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t Page TWO THE PILOT—Southern Pines, North Carolina THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 1964 ‘‘Nobody Here But Us ‘Spies 9 99 Southern Pines ILOT 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 tor all concerned. Wherever there seems to be an occasion to use our influence for the piblic good we will try to do it. And we wi treat everybody alike.” — James Boyd, May i!3, 1941. Newspapers In The Spotlight As the press of the nation observes National Newspaper Week, next week, it is under fire from two directions. The Warren Report on the assassina tion of President John F. Kennedy took the press to task for contributing to the confusion and crowding in which Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas. And from Senator Goldwater and many of his supporters come charges that the press is conspiring against their crusade to save the nation from some- thing-or-other — we’re not sure quite what. Most of the press has admitted that revision of its procedures in a crisis like the assassination may well be in order, although we by no means think the press should take the rap for what happened in Dallas. If Dallas authorities had set up means of controlling the intruding mob of press, radio and television people, we believe they could have been con trolled. No communications media peo ple would insist that they be immune from control, if control involves public safety or the safety of a defendant such as Oswald, in similar circumstances. The fault at Dallas, after all, was not primar ily that the press was there, but that Ruby was there. And the press was not responsible for that. The Goldwater-type antagonism to the press, for which the tone was set when the crowd in the Cow Palace cheered Dwight D. Eisenhower’s unflattering re ferences to “columnists” and others who were alleged to be picking on the Re publicans, is indefensible, it seems to us. That the array of distinguished report ers and commentators pictured in tod- day’s cartoon have been pointing out the flaws, illusions, dangers and weak nesses of the Goldwater candidacy is, to paraphrase the candidate, “no crime.” Rather, it was the normal fulfillment of their function as members of the press: to write the truth as they see it. It is no indictment of the press that most of the responsible members of that profession don’t see eye to eye with Senator Goldwater. Nor does this inabil ity to agree with him indicate, as Right Wing conservatives always charge, that those who disagree are part of some vile conspiracy to degrade or pull down. Thi; sooner “conservatives” of the Right realize that they have no exclusive clairr on truth, patriotism and morality, the better off they and the nation will be. The Pilot is proud to join in next week’s National Newspaper Week obser vance, aspects of which are discussed elsewhere on this page. The press, in marking this special week, not only stands up for what it knows is right— its freedom and its duty to inform—but also takes stock of its shortcomings and reaffirmjS its responsibilities. That news papers over the entire nation are doing this is something for which, we think, their millions of readers can be thankful. The President In North Carolina The tumultuous and warm-hearted welcome accorded President and Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson in Raleigh this week went so far beyond the bounds of a routine reception as to give Tar Heel Democrats solid ground for optimism and strong encouragement as to the outcome of the November election in this state. The President could have chosen no better spot than Raleigh to show how disastrous and ridiculous is Senator Goldwater’s stated intention to scuttle acreage control and price support pro grams. The tobacco program, which has been overwhelmingly approved in voting by the farmers, again and again, is abso lutely essential to this state’s economy and to the preservation of the solvency of North Carolina farmers, the President made clear. When he visited Raleigh recently. Sen ator Goldwater hedged some on his for mer “prompt and final termination” edict on the agricultural support pro gram, but the revision was obviously made hurriedly and superficially, after quick conferences with Eastern North Carolina supporters who apparently tip ped him off that he couldn’t afford to deliver such a slap to tobacco growers right in their own front yards. But which Goldwater do you believe? Our instinct would be to accept what a man puts down in black and white, in a book, at leisure (where the “prompt and final termination” statement was made), rather than what he says off the cuff on the campaign trail (that maybe the supports shouldn’t withdrawn all at once). The generosity of both the President and Mrs. Johnson in extending commen dation and good wishes to Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan K. Moore, who has been inordinately cool to the Administration in Washington, was a not able development of the Johnsons’ visit to North Carolina. Let us hope, with all those hearts in which we know Senator Gold- water isn’t right, that Judge Moore can now find it in his heart to reciprocate the President’s good will. Toward Better Law Enforcement i A delegation to the county commission ers’ meeting at Carthage, Monday, made a good case for expanding and improving the Sheriff’s Department with the aim of providing better law enforcement in the rural areas of the county, especially in the night-time. The full story of this request appears elsewhere in today’s Pilot. , A suggestion made by one member of the delegation and apparently concurred in by the others—in addition to specific requests for 24-hour operation of the sheriff’s office and night prowl cars— was that Ihe county have a survey made by a competent outside agency as to just what shoidd be done to up-date and im prove the Sheriff's Department, in the light of the particular needs of Moore County. Cited was another county where there were such problems as Moore has been facing, in the field of rural law en forcement—and it was noted that these problems were successfully met, after competent outside recommendations had been made. The ^commissioners, of course, can’t go into any extensive re-vamping of the Sheriff’s Department—either in provid ing additional services and personnel or in authorizing a study—until they get around to making up the 1965-66 budget which goes into effect in July of next year. However, there was indication this week that they are taking the complaints seriously, are moving to do all they can now and are giving open-minded con sideration to further moves in the future. Rural and suburban residents—includ ing those in new developments that have brought or will bring the county hun dreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of taxable property—are entitled to the sense of security that, according to the spokesmen in Monday’s delegation, has been lacking at various places around this area. What Monday’s meeting brought home powerfully was that good law enforce ment—available easily and quickly, at any time of the day or night—is vitally important in attracting and holding new residents in the Sandhills. Supporting State School Bonds 'HOMETOWN' PAPERS KEEP IMPROVING 96 Million People Read Weeklies By EDWIN G. SCHWENN Executive Editor Publishers' Auxiliary About a hundred years ago, it was said that the careful reader of a few good newspapers can learn more in a year than most scholars do in their great libra ries. In spite of this century’s tech nological revolution in broadcast communications, this statement by Franklin Benjamin Sanborn, a New Hampshire author and phil anthropist, is as true today as it was in the 1800’s. Perhaps even more so. And the statement surely rein forces the enduring truth of this year’s slogan for National News paper Week, October 11-17: “Newspapers Make A Big Dif ference in People’s Lives.” Not in television, not from ra dio, not from the news-weeklies, not from books, not from the cinema do we receive the multi tude of information we receive from the more than 10,000 news papers printed in this country today. Many Weeklies More than 80 per cent of the newspapers of this nation are published weekly, thus being classified as serving “home towns,” whether they are com munity or suburban newspapers. Also falling in the category of hometown newspapers are ap proximately three-fourths of the 1,775 dailies now published. This 75 per cent majority serves com munities of under 25,000 popula tion and by almost any definition would be considered “non-metro politan.” Slicing the loaf in this manner, then, all but less-than-four-per cent of the newspapers in this country are essentially home town newspapers. These almost-10,000 newspa pers serve up a daily and weekly diet—of local news and advertis ing—of much more immediate in terest to most persons than the foreign crisis in Viet Nam, which after all, is being thoroughly cov ered by the world’s non-home town communication media. Read by Millions But to really understand the vitality of the non-metropolitan press today, one has to look at the circulation and advertising linage figures available: More than a half-million additional Americans are subscribing: to weekly news papers this year than sub scribed in 1963. Estimated readership of 8/151 weekly newspapers listed in the 1964 National Directory of Week ly Newspapers is almost 96 million persons. Added to this are millions of readers of the hometown daily press, bringing this market to well in excess of 100 million readers. Advertising appearing in weekly and small daily newspapers through the American Newspaper Repre sentatives, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Nationjal Editorial Assn., reached a record high in 1963. Almost $6 million in advertis ing revenue flowed through ANR, an increase of 9.2 per cent over 1962. And it’s going up. First quarter billings for 1964 total $1,189,684, an increase of more than $90,000 or 8.2 per cent over 1963. National advertising also came to the hometown newspapers of America direct, but the ANR is the largest single newspaper rep resentative serving community newspapers, and consequently their growth figures are signifi cant. Buying Power These advertisers are cognizant of the buying power wielded by these citizens of towns under 25,- 000: close to 50 per cent of total national income. They know, too, that the most effective way to reach them is through their local newspapers. The hometown newspaper which has kept abreast of the times is bigger and better than ever, produced in a more modern plant, is easier and more inter esting to read, and has a larger number of readers than ever be fore. William Penn nearly three cen turies ago said, “The public must and win be served.” The commu nity newspapers of America to day are heeding that admonition and profiting from it. THE ROAD There is an old Chinese saying that each generation builds a road for the next. The road has been well built for us, and I be lieve it incumbent upon us, in our generation, to build our road for the next generation. —JOHN F. KENNEDY VH I NATIONAL NEWSPAPER WEEK oa. n-ii. 19M Creepy Weather Those blistering hot days of midsummer were always called “the dog days”; we wonder what name could be given to the hurri cane days that the land—or at least the South—seemed to be passing through last week. First, chilly, windy, dry; then suddenly so hot you can hardly stand it, with the humidity at 100. And liable to be fair and fresh again before this reaches print. We’ll settle for “The Hurricane Days”: Dora, Gladys. Hilda and all the rest. They have that creepy feeling. Gleeful Item Sent to GRAINS the other day by a musician friend was the fol lowing gleeful item: “On my recent trip to the mid west, I was driving through Iowa and noticed a sign on a small country church. It said: ‘DO YOU KNOW WHAT HELL IS?’ “Underneath it was the modest invitation: ‘Come in tonight and hear the new organist play.’ ” The Last Strongholds So the New York Herald-Trib une has come out for Lyndon Johnson. This is the first time in the Trib’s 124-year history that the paper has endorsed a Demo cratic candidate. And now here comes the proper Bostonian Atlantic Monthly, which has never—but NEVER— taken sides in any election, burst ing into the political limelight to roan the barricades against Gold- water and line up with the Dem ocrats. Well, this is surely the time to take your stand on the side of good sense if you’re ever going to. You might not have another chance, if you don’t. The Pilot is against Goldwater and for Johnson, too—if any body wonders. Confusion Worse Confounded Perhaps the ultimate in de scription of the Goldwater cam paign came from the lips of for mer President Eisenhower. While not altogether illuminating, it il lustrates to perfection the views of most Americans. Said Ike in reply to a (UPI) question about the Goldwater campaign: “I don’t know. . . something’s wrong. . . it’s very confusing. I can’t define the is sues” and, again: “I just can’t de fine the issues!” A Big Difference GRAINS joins in the forth coming nation-wide observance of National Newspaper Week, October 11-17, and notes, with a “how-right-you-are,” its 1964 slogan, “Newspapers Make A Big Difference in People’s Lives,” (We know it makes a big differ ence in our life when there’s a gaping blank space on the edi torial page that has to be filled— always, it seems, in a hurry—by this column.) Anyway, here are a few com ments we like about newspapers; as true—and as full of challenge and inspiration to editors—as when they were made nearly 200 years ago. Said Thomas Jefferson, putting the whole matter in a nutshell: “When the press is free and every man able to read—all is safe.” Ben Franklin uttered a mouth ful, too, and briefly: “Newspa pers are the sentinels of the lib erties of our country.” James Madison, another fine founding father, started off well dropped in a phrase that makes us squirm and then finished nobly: “To the press alone, checkered as it is with abuses, the world is indebted for all the the triumphs which have been obtained by reason and human ity over error and oppression.” Don’t think anybody could top that one. A good place to stop. THE PILOT %eVs Be Thankful That We Have A Free Press^ Published Every Thursday by THE PILOT, Incorporated Southern Pines, North Carolina Dan K. Moore, Democratic nominee for Governor, m^de it clear this week that he is for the $100 million State school bond issue on which Tar Heels will vote when they go to the polls November 3. “North Carolina cannot measurably re duce the teacher-pupil ratio, nor can we succeed in any major effort to raise the quality of public education, until we build the classrooms our boys and girls need and must have,” said the candidate. Judge Moore’s strong endorsement, ad ded to the powerful send-off Gov. Terry Sanford gave to the bond issue proposal, bodes well for the success of the project. On this page last week we quoted an explanation made of the state’s vast school construction needs by Dr. Charles Carroll, State superintendent of public instruction: over 7,500 classrooms and nearly 4,000 other facilities such as libraries, lunchrooms and auditoriums. Also last week. The Pilot endorsed the bond issue, pointing out that although Moore County has done much to advance its own school construction program— with heavy annual appropriations for many years and in addition a $3 million bond issue—there is still much to be done and, also, this county cannot, in good conscience, ignore state-wide needs. If the $100 million bond issue is ap proved, Moore County would receive, $833,603, divided among its school sys tems on a per-pupil basis. That will go a long way toward holding down taxa tion that would undoubtedly be required for schools in the near future, as bond and tax funds from all existing sources cannot be expected to meet all Moore County’^ school construction and re modeling needs. From The Biblical Recorder There are many things we like about newspapers. We like the letters to the editors which are perhaps the best-read feature of any paper. We like the dependability and accuracy of newspapers, although human beings put them together and errors inevitably occur. A Bargain We like the bargain a reader gets in a newspaper. Where else can you get so much for a nickle or dime? Thousands of man hours go into just one edition. The read er gets news from the distant corners of the globe as well as coverage of events in his own community. As an educational medium, a good newspaper has few peers. The newspaper represents all of us at a meeting of the city council, the county commissioners, the state legislature, the U. S. Congress or the United Nations. It’s simply not practical for the average citizen to be at these places, but newsmen are there to give us the story. Scapegoat In this election year, you’ll be hearing a lot of criticism of the press. Politicians take great de light in trying to make the press the scapegoat of their errors, es pecially when they get foot-in- the-mouth disease. Accept these attacks on the press with full knowledge of where they come from. The truth is that America has some of the greatest newspapers in the world. Coming closer hontie. North Carolina is blessed with many excellent dailies and' non dailies and we’re grateful for them. Sure, they make mistakes. Who doesn’t? But let’s be thank ful that we have a free press in America and it’s on the job 24 hours a day. Christians will do well to re member that the same First Amendment that guarantees free dom of religion also guarantees freedom of the press and freedom of speech. It is also wise to pond er the irrefutable fact that all of these freedoms are snuffed out when dictators take over—and usually the first one to go is freedom of the press. After that, the dictator has it made. Juvenile Actions So when delegates at a political convention rise to shake their fists at the press section and broadcast booths, just remember that this is an election year and such juvenile actions seem to be a part of it. 1941—JAMES BOYD—1944 Katharine Boyd Editor C. Benedict Associate Editor Dan S. Ray Gen. Mgr. C. G. Council Advertising Bessie C. Smith Advertising Mary Scott Newton Business Gloria Fisher Business Mary Evelyn de Nissoff Society Composing Room Dixie B. Ray, Michael Valen, Thomas Mattocks, J. E. Pate, Sr.. Charles Weatherspoon. 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. Press Assn.
The Pilot (Southern Pines, N.C.)
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Oct. 8, 1964, edition 1
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