Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Sept. 8, 1955, edition 1 / Page 2
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?it* fflmnklin tyTtsz i atti* (Eh* Watt its JKarxmtan Entered at Post Office, Franklin. N. C . a* eecond claae matter PubUabed every Tbuxeday by The Franklin Pi'MB Franklin. N. O. Telephone 24 WHMAB JONES Editor BOB 8. SLOAN Bualneea Ibntcer J. P. BRADY News Editor MBS ALLEN SILER Society Editor and Office Manager CARL P. CABE Mechanical Superintendent PRANK A. 8TARRETTE Shop Superintendent DAVID H. SUTTON Stereotyper SUBSCRIPTION RATES Outszss Macon County Iran Macon County On* Tear $3.00 One Tear *2.50 9tx Month* 1.78 Six Months 1.78 Three Months 1.00 Three Months 1.00 SEPTEMBER 8, 1955 Buses Change - Again! The bus company has changed schedules and cur tailed service ? again. Hereafter, there'll he two buses a day to Ashe ville, instead of three. There'll be two buses, that is, except on Sunday, the day many persons have to do their traveling. And there'll be one bus a day to Atlanta, instead of two. The bus company expressed no regret at the cur tailment of service. It didn't give any reasons. It just told us. Had it thought it worth while to make an ex planation, presumably the bus company would have said these runs it is taking off don't pay. Maybe not. We don't pretend to know. What we do know is that the bus company, has a monopoly. It is protected, by the state, against competition. In exchange for that protection from competition, the bus company is obligated to pro vide good service. All it.s runs and all its lines aren't supposed to pay ; it is, obligated to provide service, balancing the highly profitable runs and lines against the unprofitable ones. And Franklin isn't getting good bus service. The service, instead, is becoming progressively worse ; this is only one of a long series of changes and curtailments ? for chapter and verse, see the bus company's own announcements, over a period of years. We don't like it. We think there are a lot of peo ple who don't like it. Does Franklin have to take it? We don't think so. We think if the state agency responsible for regulating the buses gets enough squawks from Franklin, something will happen. Anybody want to complain? The address is: State Utilities Commission, Raleigh, N. C. Needed: Bookshelves A good many people feel that room should have been made, either in the new Masonic Hall or in the new Town ITall, for the Franklin Public Li brary. We are inclined to agree. Rut while some of us may feel like quoting the old comment that "if our foresight was half as good as our hindsight, we'd be better off by a darn sight", the fact remains that room was not made for the library, when these buildings were planned. So the Franklin community is in somewhat the position of a family that has moved into a new house: a family that has a wealth of good books; books it would like to use, but cannot because most of them are stored in boxes in the basement, since there isn't a bookshelf in the entire house. Franklin has a fine collection of books in its library ? for a small town, a distinguished collec tion. Looks like we'd better build some shelves for 'em. Communism In U. S.? "You have maintained a close continuing asso ciation with your father, Charles Branzovich, who is reported to have been in 1943, and /for an un specified time thereafter, a member or close affili ate of an imperialist-capitalist organization. . . ." That is a serious charge in Russia. But of course there is nothing surprising about such a charge in Russia. It is the kind of charge expected in Russia. Well, much as it sounds like the Communists, it wasn't made in Russia. It was made in the L'nited States of America. It was made by the U. S. Air Force against an Air Force man. It is a direct quotation of the words of the Air Force, except for a single phrase; where the Air Force said "the Communist party" we sub stituted the words "an imperialist-capitalist organ ization". On a basis of the charge that he was guilty of "close and continuing association with" his own father, the Air Force tried to give young Stephen Branzovich an undesirable discharge! Is this the U. S. A. ? or Communist Russia? ? Letters Answer To Governor Dear Weimar, I enclose an editorial from the Florence, South Carolina Morning News, which I hope you will have room to print. It seem to me an excellent answer to the speech of the Gover nor's (on segregated schools) which I read in The Press a couple of weeks ago. 1 While I am writing, I want to congratulate you and all the people at The Press for your Centennial Edition. I think it was wonderful. With best wishes, \ ' ANNIEWILL SILER. New York City, August 28, 1955. Tells Of Recent Flood We have made several trips to visit our son in Pennsylvania but our recent visit was so exceptional that we would like for our friends to hear of our experience. Mr. Gray and I left home on August 17 on a beautiful clear morning, ideal weather for a trip ? so we thought. Toward midnight, while we were riding along on the bus, it began to pour the rain. By the time we got to our destina tion, Delaware Water Gap, about 4:30 p. m. Thursday, it was pouring from the heavens. After eating a hearty supper, we retired early. About 11 o'clock, our son, Elam, awakened us to tell us that a big flood was coming down the river and that we might have to vacate before morning, but we were tired and went on back to sleep and slept until 6 a. m. By that time the water was swelling up fast. Then people all began to move furniture and their belongings to the sec ond floor. By 3:30 in the afternoon the water was several feet in the house. The crest was reached about 5 o'clock, filling the basement and first floor of the house about four and one-half feet. By daylight the following day, the river had subsided until they could begin cleaning up the ruins. At Delaware Water Gap the water was not very muddy and there was not much debris; there were some dead fish and a lot of silt left on everything, but not a lot of big trash like there was farther up the river. Damage was slight compared with that in towns farther up; but everybody had a job cleaning house. We especially appreciated the cooperation and hospitality of the people in town who lived on higher ground. They in vited us to stay in their homes and invited us to meals as long as it was necessary for us to leave home. Talk about southern hospitality; we think it cannot surpass that of Delaware Water Gap. We appreciate knowing that our son, Elam, and his family, live where they have so many won derful friends. We consider that we were lucky to have made our trip just when we did. Had we started a day later, we would have had to return; the railroad tracks were washed out' and all travel was halted. Then, too, one could never realize what a flood is without being there and seeing it. Yet the damage we saw was so light compared to that In other places where houses were washed away and lives lost! We were thankful that we were there and could be of some assistance, though the people of the town were calm and not panicky. Although we are glad we had this experience, we would not like to have It again. MRS. JAVAN GRAY. Franklin, Route 2. Others' Opinions Time To Talk (Shelby Star) For not sticking his neck out too far, we think Judge Chester R. Morris's charge to the Hertford County Grand Jury should have the cake. "A lot could be said. A lot needs to be said in North Caro lina. A lot of serious, conscientious thinking needs to be done. We need to think soberly and seriously about the problems as they confront us. And they are problems that confront all North Carolinians ? white and colored and rich and poor." We don't know of a single grand jury or other Tar Heel who is opposed to thinking conscientiously, soberly and ser iously. Some of them may not do this all the time but at least they are not opposed to the proposition. As for what could be said and as to what needs to be said, we don't see why Judge Morris just didn't open up and say it. STRICTLY PERSONAL By WEIMAR JONES I grow a little weary hearing from Southerners as well as non-Southerners, the constant suggestion, day after day, week after week, and month after month, that desegregation is an exclusively Southern problem. So I got quite a kick out of a little speech, on the final day of that five-day newspaper con ference I attended recently in Illinois. The speaker was a young newspaper man from Louisiana, the only other South erner at the meeting. What he said was quite mild, and he spoke quietly. But his remarks drew the only purely spontan eous applause of the entire conference. "At this conference", he said, "we've talked a good deal about segregation and discrimination, against the Negro in the South. It came up at the very first session, and it has continued to enter the discussions ever since. "I deplore any discrimination, anywhere, against anyone. But I'd like to point out that, in the past five days, you your selves have reported these things: "In a little town in Indi ana, white landlords doubled the rent on certain houses'in order to keep Negro tenants out. "In s. California commun ity Negroes were not permit ted on the streets after dusk. "In a city in Iowa pressure was brought to bear to force a successful Negro out of a business that he was operat ing. "In a certain mid-western community a Negro family was unable to bury one of their dead in the graveyard because of the color of his skin. "In much of Colorado Span ish-Americans do not vote. "In Minnesota, a Jewish boy failed to get a commun ity distinguished service a ward ? because he was a Jew. "So I think you will agree that the problem Isn't confin ed to any one section, or even to any one group. It is present in every section. "And in each section, we'll have to meet it and solve it in our own way." * ? ? Of course that phrase "in our own way", is what sticks in a lot of people's craws. The truth is there probably is no more discrimination in the South ? even against the Negro, population considered ? than anywhere else. The differ ence is it's practiced outside the South voluntarily; we legal ize it. That's "our own way". The South's greatest sin, if non-Southerners were honest, is not the fact it discriminates, but the WAY it discriminates. The South's "way" fails to con form to the pattern elsewhere. And failure to conform, in modern America, is about on a par with "the sin against the Holy Ghost" in the public mind of another day. * * ? All that, of course, doesn't excuse anything; but I think it explains some things. THE SOUTH CAN'T WIN We Don't Like It... But We Can't Stop It An Editorial From The Florence, S. C., Morning News Shortly after the United States Supreme Court handed down its implementation de cree, this newspaper expressed the editorial opinion that in the final analysis the South will have to yield. An editorial entitled "Segre gation Going," in this paper said: "In our section there can be little thought of bending to the will of the NAACP ? but we had better evaluate our prob able losses and see how they compare to the limited gains in time. "Any changes we make in our programs of education should be made in full acceptance of the fact that the South cannot maintain the policies of racial segregation for any length of time into the future." Since the Court's publication of its implementation decree, the Southland has been feeding itself large doses of self-delu sion and false hope. Politicians, writers, wishful-thinkers and the unthinking have been tell ing our people that the Court's decree can be defeated and will be defeated. The Court's decree will not be defeated. South Carolina people need to hear realism. They need to hear truth. They need to pre pare themselves for a realistic future ? not an impossible fu ture constructed out of the words and blind hopes of those who have not accepted the in evitable. . . . This state's leaders are on the verge of destroying the public school system. Or, they say they are on the verge of so doing. We don't think they will. Sure they will abolish a few public schools ? in Clarendon County for example ? but such actions will be an effort to gain time. . . . Some of our political "think ers" are advocating Constitu tional changes to allow the South to keep segregation. This isn't thinking, it is political eyewash. The editorial mention ed earlier expressed an opinion we think holds true now ? and for the future; the opinion that "The South is a minority sec tion and will receive less than minority consideration." Southern senators cannot get legislation through Congress in support of segregation; nor can the South expect the necessary support to pass a Constitution al amendment in support of its position. ... This is the age of sociological change. We don't like It. We don't want it. But, we can't stop it. How can we hope to preserve sectional institutions that are not legal in approxi mately three fourths of the na tion? . . . We, as a section, expect great favor and comfort from our Federal judges. Those who en courage this hope for favor and comfort are fooling the people. Pro - segregationists cannot look to Ashton Williams, Cecil Wyche and George Bell Tim merman for special favor. Those men are' judges. They have taken an oath to uphold the law of the land. The Supreme Court has defined this law, and these men will uphold the law. . . . The Court has decided, and the Court will not change. This is not a period of going back. Initial mistakes in the field of sociology are not corrected by court reversals. South Carolina can't spend its historic life in fighting lost battles. In order to make prog ress and shape the best pos sible life for our people, we must learn to accept the things we don't want as well as those we do want. We must learn to accept things we don't want when we lack the ability to change those things. We cannot change the Court's decision. We have got to live with it. We can start living with it today, tomorrow or next year ? but we are going to live with it. This should be told to the people of South Carolina. The only decision facing our peo ple is how much energy, ef fort and expense they want to exchange for a limited amount of time. The only thing that can be gained is a short time ? what price is our section willing to pay for a short time? This is the issue. Segregation vs. de segregation is no longer an is sue ? it is no longer a debate ? it is no longer a contest. The issue has been resolved. There is to be no more segregation. Face it. Ask state officials to be honest. Then, move as close to objectivity as Is possible when facing an emotional Is sue, and ask yourself what price you and your children want to pay for a short period of time. There is nothing "cowardly" about stopping a fight when you've been beaten-hands down. It is a little insane to waste your institutions, resources, progress and possible future after you have lost the fight. Segregation is going ? it's all but gone. South Carolina and the rest of the South can't reverse the trend. We can fight ? and will fight; but let's be honest with our selves and ask how harl we want to fight when we know we can't win. News Making As It Looks To A Maconite ? By BOB SbOAA Random thoughts about this and that, heard here and there: The other day I heard a bril liant lady who resides In New York most of the year make the following comment con cerning the Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles. She ex- i claimed: "The only thing he neeas to oe a Chamberlain Is an umbrella." The most un fortunate thing . about the ?it uatlon is that it will take some ten or fifteen years to find out whether or not we have had a firm Sloan policy or it has been one of peace at any price so that we can win next year's election. When the answer comes, it will be too late to do anything about it. * * ? According to a well-informed educator, the college population of North Carolina should double in the next ten years. That looks to me like a wonderful chance for Franklin to acquire a new industry? one that would be mo6t desirable, too. I really believe that possibly the finest acquisition we could make to our community would be a small col lege. Certainly with the growth in the number of college students, there will be a demand. Such an addition would bring more money than many people real ize in to the community. And there are many other advan tages besides the monetary one. In fact, in this case, they are the ones that appeal to me most. One thing I feel sure of, with the great demand that there will be, if the people of Macon County would put the effort behind it that they have applied in other efforts to bring new payrolls, a small college could be started here. * * ? If North Carolina wants to have segregated but equal schools, the teacher allotment system will have to be changed. Here in Macon County we are alloted three teachers for the Negro school on the basis of enrollment. Even if the Negro high school students are trans ported to Sylva (and I doubt if white parents would think it very fair if that applied to their children), the Negroes have one teacher for each two and a fraction grades. The white schools have one teacher for one grade. * If Governor Hodges wants to get the Negroes to accept the voluntary segregation plan, he should work hard to remove such inequalities as this. Do You Remember? (Looking backward through the tiles of The Prfss) 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK ?Mr. Larry Waldroop expects to leave tomorrow for Atlanta to engage in business there. About $375 worth of mica was taken from the Poll Miller mine on Burningtown during August. Dr. Lewis W. Eiias went to Asheville Friday to hang out his shingle and make that city his home for a while at least. 25 YEARS AGO Miss Catherine Franks left Wednesday for Winston-Salem to enter Salem college. Mrs. A. W. Daugherty, of Lexington, Ky., is visiting her daughter, Mrs. R. L. Porter. Mr. William Crawford and Emory Corpening made qi trip to Charlotte Friday of the past week. 10 YEARS AGO Cpl. Andrew Patton, who has been stationed at Spence Field, Moultrie, Ga., is spending his 15-day furlough with his fath er, Robert A. Patton, on Har rison Avenue. Z. V. Henry, of Jacksonville, Fla.. is here for a visit with his brother, R. F. Henry, at his home, Franklin, Route 4, and other relatives and friends in Macon County. Captain George Saussy, Jr., USMC, has returned to the United States after two and a half years of foreign service. Following a 21-day furlough, he will report for reassignment.? Highlands item.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Sept. 8, 1955, edition 1
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