PAGE TWO
THE FRANKLIN PRESS and THE HIGHLANDS MACON IAN
THURSDAY, SEPT. f. 1934
Down From the Stratosphere by A. B. Chapfo
Cite JJijItkttite Jttatmtratt
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone No. 24
VOL. XLIX Number 36
BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON ...EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C, as second class matter
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Troops Justified
GOVERNOR Ehringhaus followed the only sane
and sensible course open to him in directing Ad
jutant General J. Van B. Metis to call out state troops
where necessary to curb lawless activities of striking
union textile workers.
Regardless of the grievances of the strikers, there
is absolutely no excuse for the manner in which
they have undertaken to achieve their ends. Their
right to peaceful picketing has been upheld, but their
tactics have been anything but peaceful. So-called
"flying squadrons" have gone up and down the state
intimidating workers who desired to remain at their
spindles and looms, provoking violence and endanger
ing the safety of life and property. Under no stretch
of the imagination could this be called "peaceful pick
eting." The governor first warned strike leaders that their
activities must be kept within the law, but the depre
dations of the "flying squadrons" continued, indicat
ing either that the strike had gotten beyond the con
trol of the union leaders or else these men were in
sincere in their pretensions of law observance. It was
then that the state's chief executive rightly declared
that "the power of the state has been definitely chal
lenged" and directed the use of militia.
Doubtless, union leaders will set up a cry of "arm
ed intimidation" of strikers, but such a protest will
find little favor with the general public. Very evi
dently, according to reliable news reports, the extent
of the strike when first called did not come up to the
expectations of union agitators. Disappointed in its
effectiveness, strikers resorted to force to cause other
mill workers to leave their jobs. Such tactics not on
ly will defeat the immediate purpose of the strikers,
but will bring disrepute on organized labor in general.
The principle of collective bargaining is too well
established to dispute, and rightly so ; but the unions
must learn the difference between persuasion and in
timidation before they can stand in public favor,
without which their purposes are doomed to failure.
Recovery Depends on Banking
I
N a news story last week
ed former Governor Hardwick of Georgia as say
ing:
"With the restoration of normal banking condi
tions, this country should again enjoy normal busi
ness conditions."
In that statement we heartily agree. Millions up
on millions of dollars are tied up in banks, large and
small, all the way from Main street to Wall street.
Instead of lending money in the regular business chan
nels, the bankers prefer to buy government bonds,
yielding low but safe interest rates. At the same
time they are wont to criticize Uncle Sam for his
policies of extending credit to farmers, home owners
and various commercial organizations, declaring ithat
the government is usurping their field.
Until the banks assume the responsibility of their
positions, Uncle Sam probably will continue its pol
icies of creating credit. But this will not likely last
forever. The saturation point is bound to come, and,
we predict, it is not long in the offing. Banks can't
pay dividends unless they make money and their chief
source of making money is lending money. The yield
on government bonds has been growing steadily
smaller. Then, too, public opinion against increasing
public indebtedness by additional bond issues for this
and for that has been increasing. The time is coming
when bankers will seek to put their deposits out at
six per cent on legitimate loans rather than buying
bonds and allowing a large part of their deposits to
remain idle in the vault. It will be a good thing for
the country when this comes to pass, but we hope
the bankers have learned the difference between com
mercial loans and speculative loans.
The Press-Maconian quot
THROUGH
CAPITAL
KEYHOLES
BY BESS H1NTON SILVER
STATE AUDITOR
Bookkeepers may come and book
keepers may go but State Audi
tor Baxter Durham is not a
Certified Public Accountant. That
fact, long common - knowledge
back-stage in Raleigh politics
brought exclamations of surprise
at the recent Raleigh meeting of
the State Democratic Executive
Committee where there was a
rumor afloat that George Adams,
now with the Local Government
Commission, is sounding the waters
with a view to unhorsing Mr. Dur
ham in the jolly primaries of 1936.
Adams recently declined the posi
tion of aduitor of the City of Ral
eigh and you may not know that
his present duties carry him into
every county in the State. Friends
of Mr. Adams are missing no tricks
in letting it be known that he is a
C. P. A. and making notes of the
fact that Mr. Durham has been on
the public payrolls for a quarter
century.
LOOKING AHEAD
Much has been said and not a
little done about who will be the
next Governor of North Carolina
but some folks are far ahead of
that. Long visioned men in poli
tics are already pondering who will
be Governor in 1940 when the hon
or will return to the East. Al
though a lot of dust will blow
down the secondary roads of North
Carolina before that time there is
no question that State Treasurer
Charles M. Johnson is being groom
ed for a gubernatorial candidate in
the year that President Roosevelt
will complete his second term.
Watch Mr. Johnson's smoke.
BATCHELORS-
The recent wedding of Assistant
Director of the State Budget, Frank
Dunlap, leaves only three unmar
ried officials among the upper crust
of State officialdom. These eligibles
for blondes and brunettes are : Win,
A. Graham, Commissioner of Agri
culture; Edwin M. Gill, Parole
Commissioner; and A. J. Maxwell,
Commissioner of Revenue. Don't
get excited if the trio is reduced to
a duet since a most persistent ru
mor has one of the three slated for
double harness in the near future.
Mr. Dunlap was married to the
charming Miss Kate Leak, of
Wadesboro.
A BIT NEGATIVE
Former Lieutenant Governor Rich
ard T. Fountain, who made a good
bit unsuccessful sprint for the gu-
bernatorial nomination against Gov
ernor Ehringhaus in 1932 will not
say that he is going to run against
Senator J. W. Bailey in 1936 but
then he will not say that he will
not seek to capture Mr. Bailey's
toga. When last asked for publica
tion if he would run, the enigmatic
Mr. Fountain replied, "I won't say
that I won't." Mr. Fountain is a
business man these days and his
business takes' him over the State
quite often. He is a pastmaster
at mixing business and politics. The
logical conclusion is that while ho
jmay not have decided to run he is
not burning any bridges.
I PII77I INr.
A number of Raleigh politicians
have long prided themselves on
being able to predict what a Gover
nor will do before the Governor
himself knows. Their system has
been simply putting two and two
together and making four. But that
hasn't worked with Governor Eh
ringhaus, especially on appoint
ments and more than one wiseacre
has been put to shame and em
barrassment by publishing predic
tions. Nowadays when a vacancy
occurs in State circles a great sil
ence settles over Raleigh.
JOHN BARLEYCORN-
Although many Raleigh political
writers have freely" predicted that
modification of the State's liquor
laws is a long distance in the fu
ture the Drys smell a mouse and
are not to be caught napping. Cale
K. Burgess, who directed the ditch
ing of repeal in North Carolina
last November, is active again,
writing Drys that money will be
needed to keep the State a Sahara
during the next Legislature.
COUNTER ATTACK
Just a few years ago the office
of Commissioner of Revenue was
made appointive instead of elective
on the pcrmise that this important
position should be' kept free of
politics. Recently the Revenue De
partment has set about the task of
collecting all taxes due the State
and that has not been popular.
Now there is talk of making the
office elective again. One member
of the next Legislature is making
solemn vows to introduce a bill to
make the Revenue Commissioner
run for office. Then the local po
litical big-shots could have more to
say about who receives favors.
STALKING HORSE
Capitol Hill is not taking too se
riously all this talk about State
Senator John Sprunt Hill, of Dur
ham, running for Governor in 1936.
Close friends of Mr. Hill avow that
he harbors no greater political am
bition than to represent his district
in the Legislature but they also
whisper that he would not like to
see Lieutenant Governor A. H. Gra-
ham win the Democratic guberna
torial nomination. You can hear
in some places that Mr. Hill will
run against Mr. Graham just to
split his strength in Durham, Or-
Lange and surrounding counties. Put
this down in your little blue book
Senator Hill has enough 60-cent
dollars and the intestinal fortitude
to run for Governor if the notion
strikes him.
INVITES TROUBLE
Raleigh politicians are of the
opinion that Governor Ehringhaus
throws crumbs in his own bed by
delaying appointments that come
his way. They recall several oc
casions on which the Governor has
postponed naming appointees while
partisans of candidates organized
campaigns that gave His Excellency
little rest. He lost no time in nam
ing a successor to the late Justice
Walter Adams and paying several
political obligations before Justice
Michael Schenck ascended to the
Supreme Court bench. But in fill
ing the vacancy on the Industrial
Commission left open by the resig
nation of Chairman Matt H. Allen
the Governor again took his own
sweet time while lines formed be
hind several candidates for the post.
REAL ISSUE-
The fight over adoption of the
proposed revised constitution for
North Carolina is taking on the
appearance of an administration
and anti-administration battle.
Looking over the list of opponents
you will find the name of Attorney
General Dennis G. Brummitt, R. T.
Fountain, who lost in 1932 guber
natorial scrap and a host of his
supporters. On the other side you
will see administration stalwarts.
One prominent attorney remarks
that it looks like political prejudice
is going to determine the kind of
constitution North Carolina will
have for awhile.
SILENT CAMPAIGNING
You don't hear much about racesv
for Lieutenant Governor until just
a week or two before Primary day
but prospects arc that you will get
some real entertainment out of the
next one. State Senators George
McNeill, of Cumberland, and W. G.
Clark of Edgecombe, both have
been engaged in laying the ground
work of their campaigns for second
high man in the State government.
Both are popular and know po
litical ropes. They have many mu
tual friends and interests and if
they hold to their present inten
tions a lively battle will ensue.
A good furniture polish is made
of equal parts of kerosene, turpen
tine and vinegar.
Use denatured alcohol to remove
tobacco stains from copper or brass
ash trays.