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THE FRANKLIN PRESS AND THE HIGHLANDS MACON^^
THURSDAY, i
T:eSS
^iX^nkiin
atiii
2Llt:e ^i^hinnits ^Ktxtninn
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone No. 24
VOL. LI
Number 49
BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter
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Concerning Our Courthouse
I^^ACON COUNTY’S courthouse, built in the late
seventies or the early eighties, has long needed
repairs and improvements. Time and time again
grand juries have recommended that something be
done about it; but nothing more than superficial
repairs have resulted. Some months ago Franklin’s
building inspector condemned the structure as un
safe and in violation of the state building code; and
since then the grand jury has twice demanded that
the county commissioners put the building in proper
condition.
The commissioners themselves realize that the
building should be repaired; but they claim they
have not had the funds at their disposal to finance
the work, and the statute limitation on the tax rate
precluded a special levy to provide the necessary
money. At one time the commissioners thought
they might obtain federal funds for the work
through the Public Works Administration: but
their proposal was rejected on the ground that the
county was in default on its bonds.
Now, we have been informed by a local official
of the Works Progress Administration, there is a
very good likelihood that the county, by supplying
a comparatively small part of the funds necessary,
could obtain WPA approval of the project.
Certainly no stone should be left unturned. Every
possible means of obtaining federal aid for repair-
‘ ing the courthouse should be investigated. We feel
sure the county commissioners will not pass up an
opportimity to have this work done.
It is to be hoped that, if and when the oppor
tunity arises, the repairs and improvements will be
made with an eye to the future and that they will
not be merely of a temporary nature.
While the courthouse presents a very dilapidated
appearance now and is woefully inadequate, it is
basically sound in its construction. Under the sup
ervision of a good architect, it could be remodeled
into a serviceable and beautiful building.
We feel that most of the county’s taxpayers will
agree with us that it would be far better to spend a
few thousand dollars on the courthouse now to
make it last for ten or twenty years longer, rather
than to allow it to disintegrate. If the latter is per
mitted, it will only be a matter of several years be
fore it will become necessary for the county to build
an entirely new courthouse, which wtDuld mean ad
ding a hundred thousand dollars or more to
bonded indebtedness.
our
The Weather
The weather may be a dull topic of conversation;
* but, nevertheless, most of us are deeply inter
ested in it. For it not only affects our personal
comfort, but is also an important factor in our
economic life.
If there is anything to the weather cycle theory,
we are in for another winter of lowering tempera
tures and increasing coal bills. The long range fore
casters have ventured the opinion that the winter
of 1934-35 marked the end of 25 years or so of
•generally mild, open winters, and that last winter
was the first of a series of cold, wet winters.
Uncle Sam’s official weather men, however, look
skeptically at these generalized long time perdic-
tions and decline to make forecasts for more than
a w'eek or two ahead.
It is pointed out that this is a mighty big country
and it would be unusual for one forecast to cover
the entire country. Sometimes it is cold in the west
and warm in the east, and sometimes it is just the
other w'ay around. Then, again, it may be w'et in
KEW^i-EEL, December P^elease
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the north and dry in the south, or vice versa. No
body is yet sure why the cold air currents from
the North Pole which sweep southward sometimes
come down west of the Rockies and sometimes east.
Nobody has yet fathomed what effect sun spots,
and other disturbances outside the earth’s atmos
phere have upon the weather.
Here in the mountains we have local circum
stances which make weather forecasting most dif
ficult. We recall that winter before la^t there was
hardly a snow' around Franklin, while just across
the mountain in Jackson county there were several
heavy snows. We have a southern exposure and,
therefore, a slightly warmer climate than Jackson
county; but who could tell with any certainty
w'hen an approaching snow' storm would sweep on
southward to Macon and beyond, or when it would
vent Its fury in Jackson and call it quits at the top
of the Cowee range?
When anyone asks us for our opinion about the
w eather, we are inclined to repeat the remark of an
old man at Blowing Rock, who, when asked wheth
er ^he thought it would rain, laconically replied;
Nobody but dern fools and strangers try to pre
dict the weather around here.”
Flowever, we are open to conviction, and we will
watch the weather with a great deal of interest this
winter, the next and the next just to see whether
there is any reliability in this weather cycle theory.
old h'Cart and kidneys for iji
while.' And so, I trust, will y
Bruce-
Barton
WILL TO LIVE
IS IMPORTANT
Among the men whose frindship
I 'enjoyed was the late C. W. Bar
ron, owner of the Wall Street
Journal,
He told me two stories. The first
was about a man who accumulated
a large fortune, built a house on
i-ifth Avenue, put his feet on the
wmdow-sill, and' said: “Now, I am
gomg to enjoy myself.” But he
was like a watch spring which has
been wound up tight for a long
time, and, being suddenly released
snaps in pieces. After only a few
months of idleness he died.
Ihe second story had been told
to Barron by a noted surgeon, A
wornan, taken to the hospital for a
slight operation, died almost before
the anesthetic was appUed The
surgeon could not understand it
On looking into her history, he
discovered that from the minute the
operation was decided upon she had.
begun to prepare for the worst. The
surgeon said: “That taught me a
esso.n. I shall never again operate
until I find out what preparations
‘8 patient has made. If any per
son cares so little about holding on
to life that he makes all prepara-
ions to let go, then some other
surgeon can have the job.”
Barron said that by the degree of
their courage and faith men them-
Hve ^
I believe that is true—that those
who want to live; that when in-
erest ceases, the heart stops. None
ot us can escape the process of
eca.y, but there 'are many things I
wan to learn, so many places I
want to see, that I hope to fool the
COURT NOT
THE HATERS i
A group of people had listen!
a candidate’s radio speed'
after it was over, there was a
deal of criticism, I noticed thl
intelligent woman took no pa
the conversation, and when I i
her why, she said: “The ol(
grow the more I hate haters.
I t’s a remark to set one thit
Down through the ages M'D
dragged its bloody trail acros
heart of this good earth,
h.urled nations at each o
throats in war; hate kindlei
fires of persecution. Hate I
the hemlock to the lips of Soc
and raised in Jerusalem the s
shouts of “Crucify.”
One might say truthfully I
very good measure of the hisi
worth of a man or institution:
he or it add to or subtract
the sum total of human hatei
Napoleon does not stand th'
B.ack and forth across the f
Europe he trampled m 1
drenched boots, until at last
was only one sentiment u
hearts, of men and women o
whole continent—desperate r
to rid themselves forever o
conscienceless destroyer, >
unrelenting hate.
B.usi,nesses could properf
once a year and check t eu
by this measuring rodi-W
more or less are they like '
liked than twelve months
What have they done, or «
they doing, if anything,
to the total of hate?
(Copyright, K. r-
Altitude Affects P‘>'*
A car that develops 1
power at sea-level aj
horsepower .at an alti«
feet, and only 60 horsepo*
top of Pike’s Peak.
All Love
Fred: Have you ever to'*
, 1 have
Marliyn: No dear.
admired men fof-
courage, good looks ^
but with you, Freddie,
—nothing else.^^^^^^^^^^^^
A Disappoi"®;
“Yes,” said the old
had some terrible ^
but none stands ou
like the one that came to
I was a boy.’ , „
“And what was i • ^ j j.
“When I was a
under a tent to see ^
discovered it
ing.”