gfte iftattMitt %tt?&
and
allje Highland Ulanmiatt
WEIMAR JOJVES
Editorial Page Editor 4,
Till RSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 1960
ANOTHER REASON
The Prodigal Uncle
A" piece at the bottom of this page cites some of
the reasons why federal aid, in the field of educa
tion, doesn't seem to make sense.
H
There is another reason, it seems to us, why
federal aid, in any field, doesn't make sense. It's
the fact that probably no governmental unit in
America ? town, county, or state? is in such foul
financial shape as Uncle Sam.
His debt is^ so great that it doesn't seem to mat
ter whether it's 150 or 200 billions ? nobody can
comprehend that much money any how. And, with
rare exceptions, he consistently operates in the
red? again in the billions. If any state were run
on su < h a fiscal basis, it would be a national scan
dal.
Yet the federal government continues to offer
more and bigger programs of grants-in-aid.
It's a little like a father, hopelessly in debt and
unable 'o meet his current obligations, insisting on
giving money to his mature and generally success
ful sons1 ? all 50 of 'em.
'Without Bias'
We regret that Harwood Beebe Company ap
parently misunderstood and so took exception to
an editorial in the February 4 Press. Referring to
that editorial, the Spartanburg engineering firm has
written the Franklin Board of Aldermen that it
"has no bias in the matter" of a Franklin water
supply source.
We H'astiO to say there was no intention of sug
gesting that Harwood Beebe was deliberately or
even consciously biased. The phrase it refers to,
"without bias", was used in the sense of "with
open minds", as, we believe a careful re-reading of
the passage will clearly show.
The editorial, which dealt with the report of Mr.
H. II. Plemmons and Mr. W. Russell Cabe on the
Wayab watershed, said:
it ts tremendously important to the people of Franklin
to know, beyond any reasonable doubt, whether they (Mr.
Plemmons and Mr. (Cabe ) are right or wrong. The only
way t4> determine that is for the town to have their facts,
i
figures, and conclusions checked by a competent outside
on^ine^r, who has had no previous connection with Frank
lin's *Ater problem atidf so can see it without bias.
It obvious, we believe, that the man who lias
been cl;>>c to a problem can never see it with the
fresh, .pen wind of the man who looks at it lor
the fir,' lime Anil human nature being what it is.
it i- i illy obvious. it seems |o us., that the man
who I ?.t y publVly committed hiniselt" to a specific
so.Iit.ti>>;> could not look at an alternate, proposal
with H+tirelv open mind. In that sense, we doubt
if Mi i'leinmons and Mr. Cabe, who have |?ul>:
liclv ? ? unilled themselves to the Wayah water
shed. ;ild be reasonably expected to look at the
(art< .. h;iye proposal "without bias". And Itar
wood i-cbc has committed itself not once, but
twice, the ( "artoogechaye project as TIIK/solu
tion
Who is right and who is wrong is inconseqiien
tial. But this problem is too big, too 'important, ami
involves too much mohev, to be decided except on
a basis of facts, all the facts.
The only sensible approach, it seems to us, is
for the town to get "a competent outside engineer,
who * has had no previous connection with Frank
lin's water problem and so can see it without bias"
to make a careful .study of every possibility ?
creeks, watersheds, and even wells.
I
Those Local Elections
i
?
We ne h< ,v nfr much about the choice, in thi>
yea;'.' -lections, of A President of the United States,
a jjovernor o. Xorth Carolina, a lT. S. senator from
this state, and a congressman from this district.
That, of course, is as it should lie, for we need
for those offices the very be?t man available.
W hat isjiot as it should be is that we are hear
in^ almost nothing about the choice of men fur
local office.
Iii a sense, -focal elections are even more impor
tant than state and national ones; because we rare
"IW About Breaking Hit- Political SmiihI Harrier, Flash?"
djuxsi
Strictly Personal By WEIMAR JONES
It must have been half a dozen
years ago that I launched a one
man war against that linguistic
barbarism, "different than".
And in all those years. I've got
exactly nowhere ? well, I had got
nowhere, until the other day.
For more and more people seem
to say one thing is "different
than" another; you read it in
newspapers and magazines, and
even find it in books.
Yet it still is an expression
there's no possible excuse for.
It lacks dictionary definition.
It violates every rule of logic,
as applied to grammar. "Than" is
a conjunction, and a conjunction
is used to connect rather than to
separate. "Different", an adjective,
Is followed not by a conjunction,
but by a preposition; in this case,
the preposition "from".
It doesn't take a knowledge of
either dictionaries or grammar,
though, to recognize that "differ
ent than" is a contradiction, and
so just doesn't say anything. One
man can be older than another,
or taller than another. But how
in the name of common sense
can one man be different than
another? You might as well say
one man is different like another.
What prompted the start of
this war, I guess, was that I ob
served how common this expres
sion is among people who pride
themselves on being in a class by
themselves because they speak
such good English: those language
snobs who are the first to laugh
at the mistakes of the unlettered,
those who look longest and hard
est down their noses at such good
English expressions as "you all"i
And so, tongue in cheek, I
couldn't resist the impluse to stick
this "different than" pin into the
balloons of their self-importance.
For half a dozen years, I've
ly have pood state and national government unless
we first have good local government. Furthermore,
the only way to halt the continuing shift of power
froln towns and counties to the state and national
capitals is for local government to prove it can do
the job. It's worth noting, too, that while the
voters at the local level have only a small part in
selecting national and state officials, they have the
whole responsibility for selecting local officials.
This year, it is true, we will choose only a few
local officials; most county offices are filled, for
l'our-year terms, in the "off-year" elections. But the
offices we will fill are important.
This year a three-man county board of educa
tion is to be chosen; a county surveyor is to be
named ; this county's representative in the General
Assembly is to be elected; and a state senator from
this five-county district is to.be picked. i
It's time we were hearing and thinking about
these important local elections.
Why Work For Money?
(Marshalltown, Iowa,. Times)
Why work for money? If you're a spendthrift- you never
have any anyway, and if you're a tightwad you don't get any
fun out of spending it _____
DO YOU REMEMBER?
Looking Backward Through the ihles or The Press
rPRESS,
65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(1895)
Mr. E. K. Cunningham and Mr. W. B. McGuire moved Mon
day evening, exchanging places.
We learn that over 200 rabbits were captured during the
snow on Col. John Ingram's farm.
Mr. Mclntyre, living about two miles from town, had two
cows frozen to death in the late cold snap.
John O. Harrison and Will Downs had new accessions to
their families last Wednesday, and will sing "Rock-a-bye
Baby" for the next few months.
35 YEARS AGO
(1925)
Richard Jones secured his first case last week. Quick work
for a man just out of college.
Mrs. W. W. Sloan gave one of her Inimitable dinner parties
lajt week in honor of Mrs. J. W. Shields, of Chambersburg,
Penn. A dozen ladles were the leclpients of Mrs. Sloan's ever
enjoyable hospitality.
Cane, sugar at 7 cents per pound. Coffee at 35 cents per
pound. Bill Cunningham, The Cash Store, Franklin ? Adv.
15 YEARS AGO
(1945) i
Organization plans are now being perfected to raise $6,700
in Macon County for the American Red Cross during the first
week of March, according to the Rev. W. Jackson Hunneycutt,
county chairman.
Mrs. Ed Whitaker and Mrs. Horace Nolen spent Sunday
in Bryson city, visiting relatives.
5 YEARS AGO
(1955)
The Franklin Rotary Club last night celebrated the Golden
Anniversary of the founding of Rotary.
LETTERS
About Water
Dear Sir:
Having been reared in Macon County, I have been inter
ested in reading in The Franklin Press of the efforts of the
city in locating a water supply.
Now X have not lived there in a good many years, but X be
lieve i am familiar enough with the situation to say that
getting water out of Cartoogechaye Creek would be next to
the last place they should think about.
The ideas of Mr. Plemmons and Mr. Cabe as outlined in the
article in The Press sound reasonable and they certainly make
sense. I think these men deserve a fine bouquet for the work
they have done. Furthermore, if the city administration of
Franklin is as smart as I think they ari, they will utilize the
wonderful watershed possibilities if at all possible.
, EDWIN G. YOUNG
Lubbock, Texas
Up To Cattlemen
(Ashevtlle Citizen)
Beef cattle producers must make sure that no chemical
harmful to humans remains In the meat that reaches the con
sumer's table, a leading Tar Heel cattleman says.
Mack S. Patton of Hendersopville, vice president of the
North Carolina Cattlemen's Association, warned cattlemen
that it is up to them to see to it that additives used in feeds
and chemicals used in insecticides and pesticides contain
nothing which might be harmful to humans.
Lest the warning be taken lightly, harken to the recent
plight of the cranberry grower and the poultry producer.
(EDITOR'S NOTE: Mr. Patton is a native of Macon County.)
Three Ways Women React
i (Farm Journal)
Women long ago learned at least three ways to deal with a
domestic crisis ? have a good cry, sue for divorce, and rear
range the living room furniture.
As winter strips the leaves from around us, so that we may
see the distant regions they formerly concealed, so old age
takes away our enjoyments only to enlarge the prospect of the
coming eternity,? Richter.
(ought this war without ever
winning a battle.
But what do you suppose has
happened? After all this time, a
recruit has joined my hitherto one
man army! A man by the name
of Wilson Follett. And he's serious.
An authority on English usage,
he is writing a book on that sub
ject; and he puts "different than''
high on a list of expressions that
are Indefensible.
And just to cinch the thing,
guess where I read his piece: In
The Atlantic monthly ? none
other!
Do I think Mr. Follett and The
Atlantic and I are going to win
this war?
I doubt it.
But half the fun of fighting
a war is the comradeship that
comes from being in an army. And
at last I have an army! (though
Mr. Follett and The Atlantic,
since neither of them ever heard
of me. may not know they're in
It). ,
? ? ?
That new traffic light at Maple
and West Palmer Streets is an
improvement, and town author
ities are to be commended Wr
installing it.
But because habit is such a
strong thing, the new light keeps
it in a dither.
I've been driving through that
intersection ? out of West Main
down Maple and to Palmer ?
daily for years; and so I still am
likely to be so intent on watch
ing the traffic, I forget there is a
light.
So when I get to that inter
section, I come to a full stop 'as
the sign that's still there says I
must) and look both ways to see i
if anything is coming along Pal
mer. If there is, I wait ? until
somebody's honking behind me re
minds me there's a light there,
that it's green, and why don't I
go on while I can.
Or I come to the Intersection,
stop, look both ways, see no
traffic, and pull out ? and sud
denly wonder, as I straighten up
on Palmer on my way to town:
Did I run a red light that time?
In either case, I feel foalish.
But 111 bet I'm not the only one
who's had that experience since
the new light was put in.
IN MAKE BELIEVE
Hard To Find Villains
Raleigh NEWS AND OBSERVER
Alan Wheatley, a British actor
who plays the infamous Sheriff of
Nottingham of the "Robin Hood"
series, Is having a dreadful time.
Children hide behind hedges and
walls and climb trees to fire ar
rows at him.
Obviously our little British
cousins also hate the villain who
would hurt their hero. In this
section it was always exceedingly
difficult to play Civil War becauso
no child wanted to be a Yankee.
Some tiny Quislings were bribed
to be Yankees with marbles, tops,
or candles. In cowboys the small
est tot was browbeaten into being
a rustler. Occasionally, one "to
himself boy" would be the stage
robber but it wasn't until years
later this lad learned he was
psychologically striking back at
an oppressive society.
There have always been enough
athletic heroes to get up good
sides, but even in the 20's and 30's
no one would be a gangster unless
he was premised the Job of beinu
Lindbergh or Admiral Byrd for
three straight days. In "wild ani
mals," however, there were many
volunteers for parts as demons
of the jungle. If a child was
berated for snitching fruit, pecans,
or berries he always said he Was i)
a lion. How could anyone expect
a lion to know better than to grab
a few green apples?
IN PRAISE OF GATES
Henry Bent is Gofcbbw* News-Areas
A sound, a sight can arouse
nostalgic recollections. Topsy and
I were walking past the Kemp
woods when a tranquil, rhythmic
sound caught my attention.
It was the gate for vehicles
swinging ever so slightly on
hinges that made the pleasant
noise.
Gates I enjoyed as a boy came
back. The iron gate to the' wire
fence in our front yard in Monroe.
The pasture gates on farms of
my uncle in Sweet Union.
One could ride a half circle
on the big pasture gates, swing
ing in an arc under the summer
sky, thinking the long, long
thoughts of boyhood. Or oh that
Washington Street gate dne could
lean and long and ponder. Gatfes
were an aid to imagination and
contemplation.
Saga Of The Mule
WILLIAM FAULKNER
(EDITOR'S NOTE: This is
from Mr. Faulkner's "Sartoris",
written more than thirty years
ago.)
Some Homer of the cotton fields
should sing the saga of the mule
and his place in the South. .He it
was, more than any other creature
or thing, who steadfast to the
land when all else faltered before
the juggernaut of circumstance,
impervious to conditions that
broke men's hearts because of his
'GIRLS' DECIDE
TO BE HONEST
Absolute honesty and no de
ception is the only correct policy,
the girls at the beauty parlor de
cided in a discussion of the TV
quiz shows while getting their hair
dyed. ? Denver Post.
3 REASONS WHY . . .
Federal Aid To Schools Doesn't Make Sense
MJDISOX (JV. C.) MESSENGER
We arc opposed to a federal aid
program for the schools on the
grounds that such a program
would: li .be wasteful of tax
money; 2) place the control of the
schools In the hands of a Wash
ington bureaucracy; and 3) offer
another political football for the
unscrupulous politician to kick
about.
There is a widespread illusion
in the land that monies received
through federal grant are in some
mystical manner akin to the
mythical "manna from Heaven"
of Biblical times. Federal monies
are for free, appears to be the
thinking of the average person.
This iltysion or. if you will, de
Iusion? is so patently a fraud, that
it scarcely deserves to be dignified
with recognition. Still, for the
record, let us point out that all
monies, received through state, or
federal grants, come directly from
our own pockets. ?
Wheh people argue that individ
ual states or communities are un
able to keep up their schools be
cause of the rapidly ballooning
enrollments, rising costs, etc.. they'
immediately lift their voices i.i
chorus and wail for federal aid,
as if it were the one and only
answer to their need. They over
look the fact that this money is
diminished, in its actual useful
ness, in direct proportion to the
number of hands it goes through
getting back to them.
Let us be realistic for a moment.
Let us cry for federal aid and see
what happens if our cry is heard
and answered in a favorable man
ner. In the first place, we will set
up in Washington a brand new
Bureau of School Financing. To
operate this cumbersome octopus,
we will employ additional thou
sands of civil servant^ to whip up
the inevitable red tape involved
in any such federal undertaking
and, before we realize it, we have
spent a good portion of our money,
before the program ever starts to
roll.
So much for that. A greater evil
than this needless waste of tax
monies is. in our opinion, the un
healthy effect a federal school aid
program, per se, would have on
. the schools themselves. Experience
has demonstrated what occurs
whenever the federal government
extends its tentacles ir^to new
fields of grant-in-aid. Before thi
local administrator can gather his
wits about him, the government
is in the driver's seat directing the
spending of the grant-in-aid
monies and generally controlling
the local situation. "Creeping so
cialism" is one term that has been
applied to this type of develop
ment. If you admire creeping
socialism, all right. That's your
affair.
But there is another matter to
consider. Once the federal govern
ment is in the saddle in local
schools, you will receive ukases,
rules, and regulations, daily, from
Washington. They will be drawn
up rigidly, to cover school prob
lems on a nation-wide basis. Some
of these ukases will suit your local
situation; some of them will be
absolutely meaningless, or useless,
so far as the local situation is
concerned. This central control
is unrealistic and highly im
practical. Otherwise, why should
our forefathers ever have bothered
about State's Rights?
Over- and beyond ^11 these ob
jections to federal aid to schools
hovers the spectre of the political
football game. For example, how
might a solidly Democratic state
or community fare in the federal
aid program, under a Republican
administration, or vice versa?
There are too many ifs. and?-,
and buts to this proposition to
m;ike it savory to our palate.
Let us keep control of our own
schools. Let us raise our own
money to support them; and let.
us spend it ourselves in ways
where it will do the most good.
venomous and patient preoccupa
tion with the immediate present
won the prone South from beneath
the iron heel of Reconstructior
and taught -it pride again through
hutnility, and courage through aa
versity overcome; who accomplish
ed the well-nigh impossible despite
hopeless odds, by sheer and vjn
dictive patience. ?
Father and mother he does no>
resemble; sons and daughters hi
will never have; vindictive an<
patient (it is a known fact tha
he will labor ten years willingl:
and patiently for you, for th
privilege of kicking you once'
solitary but without pride, self-sul
ficient but without vanity; hi
voice is his own derision.
"Outcast and pariah, he ha
neither friend, wife, mistress o
sweetheart; celibate, he is ui
scarred, posesses neither pillar no
desert cave. He is not assaulte
by temptations nor flagellated b
dreams nor assuaged by visior
faith, hope and charity are nc
his.
Misanthropic, he labors >sj
days without reward for or
creature whom he hates, boun
with chains to another he d
spises, and spends the seventh da
kicking and being kicked by h
fellows.
Misunderstood, even by tl
creature that drives him, he pe
forms alien actions in alien su
roundlngs; he finds bread not on
for a race, but for an entire for
of behavior.
Meek, his inheritance is coo
ed away from him, along with h
soul In a glue factory. Ugly, u
tiring and perverse, he can !
moved neither by reason, flatter
nor promise of reward; he p<
forms his humble, monotono
duties without complaint, and 1"
meed Is blows.
Alive, he Is haled through tJ
world, an object of general c
rision; unwept, unhonored ai
unsung, he bleaches his awkwa
accusing bones amorig rusting ca
and broken crockery and worno
automobile tires on lonely hi
sides, while his flesh "sqars u
aWares against the blue in t';
craws of buzzards.
FOR WHOM
THE PHONE RINGS
When thou art in the batl.til
ask not for whom the phol
lingeth for thou knowest it is ill
thro. ? Cedar Rapids t Iowa < Frol
Line.