PAGE TWO
THE FRANKLIN PRESS and THE HIGHLANDS BACONIAN
THURSDAY, JAN. 24, 1935
Cause and Effect
by A. B.
tit fratticlin
and
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone No. 24
VOL. XLIX Number 4
BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C, as second class matter
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Obituary notices, cards of thanks, tributes of respect, by individuals,
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tising and inserted at regular classified advertising rates. Such notices
will be marked "adv." in compliance with the postal regulations.
Election Aftermath
THE question of issuing water and sewer improvement
bonds has been answered with an emphatic "NO" by
tne voters of Franklin, but the problems wnich evoked
the question are still clamoring for solution.
There is no gainsaying that the community's water
and sewerage facilities are inadequate for present de
mands, to say nothing of future needs. What is to be
done to correct tnis situation? We can get by with
present sewage disposal means for a few years perhaps,
but action should be taken immediately to incrtase the
water supply. For upon this will depend not only public
assurance oi an ample year round supply of that most
necessary element, water, but also this community's chances
of obtaining a large cannery and cooperative marketing
organization which should mean an increase .of many
thousands of dollars in the income of both the county
and town. Officials of the Tennessee Valley Associated
Cooperatives have declared that they must be assured of
a plentiful water supply before they can locate the can
nery in Franklin. They have estimated the cannery will
need forty to fifty thousand gallons of water a day.
Franklin cannot afford to miss this opportunity of
obtaining an industry wnich not only would furnish em
ployment to upwards of a hundred persons but would
also supply an outlet for produce raised on the farms of
the county. We hope the town board will see fit to guar
antee a sufficient amount of water for the cannery even
though it should be necessary at times to curtail other
requirements.
Various suggestions have been made as to how the
water .supply can be increased without a heavy capital
outlay as proposed in connection with the defeated bond
issue. Some have suggested that a new well be drilled,
while others have expressed the opinion that the flow of
the two wells now being used might be increased by drill
ing deeper or by exploding charges of dynamite in the
wells. We do not know what course would be the best
to pursue, but in any event we hope the town authorities
will investigate all possible mean's immediately and then
take some action to obtain more water.
Last summer was a wet season in this section and
there was no serious shortage of water, although the stor
age supply did run so low on several occasions that auto
mobile service stations were instructed not to draw town
water for washing automobiles. Should we experience a
drought next summer, we might not fare so well. Fur
thermore, an ample water reserve should be kept on hand
at all times as a safeguard against a disastrous fire.
A Fine Sendee
NOW the folks back home can keep track of what the
boys are doing in the Legislature. No longer need
they be uneasy le,st some legislation not to their liking
be enacted without them knowing anything about it until
the Assembly has adjourned and the law books have been
printed.
Hawk-eyed newspaper correspondents have usually
kept the public well posted on important statewide legis
lative measures, but they haven't had time enough be
tween drinks, to say nothing of sufficient space in their
papers, to tell about all the thousand and one local meas
ures which, perhaps, interest us most. So the folks back
home, especially county and town officials, have always
worried more or less when the Assembly was in session
for fear something might or might not happen and they
would not know of it until it was too late to do anything
about it.
But now thanks to a legislative reporting service in
augurated by the Institute of Government. we can keep
informed on even the most trivial local bill. The Insti
tute, fostered by the state University, is sending to local
public officials and newspapers a weekly letter recording
the course of local laws, and a semi-weekly letter re
porting the progress of all state-Wide measures affecting
counties, cities and towns.
It is a fine service the Institute of Government has
undertaken. In a democratic government the people
should know how their elected officials, especially their
legislative representatives, are discharging their duties.
And it has been our observation that most public officials
will be more interested in their constituencies and more
diligent in their duties if they know that the people know
what they are doing.
By the work one knows the workman. La Fontaine.
Two more store robberies in Franklin this week.
Wouldn't it be a fine time for a burglar alarm salesman
to come along.
MOTOR ACCIDENTS
1934
36,000 KILLED
300,000 INJURED
THROUGH
CAPITAL
KEYHOLES
BY BESS HINTON SILVER
THREATENING
If former Lieutenant Governor R.
T. Fountain, ot Rocky Mount, does
n't seek to snatch the toga now
sported by Senator Josiah W. Bail
ey, Raleigh, next year, a lot of
people who help support pillars
around the State Capitol will be
very much surprised. Mr. Foun
tain's actions have been interpreted
as those of a candidate for a year
or more but in Raleigh recently he
was asked directly if he intended to
run for nomination to the Eastern
Senate seat. "I am seriously con
sidering it," Fountain replied and
that is considered something in the
nature of a direct reply from a
man who never has been prone to
tell other people what he intends to
do.
WISE EGG-
Lieutenant Governor A. H. Gra
ham is reputed to know his way
around in the world of politics and
his Senate committee appointments
seem to justify that estimate. Ex
amination of senate appointments
will reveal that every member of
the Upper House has berths on
several important committees and
the new members seem particularly
pleased. If Mr. Graham really in
tends to run for the Democratic
nomination for Governor in 1936,
it is a safe bet that his committee
assignments have not hurt his
chances.
plum to some man more partisan to
his own cause but he chose the
Assistant Attorney General for the
post. It is considered gracious
here, to say the least.
BOOZE-
Liquor frills may come and liquor
bills may go but if one passes the
present session of the Legislature
a lot of the old time prognosticat
ors will be discredited. Some mem
bers of the General Assembly, in
cluding some former "Drys" are all
hot and bothered about liberalizing
the Turlington "bonedry" Act. But
if the boys who claim to have
questioned the membership can be
depended upon, there is but little
chance of legal liquor following this
session. Stronger beer has better
chances.
LIFE AND LIMB
The mounting toll of death and
injury resulting from automobile
accidents has resulted in introduc
tion of almost 57 varieties of bills
to license auto drivers and provide
other means of highway safety.
These bills probably will go through
the melting pot of roads committees
and come out in the form of com
mittee substitutes embodying what
members of the two roads commit
tees consider their best features.
From all indications the present
General Assembly is going to pass
some sort of law to license all gas
wagon drivers.
BOWS TO ENEMY
In the appointment of A. A. F.
Seawell as Attorney General to suc
ceed the late Dennis G. Brummitt,
Governor Ehringhaus considers that
he is brushing aside politics to rec
ognize the service of an able public
servant.' Mr. Brummitt was not
always friendly to the administra
tion and Mr. Seawell often sided
with his chief. The Governor might
have given this exceedingly fat
MONEY-MONEY
Various and sundry factions have
announced intention of seeking to
get' the General Assembly to use
money collected from gasoline and
auto license taxes to support their
favorite activities. On the other
hand, the folks back home want
their roads repaired and are mak
ing their opinions known in no un
certain terms. ' As one North Caro
lina editor puts it, "the battle is
on between schools and roads." It's
going to be a lively scrap with the
farmer on the bumpy road standing
a good chance to lose his repairs.
WANT SPEED-
Finance and appropriations com
mittees of the House and Senate
are agreed that speed is essential
in consideration of the two money
bills. But as the groups got started
on deliberations, much difference of
opinion was manifest and indica
tions are that the seas may not run
smooth throughout the entire ses
sion. Dr. Ralph McDonald, Rep
resentative from Forsyth, Franklin
county, W. L. Lumpkin and Sena
tor J. T. Burruss, of Guilford, are
not the only members opposed to
the sales tax recommended for re
enactment by the administration to
meet the needs of public schools.
The boys are yet a considerable
distance from port.
UNCERTAIN
While Congressman R. L. Dough
ton holds his peace on his decision
"'to run or not to run" for Gover
nor in 1936', the grapevine brings
varying reports from the national
capitol and Sparta, the Congress
man's home. Friends of the other
two potential candidates, Lieuten
ant Governor A. H. Graham and
Clyde R. Hoey, say that their final
decision will not be influenced by
Mr. Dough ton's course. .
are that the session will be much
shorter. Factional divisions are not
so manifest as in the two former
sessions and the members seem to
be of a common will to finish their
jobs and get back home.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Under terms of a bill introduced
in the House by former. Congress
man Charles A. Jonas, Republican
member from Lincoln, Superior
Judges would be empowered to im
pose life imprisonment sentences in
first degree convictions of capital
crimes instead of the present man
datory death sentence. This power
would be limited to cases where the
jury recommends mercy. There is
considerable judicial and legal opin
ion that mandatory sentences of
any sort do not tend to further the
ends of justice in the long-run.
GUARDS GAME
Senator Carl L. Bailey, of Wash
ington county, was named chairman
of the committee on Conservation
and Development at the insistence
of conservationists. He fought for
uniform game laws in 1933 and so
far this session has been the watch
dog to rout out innocent looking
bills which in effect would give in
dividual counties their own hunting
seasons.
Public Opinion
GOOD SPIRIT-
While it is entirely possible that
this General Assembly may upset
records for duration established two
and four years ago, indications now
DESERVED APPRECIATION
FOR BYARD ANGEL
Dear Editor:
The Press came this morning and
I started my usual weekly perusal
of its pages, reading the locals and
bits of news here and there.
Shortly I ran across the article
"A Lost Vision" by my friend Mr.
B. M., Angel. 1 thorughly enjoyed
reading this. It fairly breathes the
atmosphere of that section some
years ago. Things have changed
though now. What sixteen year
old girl today would hesitate to
walk alone past ax group of work
ers wrecking a building?
Without any reflection whatso
ever upon you or any other writer
or contributor to The Press, but
rather with kindest feelings to all,
let me say I would rather read
that article by Byard Angel than
any contribution I have seen in The
Press in several years.
VI always enjoy Mr. Angel's ar
ticles. I am far from agreeing
with everything he has written. But
the keenness of his intellect and
the charm of his wit makes him
an interesting writer on most any
subject. Would like to see him
a more regular contributor to The
Press on similar subjects.
Respectfully yours
R. M. PEEK.
2113 Commonwealth Ave
Charlotte, N. C.
Jan. 19, 1935.