Page TWO
THE PILOT—Southern Pines. North Carolina
THURSDAY. JULY 26. 1956
Southern Pines
■LOT
North Carolina
“In talong over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We will try to keep tto a good
paper. We will try to make a Uttie money for all concerned. Where there seems to be an Ea
ston to use our influence for the public good we will try to do it. And we wiU trea everybody
alike.”;—James Boyd, May 23, 1941.
Nature’s Worst and People’s Best
Reporters, officers and others who witness
ed all or part of the nightmare events near Rob
bins last week—when a flash flood swept three
persons from automobiles to their deaths—^had
high praise for the response of the people of
the Robbins community to this emergency.
Led by the Robbins volunteer firemen and
the community’s rescue squad, dozens of men
gave full time to rescue and search efforts, with
no thought for their personal businesses or af
fairs.
The deaths of a Lexington woman and her
daughter occurred early Friday morning. Res
cue by boat of others who had been in the car,
recovery of the bodies and the automobile in
which the victims had been riding, as well as
another automobile from which one man had
escaped took most of Friday. Volunteers work
ed up to their necks in muddy water. Then, on
the supposition there might have been another
victim who had been a passenger in the second
automobile, the search continued and late Sat
urday night, a third body was found.
During all this time, there was never a lack
of voluntees, assistance in all tasks to be per
formed. In this area, where the elements are
generally kind, as compared to sonie sections
of the nation, the flash flood proved to be the
most lethal and the most dramatic occurrence
that has taken place in many years.
But while Nature was shown in the flash
flood at her worst, the best in human nature
was displayed by the people of the Robbins
area. Their unselfish efforts and accomplish
ments, at great personal discomfort and incon
venience, will not soon be forgotten.
Challenge to the Railroad and the Town
The tragic death at the New Hampshire Ave
nue railroad crossing last week marked the
third time in less tlian 10 years that an elderly
pedestrian has been killed by a train at a local
grade crossing. And other persons have lost
their lives at these crossings when automobiles
in which they were riding were struck by
trains.
The lesson in this record is clear; the warning
devices and measures now.being used at these
crossings are inadequate to protect the lives
of residents of this community—no matter how
effective they appear to be.
That is the challenge that must now be met
by the Seaboard Air Line Railway and the
Town of Southern Pines.
From the record of the three pedestrian
deaths, it is apparent that whistles, bells, flash
ing lights and other normally effective warn
ing signals are not sufficient to deter elderly
persons on foot from walking in front of on
coming trains.
Automatic gates such as those installed at the
Main St. and South St. crossings in Aberdeen
would seem to be the only answer to safety at
railroad intersections in this community where
there is an unusually large proportion of elder
ly persons.
Such gates go down automatically as a train
approaches and are lifted automatically when
the train has passed by. While there might be
daredevils who would try to slip by the gates,
4t is likely that such a system would give com
plete protection to the deaf, preoccupied or
careless elderly persons who appear to be those
to whom the present system poses the greatest
threat.
Gates would stop, too, a coinmon practice of
local motorists: trying to beat the train at cross
ings, after the warning bell is ringing and the
signals are flashing. (Let it be noted, also, that
some local grade crossing street-railro&d inter
sections are not protected even by warning
lights and bells—a situation that is as great a
threat to motorists as to pedestrians, since the
car driver, shut up in his vehicle and with the
sound of his own motor in his ears must hear
the bells from another crossing or the toots of
the locomotive horn before he has warning that
a train is coming.)
Seaboard engineers, it seems to us, do all that
they can to protect the public and make the
presence of an oncoming train known, as they
pass through Southern Pines. In none of the
fatal accidents, automobile or pedestrian, at
local crossings, has ther^ been to our know
ledge any question of negligence on the part
of the train engineer.
The fact is that here in Southern Pines we
are faced with a peculiar and especially danger
ous situation: the railroad running down the
middle of the main business section street, with
people, including a large number of elderly
persons, crossing the railroad as frequently and
as casually as they would cross the street if the
railroad were not there.
The special dangers of such a situation call
for a special remedy. Automatic gates, it seems
to us, would answer the problem.
Citizen Cooperation Puts Teeth In Laws
The local ordinance regulating charitable and
religious solicitations, which was adopted by
the council recently, will be of little use unless
it receives the cooperation of the public.
Persons asking for money for any charitable
or religious cause—unless, pf course, they are
known to a householder or businessman as rep
resenting a recognized organization—should be
asked to exhibit their permits. And if they do
not have permits from the city manager, the
police should be called.
In its need of public cooperation for effective
ness, the new ordinance is like the older local
law prohibiting house to house selling which
figured in the news when fraudulent magazine
salesmen bilked some residents here earlier this
year.
Many persons would probably prefer to don
ate a small coin to an unknown and possibly
fraudulent appeal for a religious or charitable
THEY'RE SAYING
‘Prime Example of Fascism’
cause than to go through the rigamarole of ask
ing to see a permit and then becoming involved
as a witness by calling the police.
This attitude is understandable but it could in
no way be called good citizenship. Small coins
from dozens or hundreds of ipersons form a
pretty good haul for a professional panhandler—
or even a quasi-legitimate but entirely “outside”
organization—to be taking out pf Southern
Pines.
By enacting the selling and solicitation laws,
the council has adopted the niost complete and
effective legislation on the two problems that
is now available to municipalities. Both the
ordinances are regarded as model laws.
In return for this effort to protect residents
of the town from fraud and waste and to pro
tect legitimate local charitable and religious ap
peals, citizens should cooperate with enforce
ment of the laws, even if it means some slight
personal inconvenience.
Harry P. Cain made the best possible use of
his invitation from Senator Hennings of Mis
souri to appear before the Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on Constitutional Rights. The
Eisenhower appointee to the Subversive Activ
ities Control Board told thp Senators, and
through them the country, of case after case of
gross mistreatment of American citizens, in the
name of security.
Take, for instance, what the former Repub
lican Senator from the State of Washington,
called a “prime example of Fascism.” Here it is
as Mr. Cain related it to the Senators:
A Seattle man, whose name Mr. Cain did not
disclose (the man has now identified himself
as Irving August and thanked Mr. Cain for call
ing his case to public attention) wore his coun
try’s uniform in,^ the Korean war. As a front
line soldier, he received one of the most cher
ished of war decorations—the Combat Infantry
man's Badge.
After the soldier was released from service,
he became a worker for the Red Cross. The
Red Cross had enough confidence in him to
want to send him overseas. In due course the
Red Cross asked the Army for overseas clear
ance for him.
The Army declined to clear the Red Cross
worker who had fought for freedom in Korea.
1 1* -
i;... ^.
Crains of Sand
'The World Can't Be As Bad As They Say — The Churches Ar^ Crowded'
'Sleeping Tar-Heels'
Constitution Blocking Progress
Only aroused citizen
awareness of the many gov
ernmental and economic
shortcomings of North Car
olina can lead to bettering
the state's standing, believes
Dr. Roma S. Cheek, a Duke
University professor who is
author of the recently pub
lished booklet, "Sleeping
Tar-Heels." Following is the
fifth and final excerpt re
printed by The Pilot from
this provocative booklet.
Many more interesting and
startling details appear in the
original publication. The
Pilot's editorial comment on
the booklet as a whole will
appear in an early edition.
Sources of all quotations are
given by Dr. Cheek in the
booklet, but are omitted in
portions printed by The
Pilot.
Thereupon the Red Cross gave him a choice—
he could either resign from the Red Cross or
be fired. He resigned. That was last April 27.
Naturally Mr. August wanted to know what
this was all about. So he wrdte to the Army. He
asked what the charges were and said he be
lieved he was entitled to know since he had
never been a Communist and had not been a
member of any organization listed as subver
sive by the Attorney General.
The Army Department did not answer his
letter. Sa then the former infantryman sat
down and wrote a letter to President Eisen
hower who used to be a soldier himself. To the
President .he sent, with his letter, his Combat
Infantryman’s Badge—as a “symbol of the in
justice that I believe has been done to me.”
He received no answer from the White House.
And he did not get his Combat Infantryman’s
Badge back. But he heard again from the Army.
The Army sent him a letter that made no
mention of his request for a statement of the
charges against him. The Army referred him
back to the Red Cross. The cycle was com
plete.
No wonder Mr. Cain tould report after his
long-awaited conference with Mr. Eisenhower
that the President was indignant when the
facts about this case were told to him.
—ST LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
North Carolina’s present
eighty-eight year old Constitution
is out of date, contradictory and
full of legislation. It was framed
ini 1868 by the so-called “carpet
baggers” and “scalawags” and
has been amended 64 times. Thir
ty-three states have Constitutions
of a more recent date than North
Carolina’s.
Two attempts have been made
in the twentieth century to re
vise the Constitution by Constitu
tional Committees: in 1913 and
1931. Both efforts failed.
Stripped of Controls
Under the present “pseudo
parliamentary” system of govern
ment which the Constitution and
successive legislatures have crea
ted, the Governor has been strip
ped of administrative controls
over the executive branch of gov
ernment, which he is supposed to
head.
Today the size and costs of
state government have mush
roomed to formerly undreamed
of heights and the many cOmpli-'
cated governmental problems
cannot be solved without a prop
er division of authority and re
sponsibility. While this lack of
proper division of authority and
responsibility is very evident on
a state level, it is equally appar- |
ent on the local level for the leg
islature repeatedly refuses to
grant the local communities of
North Carolina “home rule.”
Instead of spending its time on
the .many complicated problems
of state government which so
badly need its attention, the state
Legislature appears more inter
ested in its local political patron
age, power and interests and con
tinues to make even minor local
governmental decisions in Ra
leigh. In the 1955 Legislature, for
example, of the 1,999 measures
introduced, 977 were local bills.
Eighty per cent of all local bills
introduced became law as against
54 per cent of the non-local
measures.
Both the legislative and judi
cial branches of North Carolina
are antiquated in many respects
and the state’s entire system of
law enforcement and criminal
treatment needs overhauling.
A Stumbling Block
A state Constitution is sup
posed to contain only the basic
framework and fundamental
principles of government but the
North Carolina Constitution now
contains so much legislation that
it can no longer properly be call
ed a Constitution. It has become,
in itself, a stumbling block to ef
ficient, effective state and local
government.
North Carolina’s occupations
and professions, which constitute
the source of livelihood and the
door of opportunity for the state’s
youth, have largely become a
monopoly of vested interests.
Each occupation or profession
sets up its own special board to
control its own particular field
not only with the state’s bless
ing, but endowed by the state
with punitive powers to enforce
its decisions.
During the past four years
North Carolina has lost popula
tion by migration to other states
at a very disturbing rate. “During
the 1940-1950 decade, the state’s
rate of loss by net out-migration
was three times higher than ever
before in our history, but so far
during the 1950-1960 decade the
rate of loss is even higher.” Dur
ing the decade 1940-1950 North
Carolina was seventh highest
among the twenty-five states los
ing their civilian population
through migration.
The Public
Speaking
Pity Doesn’t Strengthen
Confidence In Leadership
To The Editor:
The writer heartily endorses
your editorial of June 28, “Presi
dent Eisenhower Should Not
Run.”
Although a local critic writes
that your statement “could have
been evoked only by the ulti-
Imate in partisan prejudice,” your
reasons seem to most of us sound
and reasonable:
“(1) He can not do his work
and no one can do it for him and
(2) the country is in a state of
pervesithat is profoundly disquiet
ing, threatening, at any crisis,-to
undermine morale and the na
tion’s stability and initiative.”
Until recently. The Charlotte
Observer has tried in its editorial
policy to be fair and to stand by
our President, but a recent (July
11) editorial, “While Ike Is Con
valescing, Big Matters Are Drift
ing,” backs up what you have
written.
Many of us are sorry for Eisen
hower, but pity does not
strengthen confidence in the
leadership so much needed.
FRANCIS M. OSBORNE
Pinehurst
Young People Leaving
Especially the young men and
women are leaving North Caro
lina during their most productive
years so that North Carolina may
become primarily a state of chil
dren and old people. The young
citizen must consider his own fu
ture, however, and he or she can
ill afford to remain in his home
state when other states offer
much greater opportunity for
success.
North Carolina appears to be
using the “sparrow-approach” in
meeting many of its economic
needs. Much of the state’s natural
resources and potential economic
resources are underdeveloped
with corresponding failure to de
velop a more greatly diversified
industry and agriculture. In this
as in other areas there is great
need for more state-wide plan
ning and action.
Yet there is no over-all state
wide planning agency. The Legis
lature has in recent years refused
to appropriate any funds for the
state-wide planning agency pro
vided by law. Some of the indivi
dual state departments plan as
they can for the state as a whole
but this is at best piecemeal and
inadequate.
Leadership Reluctant
Another serious handicap to
North Carolina is the difficulty of
securing a sufficient amount of
capable and courageous leader
ship required to give the state the
necessary guidance in the solu
tion of its many complicated
problems. Lack of adequate libel
laws is a major stumbling block
here. The most capable citizens
often refuse to run for public of
fice because they and their fam
ilies do not want to be subjected
to “character assassination” and
have reputations of a lifetime
destroyed by the type of “low-
level, mud-slinging campaigns"
permitted in North Carolina. The
enaction of adequate libel laws
should take the state’s political
campaigns out of the “gutter”
and remove one of the great bar
riers which now prevents many
capable citizens from running for
office.
The elimination of fraud at the
polls and the revamping of out-
of-date election laws and proce
dures would stimulate more
capable North Carolina citizens
to become politically active.
Time To Awaken
Although other “red flags of
danger” can be cited for the cit
izen’s attention, the before-listed
items should indicate to manj
“Tar Heels” that it is time to
awaken and discharge their po
litical responsibilities for the
good of themselves, their fami
lies, and their state. ’The job of
securing effective, efficient,
economical, and responsible gov
ernment can never be accom
plished by the “Let John do it”
approach which is what those
“Tar Heels” who are now some
what awake seem to conclude.
Double Sunflower
Harold M. Fowler of 710 N. May
St., brought a “double” sunflower ')
to The Pilot office Monday morn
ing—one that appeared on one ^
plant in a row of sunflowers in his *
garden.
Instead of the usual circle of
petals around a large center, the
odd sunflower had small thickly
clustered petals over its entire
surface. It was about six inches
across and looked like a huge or
ange chrysanthemum. '
Mr. Fowler said that there are
other buds on the plant and he’s
wondering if all the flowers will ^
be of the same unusual appear- ^
ance.
Beating Our Time
Having established a reputation
among readers, so we hear, of be
ing inordinately fond of dogs. The
Pilot has taken some pride in its
extreme position . . . but now we
find ourselves out-dogged to such
a degree that we hand over the
palm and slink away in shame for
for our comparative lack of en
thusiasm.
In a letter received at the office
recently, the National Dog Wel
fare Guild of New York City asks
for financial help and points out
that National Dog Week is coming
up September 23-29. But here’s
what puts us to shame: emblazon
ed on the letterhead is a kind of
seal showing a man and a dog
with the caption underneath: 0
“Dog’s Best Friend.”
Even the dog-minded Pilot
thinks it’s going a little too far to
rate man in terms of his relation
ship to dogs.
Also on the letterhead is the slo
gan, “Education, Service, Re
search.”
Kind of gave us the creeps, it
did, and conjured up the picture
of a lot of super dogs up there in
New York City carrying on a pro-
gram of education, service and re
search on behaH of pitiful man
kind.
We could picture an alert little
poodle licking and sealing the en
velope in which the communica
tion came (poodles ought to be
good at such tasks.)
The letter closes: “With kindest
regards and thanks from those
who would say thanks if they
could ...”
See what we mean? Probably
a big sleek boxer—but a kindly
one—signed all those letters, sit
ting behind a highly polished
desk. We can see the cute cock
er secretary handing them over to
the fox terrier messenger boy to
mail . . .
/
Monster of Monsters
With nerves somewhat frazzled
by Moore County news events of ^
the past week—including four
tragic accidental deaths and a
murder—we picked up the phone
Monday morning to hear an excit
ed voice telling us about a mon
ster—“one hundred feet long,
teeth five inches long, nine inches
across the eye sockets, covered
with red hair ...”
From the sound of the voice, we
were convinced the creature was
coming down Broad St., scooping ^
up hapless pedestrians as it pro
gressed.
But then Jim Baird, who was
the caller, got around to telling us
that it was a news story about a
monster found in Alaska, a story
in Monday morning’s papers.
A standing source of chuckles in
the newspaper world used to be
the stories of monsters that would
pop up when the news was us
ually somewhat dull in the dog ^
days of summer.-
Usually, the story would origi
nate at Loch Ness in Scotland.
There would be vivid eye-witness
descriptions of the Thing that had
been seen in the lake. Usually the
stories came along in August.
Hmmm . . . well . . . this is any
way late in July ... Oh yes, what
was that it said at the end of the
story: the carcass of the monster
is in danger of being washed ^
away by the tides? . . . Hmmm
. . . By the time a scientific expe
dition reaches the spot, we’d be
inclined to beii a high tide would
have washed it away. Too cyni
cal? Maybe so.
Anyway, that red hair all over
it beats anjjthing that ever came
out of Loch Ness.
The PILOT ^
Published Every Thursday by
THE PILOT, Incorporated
Southern Pines, North Carolina
1941—JAMES BOYD—1944
Katharine Boyd Editor
C. Benedict Associate Editor
Vance Derby News Editor
Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr.
C. G. Ceuncil Advertising
Mary Scott New,ton Business V
Bessie Cameron Smith Society
Composing Room
Lochamy McLean, Dixie B Ray,
Michael Valen, Jasper Swearingen
Thomas Mattocks.
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