jiacontan
PROGRESSIVE LIBERAL IMDEPEMDEJYT
^OL. LI, NO 2
FRANKLIN, N. C., THURSDAY, JAN. 9, 1936
$1.50 PER YEAR
JtEDIT GROUP
MEETSJAN. 17
5ig Crowd Expected at
Annual Meeting
In Asheville
P. O. Finished
Si>ecLal to The Press-Maootikji)
ASHEVILLE, Jan. 7—A very
arge crowd of farmers is exp&cted
o attend the anual meeting of the
Asheville Production Credit As-
ociation serving the oounties of
Wery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee,
31ay, Graham, Haywood, Hender-
on, Jackson, Macon, Avery, Madi-
on, Mitchell, McDowell, Swain,
rra’nsylvania, and Yancy, which will
>e held in the Buncombe county
lourthotise at Asheville at 11 a. m.
"riday, January 17, according to
M. H. Overall, Secretary.
Annual reports of the officers
vill be made and two directors
vill be elected. One of the speak-
:rs will be Mr. Gardner, vice-presi-
ient of the Production Credit
Zorpioration of Columbia.
Not only are all of the members
nvited and expeated to be present
it the meeting, Mr. Overall s,aid,
)ut a cordial invitation is also ex
ended to all non-members who
ire interested in securing short-
erm credit for production purposes.
“Our association is anxious that
;very farmer in our territory shall
lave the opportunity of knowing
)f the credit service which we have
:o offer,” said Mr. Overall, “and
Are are anxious that they shall at-
;end this annual meeting to see
low the business of the associaton
s conducted.
“We will 'have complete reports
)f our year’s work at the meeting
ind our members will be acquainted
vith all of the details of our
)peration.,. It is the policy of
)ur association to keep our mem
bers thoroughly posted.
“We feel pnoiid of the record
vhich we have made in the two years
n which we have operated. Our
>uisne98 the second year showed a
(ery substantial growth over the
'irst year and we are anticipating
mother substantial increase next
fear as more and more farmers
|.arn of the service we have to
jffer.”
But Date of Opening Not
Yet Announced
^4eeting Called To Form
l^asketball Team
■ A meeting of basketball players
ias been called by Ralph Bryson
[or 6 p. m. Saturday of this
iweek at Schulman’s Department
Store for the purpose of organizing
1 Franklin All Star team. If eaough
Rkely materal reports, Mr. Bryson
said, a team will be organized
^mediatly add proceed to Clay-
fon to play the All Star team of
|hat community at 8 o’clock the
same night. He urged all interested
jo attend and to come prepared to
begin action on the court.
Funeral Held For
Miss Josephine Edwards
I Miss JosephiRe Edwards, 49,
died Saturday morning after an
Illness of several months. Funeral
services were conducted by the
Rev. B. W. Lefler at the lotla
Methodist church at 3 o’ clock
Sunday afternoon.
I Miss Edwards had been a mem
ber of the lotla church since early
:hildhood.
Surviving Miss Edwards are her
nother, Mrs. Philip Edwards
hree sisters, Miss Fannie Edwards,
pf Atlanta, Ga.; Mrs. Lewellyn
Baylor, of Demorest, Ga.; and Miss
^thel Edwards, of Franklin; and
six brothers, Harley, Fred, Harve,
George, Harry, and Frank Ed
wards, all of Franklin.
* A sweet young thing in distress
tame in and said: “I’ve broken my
glasses. Do I have to be examined
all over again?”
‘ “No,” said the oculist, “Just
your eyes.”
Franklin’s new federal building
stood completed this week, but of
ficials of the Franklin postoffice
and the Nantahala National Forest
were nbt certain today when they
would be able to move into the
structure.
Arrival of an inspector to pass
upon the building has been expected
since last Saturday, but he has not
yet appeared. Most of the furni
ture and fixtures already have ar
rived, but a shipment of coal for
the heating system is still awaited.
The post office will occupy the
basement and main floor, while the
forest service will have offices on
the second floor.
Po'stmaster T. W. Porter posted
a notice today requesting all box-
holders to apply at the new post-
ofice between 9 a. m. and 12 or
between 1 p. m. and 3:30 p. m.
Friday -or Saturday to pay their
box rent and be assigned new
boxes. Those wishing to retain
their old box numbers, he stated,
apply on these dates and pay their
rents in advance.
Hope was expressed that the
new building would be ready for
occupancy by the middle of next
week.
Winter Comes To Seventy-Fourth Congress
DEATH CUIMS
MRS.pPKINS
Stroke of Paralysis Fatal;
Funeral Held at
Co wee
Final rites for Mrs. Catherine
Simpkins., 72, formerly of this county,
who died at 5:40 p. m. Tuesday at
'her home in West Asheville, were
held at noon today at the Cowee
Baptist church. Mrs. Simpkins’
death followed a stroke of paralysis
10 days earlier.
Mrs. Simpkins, a daughter of
the late Mr. and Mrs James
Bryson, of West’s Mill, had lived
in West Asheville for 20 years;
but she visited relatives in this
county frequently and always
maintained the ties with the people
of' her home community, West’s
Mill. She was the widow of E. C.
Simpkins.
Funeral services were conducted
Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 o’clock
at the West Asheville Baptist
church by the pastor, the Rev. J.
A. Ivey, and the body was returned
fco the home. This morning it was
brought to the Cowee Baptist
church for the final rites and burial.
The Rev. Mr. Ivey officiated, as
sisted by the Rev. D. C. McCoy
and the Rev. W. L. Bradley, both
of Oak Grove.
Pallbearers were T. B. Dutton,
Foster Eller, J. N. Arthur, J. B. Boyd
T. H. Siler and E. S. Holcomb, of
Asheville.
Mrs. Simpkins was a member of
the West Asheville Baptist church.
Surviving are two daughters,
Mrs. R. R. Adair, of Asheville, and
Mrs. W. W. Hunter, of Augusta,
Ga.; two sons, J. C. Simpkins of
Asheville, and James L. Simpkins,
of Seattle, Wash.; and four broth
ers, T. C. Bryson, of West’s Mill;
A. J. Bryson, of New York;
George T. Bryson, of Atlanta Ga.,
and R. L. Bryson of Spruce Pine.
None of the brothers was able
to attend the funeral, T. C. Bryson
is recovering from influenza and
R. L. and George T. Bryson both
were reported critically ill at their
homes. The brother living in New
York was unable to come.
Tulsa, Okla—Judge A. A. Hatchet
had the last word—but not until
after Mrs. Grace Carson had her
say. The judge ordered her to stop
talking in municipal court and
when she didn’t 'held her in con
tempt. She was detained an hour.
■WASHINGTON ... Winter in fact greeted members for the second
session of the 74th Congress which convened for openipg on January 3d.
Upper photo is an unusual view of the national capitol, taken at dusk
under its first mantle of snow of the. season. Lower picture shows members
of the House standing' as the chaplain delivered the opening prayer
Ray Defends Tax Measure;
Can’t Understand Why It
Has Blocked Refunding
The following letter was sub
mitted to The Press-Maconian
Monday by J. Frank Ray, Macon
county’s representative in the Gen
eral Assembly:
Editor of Press:
The following is my answer to
cerning the law 1 passed in the Legis-
cerning the law I passel inthe Legis
lature limiting the tax levy to one
dollar and 1 will appreciate ■ it if
you will publish same.
The heavy bonded indebtedness
which you mentioned in your article
was incurred between the years 1909
and 1929. At no time since 1909 up
until this law was passed have 1
heard of any bondholders of the
county showing any willingness to
refinance their bonds. I had in
mind at the time I enacted this
law to provide ways and means
by which the right of the bond
holders and taxpayers of Macon
county could be equitably adjusted,
also having in mind the heavy
burden of taxation under which
the taxpayers of this county were
laboring, and realizing that a great
number of the population of the
county was living on farms, and
that very few manufacturing es
tablishments were in the county
and that for the past several years
the income from farms had not
been sufficient to enable the tax
payers to support themselves and
families, save their homes and pay
the heavy bonded indebtedness of
the county.
Regarding Law Suits
Now, you infer that by reason
of this law that the bondholders
have instituted two law suits
against the county for collection
of matured bonds. There have been
two law suits instituted against
the county, but I contend that
this law did not have one thing
whatever to do with it because in
several counties in this state where
this law does not exist there have
been suits instituted for the same
purpose.
You stated that the bondholders
refused to refinance by reason of
the tax levy under my law, and in
the next breath you say they have
started two law suits to collect on
bonds. Your reasoning in this
respect is .all out of line, because
it would be absurd for the bond
holders to institute a law suit to
collect on their .bonds when right
in the face of the law they could
not collect if a recovery was had
in the Court, as you say the bond
holders admit they can not re
finance under the present law. You
are trying to keep the cake and
eat it too.
Under this law the county com
missioners must find as a fact,
after the 1936 levy that the eco
nomical emergency still .exists, then
if they find it does not exist they
can levy a tax as in former years.
The $34,500 principal and ^9,-
860 interest which you state this
county is in default all occured be
fore the tax levy was made under
my law, and this law had nothing
whatever to do with the default.
I did not legislate for any par
ticular group or groups but tried
to do my best for the benefit of
all, I belive in fairness and eq.uity
to all concerned,
I still contend that it is possible
to refinance under the present law
if the bondholders would agree to
do so.
Yours truly,
J. FRANK RAY
DEATH CALLS
C. A. LOWERY
Boidy Taken to Old Home
In Tennessee for
Burial
Charles A. Lowery, 76, well
known farmer and former travel
ing salesman, died of an attack of
heart disease at 11 o’clock Monday
morning at his home several miles
from Franklin on the Georgia
road. He had been in ill health for
more than a month but his death
came unexpectedly.
Funeral services were held at
the Franklin Presbyterian church
at 3 o’clock Tuesday afternoon and
then the .body was taken to
M adisonville, Tenn., Mr. Lowery’s
former home, for burial Wednes
day.
Cam.e Here in 1914
Mr. Lowery, a native of Aladison-
ville, in Monroe county, Tennessee,
came to this county to live in
1914, but he was well known here
for many years prior to that time.
As a traveling salesman for the
Carhart Grocery company, of
Knoxville, Tenn., he visited Frank
lin frequently. In the early eight
een-eighties, it was recalled this
week by Dr. Frank T. Smith, he
assisted the late R. L. Porter and
the late Charles C. Smith, a broth
er of Dr. Smith, in financing
the construction of the first tele
phone line to Franklin. The line,
with one station 'here, in Mr.
Porter’s store in the Love building
on Main street, connected Frank
lin _ with Dillsboro.
In 1908 Mr. Lowery was married
to Mrs. Lelia J. Allison, of Waynes-
ville, who survives him, together
with a son-in-law, four grandchild
ren ; a brother, W. R. Ix>wery, of
Greenville, Tenn., and two sisters,
Mrs. Alice Proffit and Mrs. H. R.
McGill, both of M.aryville, Tenn.
Devtout Presbyterian
Mr. Lowery was .a devoted mem
ber of the Presbyterian church
and for a number of years was
superintendent of the Presbyterian
Sunday school in Franklin.
The funeral service here was
conducted by the Rev. J. A. Flan
agan, pastor of the Franklin
Presbyterian church, assisted by
the Rev. J. L. Teague, of Prentiss,
retired Methodist minister.
Active pallbearers for the service
here were A. L. Leach, Gus Leach,
George Bulgin, John E. Rickman,
W. T. Moore and John O. Harrison.
Honorary pallbearers were: Dr.
Frank T. Smith, J. M. Carpenter,
J. E. Lancaster, Dr. W. A. Rog
ers, George T. Stiles., George M.ash-
burn, W. B. McGuire and M. L.
Dowdle.
Dividends
Now Being Paid by Local
Farm Federation
Macon county stockholders of
the Farmers Federation, Inc., which
on December 14 established a
branch warehouse and store in
B'ranklin, will share with other
stockholders of the farmers coop-
ereative organizaton in its semi
annual dividend according to the
announcement received from James
G. K. McClure, president and
general manager.
The dividend, at the rate of six
per cent a year, was recently de
clared by the federation’s board
of directors. It is payable to all
stockholders of record December
IS, 1935, which includes those in
this county who had received their
stock certificates at the time the
federation opened its Franklin
branch. The dividends are pay
able in cash, amounting to 30 cents
on each $10 share of stock.
Macon county stockholders may
receive their dividends by applying
to Lawrence Ramsey, manager of
the local warehouse and store,
located in the Franks building.
Broadway
Jerry and Tom Wilson are cut
ting wood for Cecil Headrick.
Frank Cabe spent Monday at the
home of Andy Wilson.
Stella Wilson is spending a few
days with her folks. She plans toi
return to Atlanta in a few days to
spend the remainder of the winter.
We are glad to report that Miss
Maud Wilson is getting along
nicely after having been ill with
pneumonia.
Dorothy Talley, small daughter of
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Talley, is
recovering from influenza and
pneumonia.
Snow fell to a depth of eight
inches 'here Saturday, December
28, but rain last Thursday washed
most of it away. The themometer
dropped to eight below zero here
on Thursday and Friday, December
26 and 27. It w,as the coldest
weather experienced here this win
ter. Temperatures have been much
more moderate this week and there
has been considerable rain.
Howard Keener was at the 'home '
of Andy Wilson Friday.
Miss Nellie Wilson is spending
a few days with her sister, Mrs.
Effie Talley.