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Che ^tgitiatt^s Jflnriuunit
Second class mall privileges authorised at Franklin. N. C.
Puollshed ever j Thursday by The Frank lis Press
Telephone 24
Established in l?i? at The Franklin Press \
Member: N. C. ' Press Association. National Editorial Association.
Vmrolinai Press Photographers Association. Charter member. National
Conference of Weekly Newspaper Editors.
BOB S. SLOAN ......
J. P. BRADY ......
WEIMAR JONES
MRS. ROBERT BRYSON
ICRS BOB SLOAN
CARL P CABE
f-'RAMK A ^TARRETTE .......
e whittinc.ton
<3 E. CRAWFORD
Publisher and Advertising Manager
News Editor
Editor
Office Manager
Society Editor
Opera r or - Machl nlst
Compositor
. . Pressman
Stereotypy
DAVID H SUTTON
Commeiclal Printer
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Outsidc Mac on Coctntt
Ox.r Yenr ... $3.00
Six Mont ha 1.71
Inree Moatn* .... 1.00
Two Years
Thr-? Years
7v30
In siM Macon County
One Year *2.30
Six Months ... I.7S
Three Montiu . . 1.09
Two Tears
Three Yearn
4-25
IN
Reminder
This Saturday (May 17) is the la^tday to regis
ter to vote in the primary electionS^""
The good citizen does his share. And the small
est share a citizen can have in his government is to
inform himself about the issues and the candidates,
to make sure his or her name is on the registration
book, and then to go to the polls and vote.
Stigweards All %
.Everybody grows a little tired of so many
"weeks". There are too many of them. But the
week being observed May 11-18 is not one of the
too many.
For though it may be a commonplace, it is still
a crucial fact, that all life on this earth is depen
dent on the soil. And the key word in Soil Stew
ardship Week is "stewardship".
How great is the responsibility and obligation of
every man to save the soil is suggested by the
background of the ancient word, "steward". It
comes from an Anglo-Saxon term, "stigweard",
meaning warden or guardian.
In feudal England, the stigweard of an estate
never owned it ; instead, he was entrusted with its
management for others. Nor was it a mean .posi
tion; on the contrary, the man who held it in the
royal household was always a lord of the realm.
In the original sense of the word ? the trustee of
something that belongs to others ? each one of us
is a stigweard of the soil, a high and noble office.
Whispers
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This editorial, reprinted from time
to time, first appeared in The Press ten years ago. It is
from the issue of May 6, 1948.)
This primary campaign, unless it is different
from most, will be marked by a certain amount
of whispering ? whispering aimed at discrediting
one or more candidates. '
A citizen who wishes intelligently to vote his
own convictions, rather than being misled by some
one who has a selfish motive, would be wise, when
he hears these whispers, to ask a few questions.
Before he believes what he hears, he might well
ask himself:
Who started this report? how reliable is he? and
what is his motive in spreading it?
Is it reasonable to believe that the charge is true?
is it in line with the known character and past ac
tions of the person accused? and has the accused
had a chance to disprove it? ,
Then the voter should ask the whisperer a ques
tion or two:
How do you know this is true?
If it is true, why whisper it? ? the truth should
be said publicly.
Are you willing, right now, to go with me to see
the person you are accusing, and say this to his
face?
?
Usually, the whisperer will have disappeared be
fore' you get around to the last question.
i . Bouquet
Two fact-finding groups from the Macon Coun
ty Citizens Committee for Better Schools came up
with reports last week.
One group of four men ? C. S. Brown and Wood
row Reeves, co-chairmen, Wiley Clark, and Dorsey
Elmore ? reported on the condition of the county's
school buildings. The second four persons ? Victor
H. Perry, chairman, J. Paul Vinson, W. T. Jenkins,
and Mrs. Lawrence Patton? told what they found
in the schools in the way of furnishings and equip
ment.
These citizens spent a lot of time, going over
every school, almost inch by inch, and discussing
each school's problems and needs with local per
son*. The reports do not make pleasant reading,
hut the recommendations give evidence of great
thought and conservatism in stating the needs.
These citizens deserve the thanks of the com
munity. .Beyond that, they deserve to have their
recommendations carefully and svmpathetically
considered.
Learn Them Good English
(Richmond, Va, Times-Dispatch)
Has the large amount of free publicity recently given the
cigarette that "tastes good like a cigarette should" provided
our Madison avenue boys with a pulsating new slogan: "Bad
Grammar {Sells"?
The idea seems to be to think up something ungramma
tical enough to get the purists and editorial writers Into ac- '
tion. So w?*re told that a soft drink "goes good with food."
And our peanut butter set know that the Latest virtue of their
favorite brand is that "it spreads so easy." We don't have an
up-to-date sales report on the "58 model car that reportedly
"obsoletes" all other '58 models, but we bet the figures are
way up there.
For the beer copywriters, who seem to be stuck in a deep
-adjactlval mire and have been weakly plying us with "real
beer" slogans for months, we offer the following triumph by
James Thurber, and dare the most enterprising to run it up
the flagpole:
We Still Brew Good
Like We Used to Could!
We bet the public ? and the editorial writers ? wilt salute it
like crazy.
Summer And Roads
(Columbia, S. C., Reoord)
Summer brings the urge to hit the open road ? which you
usually find closed for repairs.
YOU Set Insurance Rates
(Wilson Daily Times)
Now that North Carolina has a compulsory automobile re
sponsibility law practically everyone carries liability Insurance.
In fact you must or post bond before you can get your license.
Thoughtful people have been wondering what this is going
to do to insurance rates. For you set the insurance rates. You
say no, this is done by the insurance commissioner. But the
accident records govern the decisions and in the long run you,
the driver, set the rate.
If this fact were fully realized there would be a change in
the attitude of people towards accident claims. For when the
Insurance companies pay out mohey it must come from the
policy holders. That is why it is against the law and a mistrial
will be declared if a witness refers during his testimony to
that fact that the defendant is covered by insurance.
But the idea is prevalent that most damage suits are back
ed up by insurance. Then today with the chrome-laden cars,
the wrap-around windshields and the other gadgets, the
smallest accidents cost large sums to repair. Here again the
public has a hand. For, although the public does not design
the cars, they give their approval by buying them and the
more elaborate they are, the better they sell.
But now in North Carolina, motorists should begin to think
in terms of insurance rates. With everyone covered by in
surance and if the accident rate continues to climb, there is
nowhere the rates can go but up. This is something that con
cerns every motorist.
To show you how conscious people are of insurance, a
motorist in Connecticut drove into a garage to have some
repairs made. The garageman asked him, "Is this an insurance
job or are you going to pay for it yourself?" The man re
plied, "What difference does it make?" He happened to be the
insurance commissioner from that state and he remarked,
"Now I know why insurance rates are so high."
In Massachusetts the compulsory insurance law is in force.
It is claimed that far more insurance suits and larger judg
ments are given in that state than in other states. Everyone
knows that everybody carries Insurance.
The law is a good one, but like all laws it can be abused.
If It is, you will be the one to pay. You should think about
this when you are driving. For the lower the accident rate,
the lower the Insurance rate.
ClHUOltS ^
NEVER FEAR! I SHAN'T
RETIRE AND UEAVE YOU
ALL ALONE IN THE BIG
WHITE HOUSE, MY
LITTLE ORPHANIXON~?
A
EH? ***00
WQNT? tEAPIM'
GIZZ A R"DS, THANKS,
?D-MADtV
?rAJ
Strictly Personal
By WEIMAR JONES
Are we Americans losing our
pride? More to the point, are We
in Macon County losing ours?
There are two kinds of pride
that, it seems to me, are disap
pearing.
The first is group pride ? pride
in family, in home town and home
county, in state. Notice how many
children today speak of. and often
speak to, their parents with con
tempt in their voices. That's not
family pride.! Notice how many
people, especially young people,
put apology into their voices when
they say they're from Franklin
or Macon County. And how many
people today sing "Carolina, Caro
lina" or "I'm A Tar Heel Born",
and sing those state songs with
gusto and swelling pride?
It is true that these group prides
'can be, and sometimes have been,
over-emphasized. But they are an
important basi? of character. For
if a youngster is proud of his
family, along with the pride there
grows one of the supreme virtues,
loyalty. Moreover, such pride is
a challenge to him; he must so
deport himself as to reflect credit,
not shame, upon his family, and
his community and his state. And
the loyalty gives him something
to sacrifice for. That word, "sac
MOISTURE ACTIVATES EARTH
,
Soil Saving And Water Conservation Go Hand In Hand
F. L. Hannah
IKU1TUK S Nt/l'K: This
article by Mr. Hannah, Assist
ant Soil Conservationist, ties
in with the observance, May
11-18, of Soil Stewardship
Week).
Science has taught lis a lot
about the wise conservation of
soil. No longer do we have to push
back the forests and clear new
ground as our fields grow weary
from too much work. If we
systematically fertilize and re
plenish the vital components oi
the soil we use, its period of use
fulness is almost unlimited.
Much of the land we farm in
North Carolina today has been in
use for about 200 years. Our majoi
crops take a heavy toll from the
soil, so we, of necessity, have to
use extreme care in our farming
practices. More and more we are
learning to make wiser use of the
soil in order to assure its avail
ability to future generations.
Here in North Carolina we are
blessed with fertile soils that have
well-rounded cross-sections of the
most desirable soil elements. Just
as important, we have an ideal
rate of rainfall and reasonably
long growing seasons that assure
a full return from the soil. With
such conditions, it is up to us to
make sure we take full advantage
of what we have at hand.
In order to carry out a success
ful soil conservation program, it
is necessary to have a good water
conservation program, also. For
this reason, I would like to con
fine my remarks largely to water.
I would like to discuss what the
situation is today, the way It has
changed in recent years, and what
we must expect and what we must
do in the future.
Water puts to work the life
giving organisms of soil. It sets
into motion the elements of the
soil that would otherwise be dead
or inactive. Without water, soil
cannot function. By the same
token, when there is too much
water, the soil becomes helpless
and useless. A field of drowned
, tobacco is just as tragic as a
field of dried up tobacco.
In this state, we have been
. plagued through the years with
, alternate periods of droughts and
floods, although we have ideal
overall weather conditions. In
many ways we have an erratic
weather pattern that leaves us at
the mercy of chance, so It is up
to us to put to full use what we
1 have.
We not only have a variety of
weather condition*, but our prob
lems vary from place to place.'
In the Coastal Plain, Piedmont,
or the moutnains. It is a matter
. of having the right amount of
water available at the proper time
during the year. In some areas
we need more water. In other
areas we have too much.
There are several compelling
facts and situations that must
be considered in deciding what
'we want to do about the future
of these two most important
natural resources. First of all.
we must remember that more and
more demands are being put on
the entire nation's surface and
ground water supplies. During the
past year, at one time or another,
one out of every four Americans
had to get along without water.
In many areas, municipal and In
dustrial water supplies were short
or exhausted.
The per capita consumption of
water is three times more today
than It was In 1900. And, more lm
pprtant. it will double again by
197S. Today the average per capita
use of water for domestic pur
poses is 137 gallons. In less than.
20 years it will be 300 gallons.
Modern industry is taking more
and more water. A large paper
mill uses more water each day
than does a city of 50.000 people.
It takes more than 80.000 gallons
of water to make the steel for
one new car.
Agriculture also is taking more
and more water. In North Caro
lina, sprinkler irrigation has
trebled in the past five years. It
is not unusual to find farms where
irrigation Increases the yield of
tobacco by 25 per cent. K takes
about 326.000 gallons of water
per acre for one cutting of alfalfa.
In all segments of our modern
way of life, there Is more and
more demand for more and more
water.
Since there is no replacement
for water, no substitute, it is im
perative that we make the fullest
use of what we have. From the
moment raindrops fall from the
heavens, we must get Into the
habit of making maxium use of
them until they are returned
through evaportation, or flow
back Into the ocean. We have to
do this by starting the chain of
utilization at the headwaters of
our small streams. It is at the
heads of these tributaries that
water begins its work, either for
mankind or against him. It is
here that we must begin to con
trol the water if we expect it to
work for us.
The small watershed program
offers us this control. It offers
many opportunities for commun
ities not only to overcome flood
and drought problems, but also
to find badly needed new sources
of water for Industrial expansion,
public water supplies, irrigation,
and recreation.
lifice", isn't heard much today,
is it? But. whether it's heard or
not, it still has its place.
The second kind of pride is per
sonal.
There was a time when it was
the rule in America that every
self-respecting person was de
termined to be beholden to no
man. Today, in many parts of the
country, it's considered smart to
get Just as much as possible, and
give just as little as possible.
There was a time when it was
something of a disgrace to accept
money in return for a personal
favor. How far away that time
was, for the country as a whole,
is indicated by the surprise vis
itors express when people here do
them a favor, and refuse pay for
it.
There was a time when Amer
icans took such pride in their
government, and their right and
duty to participate irr it, that
most Americans voted. Today, in
spite of all the effort to "get out
the vote", about half the quali
fied voers in this country never
go to the polls. And the percent
age, here in Macon County, is
nothing to be very proud of.
Now let's come down to cases,
right here at honte. Let's take
two instances.
There was a time here when
the voters got to the polls under
their own power: they thought
nothing of riding horseback, or
even walking, miles to the rotinp
places. Compare that with the
large number today who dont
even bother to register for an
election, and the larger number
who sit idly at home and wait
for somebody to haul lem to the
polls.
Or take Franklin's streets.
There's been a lot of talk about
how dirty our streets are. But
how many people have gone to
the town officials and told these
officials they want a clean town,
even if it does cost something in
tax funds? How many delegations
have appeared before the town
board recently to urge the im
portance of a clean town? Has
there been a delegation from the
Garden Club? or the Chamber
of Commerce? or the Jaycees?
How many individual citizens
have gone before the board to
express themselves on this matter
of town pride? Have you?
What sort of pride have we ia
our home town when all we do
about a situation we know needs
remedying is to mutter to our
selves?
Who's to blarae'for the fact
our American pride, our Macon
County pride, seems to be dis
appearing? I don't pretend to
have the whole answer. But you
might find part of the answer,
at least, by remembering that
ctiildren reflect, exactly what they
see in their elders; and now the
children havt grown up.
? ? ?
I am indented to Hayes Buchan
an for this story ? and itis too
good a one not to pass on:
It seema a man shocked his
family and friends by saying he
didn't wast to go to heaven. They
demanded to know why:
"Wett". he explained. "I'm sure
it's a nice place. But I think I'd
be lonesome. Because, from what
I can hear about the qualifica
tions for admission, there wont
be anybody there but babies and
granny-women."
? . ? *
So you thought it was cold in
town, last Wednesday? Well, you
shpuld have been on Nantahala
to really cool off. Over there, the
ground was white with snow that
morning.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
Looking Backward Through the Fill* of The Press
65 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(1893)
A new two-story addition Is being built to the St. Agnea
school building, which will contain seven or eight rooms to
be used for boarding and lodging of pupils.
One of the most popi|lar and paying features of the library
dinner was the voting contest to decide who was the prettiest
young lady. Miss Nora Deal received 112 votes. Miss Nannie
Trotter 93, and Miss Carrie Sloan 77.
C. W. McOee and P. P. Corbin have been commissioned as
deputy marshals in the revenue department.
25 YEARS AGO
(1933)
A fine looking bunch of young men, 108 strong, arrived in
Franklin Wednesday from Fort Bragg to take charge of the
Civilian Conservation Camp situated in a field near the cozad
Roller Mill on the Georgia Road. Clad in army shirts, fishing
hats, blue denim and khaki work pants, the boys looked like
they were starting out on a vacation camping trip. Jesting
and jostling good-naturedly, they were happy over the pros
pect of working In the Nantahala National Forest, instead of
staying home in Piedmont North Carolina, vainly hunting
for jobs that don't exist. ,
A tentative basis has been reached for sale of Franklin's
hydro-electric system to the Nantahala Power and Light Com
pany.
19 YEARS AGO
Bo 8etser, 18-year old F.F.A. member, of the Cartoogechaye
Community, came back home from the regional livestock
judging contest in Statesrllle last ifeek, bringing the top hon
ors with him.