear J.O.G.,
This is hard question to answer!
The Derby Dozen is a secret
organization that popped up last
year. It has been realatively
inactive as far as campus affairs
are concerned. Yet, the name
always appears mysteriously in
strange places. For example, they
painted the bell last year, and in
the middle of the red paint were
two big D’s. Unfortunately, there
is no way of knowing how to get
into this organization — in fact
there is no way of knowing who
IS in it!. So, don’t bother to try
to figure it out- nobody else
seems to know what or who this
mischievous group is.
Action is also-a relatively new
organization. The name implies its
function, and it seems to be a
thriving “cult.” Although we
haven’t heard from;themthis year,
1 feel sure they have plans for the
campus. Action is not really a
secret organization, and they
usually have a finger in the pies.
So far as I know, there is no
discrimination about membership.
If you want in, just attend one of
their meetings and apply— I’m
not sure, however, how much
more I’m allowed to say about
Action- I have a fear of law suits.