THE FRANKLIN PRESS and THE HIGHLANDS MACON IAN ,
THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 1935
The Royal Road To Romance by A. B. Chapin
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone No. 24
VOL. XLIX Number 10
PAGE TWO
BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON....... EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C, as second class matter
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Why Worry About Petroleum?
WE HAVE been interested in noting the progress which the
Diesel-type engine has been making the past few years. The
Diesel engine differs from the ordinary gas engine in that it does
not require gasoline, but runs on crude oil, or oil only slightly
refined.
Many ships are now propelled by Diesel engines. Successful
airplane engines of the Diesel type have been flown. Now a Diesel
engined automobile has been developed, which has made a speed of
115 miles an hour.
The success thus far in applying this simple and economical
engine to all the uses to which gasoline engines have been put
suggests that we may be facing new technological changes which
will render obsolete a great part of the existing manufacturing
equipment and practice.
The history of scientific research and of the invention which
follows close upon the heels of the scientists, is that a constant
and steady change is going on in every line of human activity all
the time. That is why it seems foolish to put any restraints upon
the free and unhampered development of new ways and new
machines.
This constant change in methods and machines makes us a
trifle unconcerned about the outcry that we must conserve our
petroleum reserves. In the first place, nobody knows what those
reserves are. In the second place, the general use of Diesel engines
will result in a reduction in the amount of oil consumed per engine.
Most important of all considerations, however, is that the Diesel
engine, we understand, doesn't have to have petroleum at all. It
can run just as well on soy-bean oil, for example, or perhaps pea
nut oil. There isn't any limit to the amount of. vegetable oils that
we can produce, if there is a market for them; and if all the pe
troleum were exhausted and a more volatile motor fuel than soy
bean oil were essential, science has already shown the way to
produce alcohol cheaply even from corncobs, while invention has
produced several types of engines that run as well on alcohol as
on gasoline.
Perhaps the ultimate salvation of American agriculture is going
to come through raising motor-fuel on the farm, instead of pump
ing it out of the ground.
Some Ideas On Inflation
WE DO not pretend to be financial or economic experts. But
we hear so much talk about "inflation" that we have gone to
some trouble to find out what the talk all means.
As nearly as we can make out, "inflation" means putting the
value of money down by comparison with the things that money
will buy. It does not necessarily mean printing money with nothing
back of it, as Germany did, nor the free and unlimited coinage of
silver, though that, too, would be inflationary. It means any arti
ficial process of sending prices up.
Well, it appears that we have been gradually going through
a process of inflation for a couple of years now. The devaluation
of the gold dollar, the forcing up of farm prices, the addition of
silver to our monetary system, the increase of bank credits through
Government borrowings all of those are part of the process of
inflation. Almost everybody is feeling the effects of it in rising
prices of things they buy, though not all have yet felt the in
flationary effect upon their incomes.
The next step, the experts tell us, will come about through
the centralization of banking and credit control.
Our expert adviser pointed out that the ones who benefit are
those who have property of any kind bought at the pre-inflationary
price, which they can sell in terms of the cheaper dollars. Also
those who owe money in dollar debts, who will get money with
which to pay more cheaply than they can now. That sounded
reasonable to us. If inflation puts up the price of hogs or of a
day's work, the man with a mortgage or a note in bank won't have
to sell as many hogs or do as much work to pay off his debt.
That's about all we know about inflation, except that the folks
who know more about it than we do say it's going a lot farther
before long.
LETTER
CONFEDERATE VETERANS
INVITED TO CONVENTION
Editor, The Franklin Press:
Three times in the last thirty
years the Confederate reunion has
been held in this city, and it has
been my pleasure through The
Franklin Press to open my house
to all Macon county veterans.
The last Confederate reunion, I
think, should be at Montgomery
The banner was first unfolded there
and taps should echo there the last
time.
Our seven members of the legis
lature and state senator from this
county have been asked to support
an appropriation for expenses for
the last reunion at Montgomery.
Mr. John Arnold (he was my
school teacher 50 years ago) is the
only veteran now living that I am
personally acquainted with in Ma
- PRESS
con county. If he will comej 1
will meet him and all other Macon
county veterans and see that they
are well taken care of at Mont
gomery.
The writer was a veteran, one
of the two that went from High
lands township in 1898, and we
mention with pride that we were
all volunteers; and last August at
Pittsburgh we elected a command
er in chief from Alabama, the second-one
in 28 years from south of
the Mason and Dixon line.
Trusting that all veterans of Ma
con will make special efforts to
come to the Montgomery conven
tion, I promise to be their host
while there.
Yours respectfully,
A. D. McKINNEY
3937 38th Avenue, North,
Birmingham, Ala.
March 4, 1934
THROUGH
CAPITAL
KEYHOLES
BY BESS HINTON SILVER
STEAMING UP
The campaign in behalf of Clyde
R. Hoey, Shelby's silver-tonguer
for the Democratic nomination for
governor next year, is being whip
ped into nice form if the political
stars read true. Mr. Hoey is yet
silent on his decision but the boys
who snoop around learning things
about people addicted to politics
say you need not be surprised if
there is an immediate up-cropping
of Hoey-for-Governor clubs among
the youngsters at Chapel Hill and
other institutions of higher learn
ing. If the matter develops that
far you can mortgage your house
and lot and bet that Hoey will be
a candidate and the odds will be
with you.
CONGRESS
The state capitol this week is of
the opinion that Congressman R. L.
Dough ton is in a mood to seek the
governorship via the Democratic
primaries and a candidate to suc
ceed him in congress from the
ninth district. He is no less a per
son than Dalton Warren, the Sen
ator from Alleghany county. Friends
of Mr. Warren say he is going to
seek the congressional seat no mat
ter what "Farmer Bob" decides to
do, but express confidence that
Dougliton really means to retire
from Congress even if he does not
run for governor.
ONE MORE THING
Friends of Lieutenant Governor
A. H. Graham think he is doing
nicely presiding over his second
term of the state senate and they
are beginning to roll the pld po
litical ball in his behalf for gover
nor. "Sandy" said his luck with
the legislature would influence his
decision on .the gubernatorial mat
ter and even his enemies are fail
ing to point out major mistakes.
You can't tell what's going on in
the Scotch head of the lieutenant
governor but a lot of people are
ready to help him make up his
mind and step across the line as a
candidate. It's going to be highly
embarrassing to many people if
Graham and Hoey cross swords.
CHANGED COURSE
Many close personal and political
friends of Representative R. Gregg,
Cherry, of Gaston, say he is pad
dling his canoe toward the speak
ership of the 1937 house. They say
he has abandoned any idea of run
ning for governor. At least has
told some folks that he wants to
come back to the legislature one
more time. If he seeks to wield
the gavel over the 120 representa
tives he is likely to find Represen
tative R. F. (Jack) Morphew, of
Graham, grabbing for the handle
in the Democratic caucus two years
hence. Ambitions make political
history.
OPPOSITION
North Carolinians are writing
their senators and congressmen to
oppose the Rayburn bill, which
would repose authority to fix rates
in the federal power commission.
State regulatory bodies would find
their hands pretty well tied under
the Rayburn bill and Tar Heels
still are suffering from federal
discrimination in the matter of
freight rates. Considerable senti
ment against the Rayburn bill has
been manifest in Raleigh, especial
ly among persons owning stock in
domestic power companies. They
fear its passage would reduce the
value of their holdings.
MARATHON-
The boys who know their legisla
tures say that a real bombshell ex
ploded when the motion was made
in finance committee to reduce the
sales tax rate from three to two
per cent. Immediately all former
predictions on sine die adjournment
were withdrawn and even the op
timistic Robert Grady Johnson,
speaker of the house, admitted
that the end is not yet in sight.
The anti-sales taxers led by Rep
resentatives W. L. Lumpkin, of
Franklin, and Ralph McDonald, of
Forsyth, are wise enough to adopt
this course in their effort to slow
down the trend toward consumption
taxes. One man's guess is about
as good as another's on what will
happen before the general assem
bly folds up for good (or worse).
DIVERSION-
Don't sleep upon your couch if
you want your gasoline taxes spent
on your roads. Designs looking
toward using it for other things
have not been abandoned. On the
other hand", diversionists are re
ported sitting up nights planning
the best way to get a finger into
the highway fund. When the real
raid starts some potent influencers
of legislative opinion will be found
in the ranks. There is consider
able opinion that motorists pay
their taxes without complaint and
will not kick up much of a row if
they are spent for general fund and
other purposes. What's your idea?
COMING UP
Don't get the idea that the sug
gested system of textbook rental
has been abandoned. The bill pro
viding for such a system is still in
committee but individual lawmakers
are getting things in line to push
the measure through the legislature
ere long. You haven't seen any
fight, not even ovef the sales tax,
to what you will witness when this
textbook matter comes into the
front line trenches, according to
past records and present predic
tions. There is little doubt, how
ever, that sentiment for renting
books is growing and the proposi
tion has a much better chance of
becoming law than during past ses
sions. WIELDS CLUB
Senator Lloyd Griffin, of Chow
an, is one member of the general
assembly who gets things done
without, benefit of oratory. You
couldn't exactly say that he has
"it" but when it comes to the
school system his ideas usually pre
vail. The secret of it is that he
has the knowledge and determina
tion needed to guide legislation
through a general assembly. When
storms break over the school prob
lem Senator Griffin usually lets
things ride until the boys get the
weights off their chests and then
he takes the floor. The questions
fly thick and fast and he answers
them all and usually what appeared
to be a rebellion against the edu
cation committee turns out more
in the nature of endorsement.
BONER
Wets and Drys in the Legislature
generally agree that the Reverend
R. L. Arnold, of Raleigh, made a
mistake in praying for defeat of
the Hill liquor bill when he was
invited to open the senate with
prayer last week. Senator Hill told
the senate he resented "such a po
litical talk" and after all most of
the senators know the Durham
lawmaker as a dry and a strong
church man. They didn't seem to
relish an outsider coming in and
attacking one of their own flock
even in a prayer. It's) entirely
possible that the minister may have
aided the liquor bill, although its
fate may be decided by the time
you read this.
SIMMONS
Raleigh is taking with a grain of
salt recent published rumors that
former United States Senator Furni
fbld M. Simmons will oppose Sena
tor J. W. Bailey next year. Like
wise the politically-minded are not
betting that former Lieutenant Gov
ernor R. T. Fountain will support
Simmons in the event he runs.
Capitol Hill believes that Mr. Foun
tain will follow the line of his re
cent announcement and seek the
toga himself rather than take to
the trenches for Simmons. On the
other hand there is some opinion
that Fountain would do anything
politically reasonable to help defeat
Governor Ehringhaus, who nosed
out Fountain in the 1932 primaries.
There is nothing reasonably certain
about the shape the 1932 senatorial
race will take.