Page TWO
THE PILOT—Southern Pines, North Carolina
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 1962.
Southern Pines
North Carolina
“In taking over The Pilot no changes are contemplated. We will try to keep this a good
paper. We will try to make a little money f or all concerned. Wherever there seems to be
an occasion to use our influence for the public good we will try to do it. And we will
treat everybody alike.”—James Boyd, May 23, 1941.
The Horizon Retreats
If some of the renowned pollsters or
estimators had been put to work on the
project, we think they’d have found that
the level of work, production, concentra
tion or what have you fell noticeably
throughout the nation Tuesday.
Lucky non-workers stayed glued to the
television or radio as Astronaut John
Glenn whizzed three times around the
globe in a few hours. Others got the
news by calls from friends, visitors com
ing in off the street or other means.
“He’s off!” and “He’s back safe!” were
the big announcements for millions. No
body really relaxed in the intervening
hours. A few of the oldtimers recalled
Lindbergh’s flight to Paris, alone in his
little plane, in 1927. Both flights were
something. Really something. You can
A Good Cause
The Pilot is always pleased to endorse
the fund-flraising drive of the Sandhills
Veterans Association which is again seek
ing public contributions (Box 894, Sou
thern Pines) to make possible a program
of training Moore County High School
graduates to enter the nursing profession,
on condition that these young women
will return to work foir a certain time in
Moore County.
The achievements of this program are
well known in Moore County: the training
of 16 registered nurses since World War
II and six Moore County girls now in
nursing school,
I^&st year, the program received a tre-
mendous boost from the contributions
The Women’s Auxiliary of Moore Mem
orial Hospital and the Medical Auxiliary,
the wives of doctors practicing in the
county. Though these contributions make
possible the training of nurses on a scale
never before reached by the Sandhill
Veterans, the dollars of the general pub
lic, which kept the program going for
more than 10 years, are still needed. It
is now possible to produce nurses in such
numbers that, at last, significant progress
can be made toward solving the county’s
shortage of trained nursing persopnel.
The SAV program provides a marvelous
opportunity for young women to enter,
without any personal financial obligation,
a satisfying and humanly important pro
fession.
We urge that the county’s wonderful
record of generosity in this cause not be
Relaxed'this year.
count on the American people to respond.
“The Lone Eagle” they called Lind
bergh. Will there be a name for Glenn?
Or was Glenn’s adventure too precise,
. too scientific for any colorful appelation?
What a tribute to scientific accomplish
ment that nobody doubted, seriously
doubted, that he would get down!
When you see a six-year-old running
in circles now, he won’t be winning the
Indianapolis auto race or even a jet Bight
from coast lo coast and back. He’ll be
circling the world in his capsule, with a
contemptuous glance, now and then, at
the outline of a continent below.
Thus we enter a new age: the horizon
of our aspiration retreats. Let no one
say there is still no frontier.
Strengthening Faith
The fine turnout of 60 or more persons
Monday night at the first organization
meeting of the Southern Pines Merchants
Council, as well as the enthusiasm and
business-improving suggestions apparent
there—portend a brighter future for the
business section. i
Adding to local optimism is Fletcher-
Southern’s announcement that this in
dustry is expanding its plant by about
one-third is size, eventually to nearly
double its employee force. Southern Pines
notes with interest, too, a motel project
proposed for a site north of town and
construction continuing on another motel
and restaurant just south of the communi
ty,
A considerable number of houses are
being built in Southern Pines and sur
rounding area, as well as a new in-town
apartment house. Resort facilities report
good bookings for the Spring season.
The shopping center project between
Southern Pines and Aberdeen is an in
dication of faith in the economic develop
ment of the area. We hear increasing ex
pression of opinion that the shopping
center will not be a fatal threat to in-
town business. One experienced observer
said at the merchants’ meeting Monday
night that no in-town business district
need fear a suburban development, if the
down-town area provides adequate park
ins facilities.
'Ground will be broken for the Episcopal
Home for the Aging March 4. . .
All this does much to strengthen our
often-expressed faith in the future of
Southern Pines.
Real Issues in
T;he Pilot welcomes the candidacy of
StaW Rep. John P. Kennedy of Charlotte,
as an opponent of Rep. A. Paul Kitchin
of Wadesboro for Congress in the May
Democratic primary. It is an exceedingly
good sign that Mr. Kennedy, who has
been feeling out opinion throughout the
newly created Eighth Congressional Dis
trict, thinks that there is widespread dis
satisfaction with the Kitchin record.
The Pilot editorial last week—saying
that we hoped Kennedy and former Con
gressman C. B. Deane of Rockingham
would not both run—though both are
worthy candidates—may have been
somewhat confusing to readers, as Ken
nedy had announced his candidacy before
the editorial was printed and then Deane
announced that he would not run, on the
day the editorial appeared.
The Kennedy-Kitchin contest will make
a good race, because there are real issues
—issues which cannot be ignored by any
Democrat concerned about the future of
his party. In terms of support of the
Administration, Rep. Kitchin had one of
the worst voting records of any Democrat
in the North Carolina delegation. And
the Democratic Party must stand or fall
according to its total record.
There is enough diversity and flexibili
ty in the Democratic party and enough
pressure from home folks on various
issues so that any North Carolina Demo
cratic Congressman need not be expected
to turn in a 100 per cent party-line voting
record—but Rep. Kitchin’s Democratic
loyalty falls far short of that mark.
According to Congressional Quarterly,
the publication that lists how members
of Congress vote on various issues, Kitch
in voted with the Democrats seven times
and against them eight times in 15 “nar-
ty-line” roll-calls on which the majority
of Democrats was opposed by the large
majority of Republicans. The period cov^
ered by this report was from January 3
through May 24 in 1961. This might be
contrasted with the record of North Car
olina Democratic Rep. Harold Cooley of
Nashville who voted with his party 14
times on these 15 roll-calls and against It
once.
(Rep. Charles Jonas of Lincolnton who
will likely be the Republican opponent
of the Kitchin-Kennedy winner in No
vember at least showeti that he was a
good party member b'j(, voting with the
Men In Space
1^^
r
mi
0G)'
AIR CORRIDOR FORMULA PROVES SOUND:
Strength in Balance with Civility
GOP majority on all 15 of the test roll-
calls.)
Another Congressional Quarterly re
port, covering 12 key House votes in the
1961 session, published in October of last
year, showed Kitchin voting for the
Administration on three and against the
Administration on nine. (Again, in con
trast, Rep. Cooley voted with the Presi
dent’s program nine of the 12 times and
Rep. Jonas voted all 12 times against it,
as he, Jonas, quite properly should have
in view of his political convictions.)
Let it be noted that these 12 “key”
votes were not always the final roll-calls
on bills advocated by the President, but
they were picked by his aides as real
tests of loyalty to the Administration.
Yes, there is plenty of ammunition for
Mr. Kennedy to fire and Mr. Kitchin
presents a wide-open target.
Futility of Labels
In quoting the Texas editor whose
thoughts on the American press appear
elsewhere on this page. Editor A1 Resch
of The Chatham News at Siler City says
he’s worried that so many people, in
cluding members of the press, don’t ob
ject when labels are pinned on them.
Mr. Resch cites a conversation with a
physician he had just met—a man he
later learned had had a disagreement
with his home town newspaper about his
Medical Society.
“Will you please tell me,” the physician
immediately asked, “what it is that at
tracts so many leftists to journalism?”
Saying that he stayed calm for once,
the Chatham County editoir replied, “Doc
tor, let’s get this conversation started on
an even keel. You tell me what attracts
so many quacks to the medical profess
ion.”
Says Editor Resch: “We were even
from that point on.”
They ended by agreeing that both pro
fessions had their faults arid good quali
ties and that it would be ridiculous to
claim perfection for either.
We trust; too, thqt the physician, shock
ed by the editor’s sharp retort, saw the
futility of pinning a label on a profession
because of a single personal experience—
and, more important, even, saw that the
accuracy of the label itself might be de
batable.
By JOSEPH C. HARSCH
Special Correspondent
The Christian Science Monitor
(Reprinted by permission)
More important although less
noticed than the exchange of U-2
pilot Francis Gary Powers for
Soviet spy Rudolph Abel was
what did not happen in the air
corridors to Berlin over la;-,i week
end. It, was more important be
cause it put to the acid test the
basic new Western policy toward
the Soviets. This policy is to be
absolutely firm where Western
rights are concerned, but to bal
ance it by being correct, even
courteous, in diplomatic relations,
' and at all times to keep open thq
channel of communication.
Another way to express it is
to say it is onetime President
Theodore Roosevelt’s old formula
ot carrying a big stick but talking
softly.
The West has been talking soft
ly to Moscow for some time. Pres
ident Kennedy practiced tne s'lf.
talking formula by receiving So
viet Premier Nikita S. Khrush
chev’s son-in-law at the White
House and treating him like a re
spected, respectable, and welcome
guest.
What remained to be tested at
that time was whether firmness
could be coupled successfully with
the soft talking without wrecking
he formula.
The opporunity came when tlie
Soviets gave notice they intended
to use the air corridors to 'West
Berlin for military air maneuvers
on Monday. Feb. 12.
This was the first serious new
act of Soviet aggression against
Western rights in Berlin since the
new policy was put into opera-
tion. The question was whether
to resist it firmly and totally. The
decision was taken to do so. The
Soviets were notified that West
ern flights through the corridors
would continue on schedule and
as normal.
There was far more anxiety in
high Western circles than anyone
disclosed or admitted. This was
the first big decisive test between
Moscow and the West since the
building of the wall. It was one
more classic Soviet maneuver-
reaching for another slice of
RESPONSIBILITY
. . Bringing home to nineteen
hundred thousand drivers at the
wheel the feeling of personal re
sponsibility for cutting down the
killings, injuries and accidents on
the streets and highways of North
Carolina—that is the job we face
It is a job as great as government
of the people and no greater. And
it has as good a chance of success
and no better. . . In that spirit,
let us come to the aid of our of
ficials. . . ”
—ALBERT COATES, Director
Institute of Government
Chapel Hill
Western rights. It touched the
basic and final Western right over
Berlin—the right of uninterrupt
ed air access.
There was a general alert Feb.
12. Every Western foreign office
and every Western military base
were standing by for w'hat might
happen.
Nothing happened. During the
critical period there was no buzz
ing of 'Western aircraft in the cor
ridors. In fact, the notice of in-^
tent to use the corridors for Soviet
military maneuvers was with
drawn.
The big difference between this
crisis, and it deserves the label of
crisis, and previous East-Wesi
crises is that this time the gov
ernments concerned played it
down. It was the sound applica
tion of the Roosevelt formula. The
tVest took its stand without blow
ing the trumpets Or sounding the
drums of alarm.
Moscow played the hand thr>
same way. It made its move in
Berlin at the air control center,
not in the 'pages of Pravda. It
withdrew from the move in the
air control center not in Pravda.
No public threats were issued or
answered by either side. The re
sponse was as quiet as the threat.
The event goes down as the al
most invisible crisis of the year.
In its wake and entirely un
touched by this silent crisis, prep
arations go on for building more
machinery for diplomatic commu
nication between East and West.
As presently sketched out, the
foreign ministers of West and
East will meet in Geneva around
March 10, and heads of govern
ment may be convened sometime
in May.
None can foresee where all this
may lead. But at least neither
side is indulging in either the ex
aggerated optimism which paved
the way to the 1960 summit crash
or the exaggeration of crisis
which could be equally danger
ous. This is the safe-and-sane way
to approach summitry. Strength
in balance with civility was al
ways a good formula in personal
relations. Perhaps it Can work as
well in foreign relations. It is
worth trying, and so far it seems
to be working. •
RIGHT OF DISSENT DEFENDED
Press Dedicated to Freedoms
Felix R. McKnight, vice
president and executive edi
tor of the Dallas (Texas)
Times Herald and president
of the American Society cii
Newspaper Editors, recently
commented that the Ameri
can press should "try to bring
sanity to the emotional binge
that has the country dianger-
ously off balance." Mr. Mc
Knight continues with words
of sanity that make good
reading in a time when news
papers and other communica
tions media are charged with
a lack of patriotism because
they often disagree with ex
tremist points of view of the
Left or the Right. Mr. Mc
Knight writes:
The American press is a patri
otic press, dedicated more than
any agency to the absolute pres
ervation of our freedoms and the
rights of man.
We are not, as too many charge.
Communist dupes because we at
tempt to follow moderate lines
and call for a look at internal
bickering. There is not a reputable
newspaper in America that would
not quickly and without equivoca
tion expose and fight unceasingly
any threat that endangers the se
curity and welfare of this nation.
And I resent to the core these
sudden patriots who aimlessly
and broadly charge the American
press with a lack of concern for
the welfare of this country. We
were here a long, long time be
fore. these groups appeared,, sell
ing a brand of Americanism they
have distorted and molded to
their particular purpose.
It is pertinent that once the cry
was from the left that the press
was a “one-party press” domina
ted by conservatives. Now, the
far right calls it the “leftist press
that distorts the nation’s image.’’
It is a strange but supportable
fact in this new “Agree with me or
else” atmosphere that critics of
newspapers, on both sides, never
criticize when column space is
given to their leader or to their
group unless they twist the slight
est gap in your story into “biased
reporting.”
But if a newspaper editorially
disagrees with their leader or
group on certain issues, it is
auickly tatooed with “Pinko” or
“Red” tags. Or, if the shoe hap
pens to be on the “right” foot, it
becomes a fat, capitalist reaction
ary with no regard for the wel
fare of the common man.
I don’t know—I could be wrong
—but I cannot recall one single
instance in modern history of an
American newspaper editor or
publisher being charged with sub
version or a treasonable act.
I ask these people who hurl
hollow and superficial charges:
Just what other watchdog do
they have?
How do they learn of the doings
of government agencies and ser
vants that they might voice their
dissenting views?
How would they know if thev
had been completely hoodwinked
out of all rights and shoved into
tyrannical subjugation?
And how long would the Uni
ted States last as a free nation if
every newspaper, every radio and
television station were exterrnin-
ated or forced to print and broad
cast identical “party line” philos
ophy?
Grains of Sand
Do Litterbugs Read Books?
There’s a new book coming out
entitled: “The Beer Can On The
Highway.”
No, it’s not about Route 1, as it
goes its glittering way through
this state. But it could be, folks:
it could be.
The author appends a sub-title.*
“■What’s American about Ameri
ca?” He includes the beer can
along the highway, along with
some other signs of the times,
American-wise.
The Slinkety-Skunk
The Feb. 3 Saturday Review
whiffs of a fine new-to-iis lim
erick this week that GRAINS
passes on with pleasure:
Said a saucy young skunk to a
gnu:
“You are quite odoriferous:
phew!”
Said the gnu to the skunk:
“If I stank like you stunk
I’d hate to be me, were I you!”
In Passing
GRAINS admits that the
tongue-twisting heading of the
bit of sweet incense to the Muse
of Poetry, printed above, is not
home-grown. It’s taken from one
of the nursery rhymes Cile Tur
ner makes up and sings to her
grandchildren. And part of the
game is: see who can say: “Stink-
etyskunk” the fastest. CWhat’s
your time on that?)
How's Thai?
From a recent college freshman
Math quiz:
QUESTION: “’Explain the rela
tion of Algebra to Calculus:
ANSWER: Wife.
Lucky Europeans!
Oh, to be a European, when va-
cation time rolls around, touring
North Carolina on ten bucks a
day, including, according to a
news item, lodging, food, trans
portation, entertainment (what
ever that may mean) and good
ness knows what all. Maybe
they’ll even be able to get a bot
tle of pop for a nickel.
You’ve got to do it with three
other persons in your rented car
(half-off on everything) to make
it for $10—but who’d mind that?
With everything at half price, it
would be like touring back in the
thirties. Would you ever be recon
ciled to full-price life again?
No chance, however, for resi
dent North Carolinians (or even
Americans) to go on this dreapi
spree. It’s restricted to holders of
European passports. (Just to be
sure there’s no cheating, you can
pick up an identification card and
tickets only through travel agents
in Europe.)
Couldn’t somebody organize
even a 25-per-cent-off tour for na
tives? This would put us back
to about the 1940’s in prices and
we’ll bet thousands more Tar
Heels would take to the roads.
Titleholders
Headed in big. black letters,
“NEWS BULLETIN” comes a
missive from our old faithful cor
respondent, the Gaines Dog Re
search Center (with a distinguish
ed Park Avenue address in N. Y.
C.), proclaiming the selection of
“Dogdom’s Man and Woman of
the Year.”
Our hopes caught fire as we
contemplated what would really
be the most in contests: dogs
judging people and choosing
THEIR winners among humans—
“Dogdom’s Man and Woman of
the Year.”
Alas, the dogs weren’t given a
chance—as dogs usually aren’t
in one way or another, by people
who run dogs’ lives.
‘•Dogdom’s Man and Woman of
the Year” are only people, after
all, we learned as we read further
in the NEWS BULLETIN.
You really muffed a great op
portunity that time, Gaines Dog
Research Center. Better get off
Park Avenue and give the dogs a
chance to do some judging.
The PILOT
Published Every Thursday by
THE PILOT, Incorporated
Southern Pines, North Carolina
1941—JAMES BOYD—1944
Katharine Boyd
C. Benedict
Dan S. Ray
C. G. Council
Editor
Associate Editor
Gen. Mgr.
Advertising
Maiy Scott Newton Business
Meiry Evelyn de Nissoff Society
Composing Room
Dixie B. Ray, Michael 'Yalen,
Thomas Mattocks, J. E. Pate, Sr.,
Charles Weatherspoon and John
E. Lewis.
Subscription Rates
Moore County
One Year $4.00
Outside Moore County
One Year $5.00
Second-class Postage paid at
Southern Pines, N. C.
Member National Editorial Assn,
and N. C. Pre;s Assn,