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THE NEWS JOURNAL, RAEFORD, N. C. THURSDAY, NOV. 11, 1943 PAGE FOUR The News-Journal Hoke Countv News Hoke County Journal Est. January, 1, 1929 Est. May 15, 1911 By Paul Dickson By D. Scott Poole Consolidated November 1, 1929 Norlh r.ir,Iinft MESS ASS0CIA1 ION V Published Thursdays At Racford, North Carolina Subscription Rates: $2.00 Per Year In Advance For Servicemen $1.50 Per Year DOVGALD COXE, Editor-Manager Entered as second-class mail matter at the post office at Raeford, N. C, under Act of March 3, 1870. Carnival Trouble With money so plentiful and so many folks seeking ways in which to spend it, it seems that the carnivals must have doubled their old-time take. Most people realize that these gambling contraptions are rigged so that the operators take a very large percentage of the money play ed on the "devices. But in former years there were always a few individuals who were able to leave the show lot saying they had beaten the man at his own game. This year, however, the operators must have been particularly greedy. Reports say that a group of Camp Mackall soldiers were pretty closely trimmed by a carnival operating in the good city of Aberdeen on the show's opening night. Then, the reports say the soldiers came back and gave the show a decent time in which to pack up and travel. Fayettcville, too, seems to have had trouble, and the board of aldermen over there met in special session to pass a ruling which would entirely prevent carnivals from playing in that city because of complaints about gambling devices and "hoochies." It seems that Hoke county's government offi cials who long ago ruled out carnivals probably saved the present board of commissioners some trouble this fall. A Natural Elimination When a thorn becomes imbedded in the hu man body, the place festers about as a natural method of ridding the flesh of this foreign mat ter. As in Nature, the body politic of North Carolina has been harboring within its side a vicious thorn which progressively became more obnoxious. First a scarlet patch of inflamation, then a festering sore, it was in the course of be coming an angry boil. Yet, again as in Nature, the self-healing power of this democratic body proved entirely too great for even this enlarged and ostentatious slug of poisonous foreign mat ter. The inflamed boil burst this week, casting out its pernicious impurity. Though many of us who were instrumental in the induction of this befouled spine had hoped to enjoy the operation scheduled by the master surgeons of the Tar Heel State in the May prima ries, it is probably best that the natural, nause ous eruption should come now. Then the voters of North Carolina can pay more particular atten tion to the selection of the self-eliminated's suc cessor in this important office. o The Turning Tide It's beginning to look as though the "ins" of Washington should be picking themselves out a place to go, and the "outs" of these United States who want Government jobs may be taking up leases in Washington come 1945. The turning viewpoint of the people of the country apparently started about the time Wen dell Willkie captured the political eye of a size able minority during the 1940 campaign. Later, more and more Republicans have been winning out in elections in scattered parts of the country. Last week hardly a Democrat was chosen for a state or a national office in a fair-sized group of election-important states. Even Kentucky, stronghold of "Jug-band Happy" Chandler and Majority Leader Alvin Barkley, has forsaken the New Deal. The Republicans, or shall we say the conservatives, have now elected governors of 26 states. The electoral vote of these states is 342. or 76 more than the required 266 which are nec essary to control the election of the president next year. Mr. Roosevelt might have sufficient vote-getting power to win the vote for himself and an exceedingly-popular choice for the vice presiden cy, but it is hardly possible that, even should he do so, he would have a Congress thai would be at all amenable to his leg;i!' live demands. We doubt that Mr. Roosev - it. will choose to run in 1944, nor do we believ that any hand-picked successor from the New Deal would have the slightest chance of election. The tide seems to have turned some years aro, ; nd is now gaining that momentum that will" sweep the New Deel out of office. O OPINIONS and SENTIMENTS From Other Editors The C. I. O. Goes Into Politics By Richard L. Scott In The Christian Science Monitor Here are throe points about ;he C. I. O. con vention which I covered at Philadelphia: First, the C. I. O. leaders pleJged themselves again and again to "no strikes." They pledged increased production, harder work. There was not a day in the week's convention when this promise was not repeated. And yet, the deep seated dissatisfaction of labor over wage freez ing and the Little Steel formula found that al most equal expression. The two points came to gether in President Murray's comment that try as national leadership might to prevent shut downs, it might be difficult to "prevent disrup tion and local strikes and local stoppages while we have a National Board in the City of Wash ington attempting to do the impossible." The second point is the depth of labor's irrita tion. Just why is labor upset? Statistical aver ages indicate that the workers are getting a lar ger "take-home" wage now, with longer hours, greater family pay, time-and-a-half overtime, than before the war, even despite higher living costs. Then why do they object? It is hard to emphasize the degree of labor's resentment. It is steaming there, looking for a channel of expression, in the first place, a lot of workers are not much better off, or are worse off, whatever statististical averages show, par ticularly groups that are bound by longterm con tracts. In the second place, there is resentment over bigger profits believed to be achieved by other groups. There is resentment by workers bound by long-term contracts, like miners and rail men, over what they regard as tardy wage increases compared to the big money being paid shipyard, airplane factory, and munitions workers. Then long-term contracts and orderly negotiating pro cedure are a handicap for wage equalization, they feel. But more particularly there is resentment over the supposed high profits of corporations, big executives, and the like. Here Congress comes in for constant blame. I am trying to put down the attitude, not appraise the rights and wrongs of this situation. Here is a typical comment: Railway labor ask ed for a minimum $3-a-day wage increase; a Presidential board after interminable delay scaled this down to 32 cents a day. The average railwavman points to last quarter's profits of railways of S159.000.000 (after tax deductions) and last year's estimated profits of over $500,000, 000 (after taxes). In such terms, proposed workers' increases of only 3 cents an hour cannot satisfy grown-up men, they assert. There are all sorts of replies to this. It can be pointed out that small increases to 1,000,000 men are more inflationary than big returns to a few top executives. But then why, bitterly demand the workers, are big individual profits and cor poration profits permitted in wartime? How about "taking the profits out of war? Why didn't Mr. Roosevelt's $25,000 salary limitation order go through? Shouldn't we have equality of sacrifice? Why doesn't Congress vote appro priate big taxes and the subsidy program to make it easier for workers' wives to fill the mar ket basket? Government figures, they cry, indi cate corporations are making the biggest profits in all history. Why don't newspapers attack them? The third point is about political action. The C. I. O. leaders hate and fear John L. Lewis, but it was significant that they specifically endorsed the object (but not the method) of both the coal miners and rail men for higher pay. Now the C. I. O. has embarked on a new experiment. The public may turn back to November, 1943, as the beginning of a new kind of political labor move ment in America. With a nest egg of $700,000 pledged from the big C. I. O. unions, the Committee for Political Action under Sidney Hillman is establishing 18 regional offices, and is going into politics, not simply for the 1944 election, but "permantly." Other labor may cooperate. It will not be a third party. The question of a "fourth term" docs not immediately come up. It will be action primarily on the local, and above all, on the Con gressional level. It is in Congress that the C. I. O. is interested. It will be something to watch. O Should They Wear Wigs? The Fayetteville Observer The Raleigh News and Observer is a little scornful because judges and lawyers in the Brit ish West Indies wear gowns and wigs in court. Drawing a parallel from the de Marigny trial, the Raleigh paper remembers that the North Carolina supreme court justices adopted robes some years ago and it wonders "how long before they will turn the clock back and order lawyers to wear wigs and gowns?'' "In spite of the At lantic Charter," it concludes, "we are not as democratic as we profess to be." Leaving aside for the moment the fact that any uniform or badge of office, that of the soldier, sailor, firemen, policemen, subway guard or mo vie usher, sets the wearer apart from his fellow men to a certain degree; it distinguishes him, hateful though the word may be to equalita rians. We think the horsehair wigs worn by British justices and barristers look foolish, but it is a matter of com'ention. To a person used to them, the wigs probably are not ridiculous. Some col leges and universities, not many, have dispensed with academic caps, gowns and hoods at their commencements, but the academic dress is still so common that it cioes not seem ridiculous. Ac customed as we are to see some clergymen wear go-vns when performing their sacred offices and educators wear gowns when they are attending academic ceremonies, we can accept the conven tion of a judge wearing a gown when he is hold inf court. Perhaps there could be as much decorum and c''gnity in the United States supreme court if the members wore simple business suits and the at torneys were unrestricted in their choice of ap parel. But to realize the widest measure of de mocracy in dress, it might be urged that the judges of all our courts, magistrate, recorder, su perior and supreme, appear in overalls, that they wear no neckties and that they do not shave for a day or two before appearing. In that way they would be on a plane of sartorial equality with many of the defendants and witnesses who come to the tribunals. BEHINDMp, Dy PaulMllo1Q5 Beleaied by Western Newtpaper Union. 10,000,000 FIGHTERS' VOTES There are going to be about 10, 000,000 in the fighting services. Whoever controls those votes should win the next election. While there has been no public discussion of this most important matter, the forward looking men in the political business here have been devoting thought to it. Coming forward now with a com plete plan of how to do it, is Senator Theodore Francis Green, Democrat of Rhode Island, whose autobiogra phy reveals him both as an instruc tor In Roman law at Brown univer sity back in '94 to '67, and a dele gate to all Democratic national con ventions since 1912. Mr. Green dropped a bill into the senate committee on privileges and elections last week to provide for gathering our fighters' ballots, but which inadvertently disclosed the ex tent to which he, as a Democrat, would like to capture them. All in very high-toned legal lan guage and fair sounding words, is his trick bill. He would have the voting conducted by five commis sioners to be appointed by the Presi dent, with senatorial confirmation, saying "at least two shall be Demo crats and at least two shall be Re publicans." This would simply al low the President to select three New Dealers and two republicans of, say, the Winant school of New Deal thought, to conduct the election. To help them in their work, the Green bill would destroy all state rules for qualifications of voters at to age, eligibility, registration and poll taxes. Not only fighters would be allowed to vote illegally but also all civilian employees of the government away from home, mostly political ap pointees of course. The Merchant Marine, Communist suspect, is also especially mentioned as being al lowed these extra-legal rights. Indeed, the bill throughout gives "other branches of government," the right to manage and collect votes of all non-military men, beyond army or navy jurisdiction. " (The govern ment politicians thus managing their own re-elections.) SOURCE OF INFORMATION The war and navy secretaries are alone to furnish the fighters "infor mation as to candidates." Messrs. Stimson and Knox are particular types of Republicans in this Demo cratic cabinet who will not be in the Republican cabinet if Republicans win the next election. No provision is made for any opposition political factions of this country to submit their cases to soldiers. Other details of the proposal re veal an equally elephantine insensi tivity to any semblance of political justice generally associated with elections, in laws and theories at least. Now everyone knows 10,000,000 fighters must be allowed to vote; also the Merchant Marine and gov ernment officials in various parts of the world. But a fair presentation of the political alternatives and a just collection of the ballots must be offered. The governing commission may contain two Republicans and two Democrats, but should be chair manned by some nonpolitical legal personality such as the chief justice of the supreme court. The ballots must be cast under the state election laws in order to be legal. Local election agencies should mail out ballots to the men in the armed services and the votes should be cast by mailing back the marked ballots to the local officials. Oppor tunities to qualify should be offered by mail by local authorities. The names of eligibles could be obtained from draft boards and the war department could furnish ad dresses, in accordance with recog nized absentee ballot procedures in most of the states. In states having no absentee ballot system, special state laws should be passed or regu lations adopted to allow soldiors to vote. Information as to candidates should be presented by both sides to the controversy, the Republican and Democratic candidates. They should have equal radio time, equal space in any OWI political propa ganda, and allowed equal quantities of printed material. Any election gained under the cir cumstances which the Green bill pro vides would not be worth much to the winner if he be in the party Mr. Green represents. Such an election would only further destroy faith. ABOUT TAXES In truth, the great bulk of war time increases is going to what was formerly the lowest income groups. The incomes that have doubled nd trebled are those of certain war workers, the lowest skilled and un skilled tabor, the carpenter, etc., ar.d special grours cf labor. There is one way, only one, by which these swollen war incomes could be trapped. The people who have the mjney are spending it. A sales tax would certainly reach them. j pretty; but it doesntwork i NrM vf&L DREAM aML POOLE'S MEDLEY By D. SCOTT POOLE The man who invested ii; some au tomobile manufacturing plant forty years ago is now wealthy, even though he to k but a few hundred dollars stock. But he that farmed is no better off, perhaps. It depended upon what he grew. Men traveled all over the country selling stock in the Ford company around the turn of the century, and those citizens have no need to labor since the fust few years after making the investment. I don't mind the miners getting more pay, but I despise for John L. Lewis' having grounds for thinking he won. Contractors of war work will have so much wealth they may be above each other, even, so they will have to spend the remainder of their lives with themselves. Russians may exaggerete, when they are reporting German casualties, but they are gaining territory the Germans do not want to yield. And it is Russia's domain, too. No I am not opposed to education. Rather, I would all were much im proved educationally or able to un derstand what they read. Lots of peo ple do not. Not so many know the why of problems. I remember well when there was not a cook stove in the section of coun try round about where I lived. 'Squire Daniel McKenzie bought the first cook stove brought into our nei ghborhood. The kitchen fireplaces were broad enough to burn four foot wood, and pots and ovens were used. Ladies discussed which rooked more palatable food, pots and ovens or cook stoves? By the turn of the century there were stoves in every home with in my knowledge, unless it was in some sawmill or turpentine hut used for temporary residence. McLauchlin Co. sold approximately a quarter million dollars a yer of merchandise the first year I published a paper in Raeford. The lowest prices I recollect was in the years 18D3 to 1895. Prices gradu ally rose after lu35, but 4 dozen eggs for a quarter, and two friers for fif teen cents is cheap enough, and from 4 to 6 cent cotton does not bring pros perity to farmers. Had Bill Grooms of Old Stores got ten over 10 cents an hour for his work, he never would have moved his fami ly to Rockingham to work in a cotton mill at 30 cents a day, back in 1370. Japanese soldiers get 30 cents a month for fighting in a vain efTort to lick the world. A Raeford man said if he were fighting for that much a month, he would fight till he died as soon as possible. Ten cents a pound for pork, hog around, was a good price and I have bought as good beef steak in Raeford for 15 cents a pound. I believe judgment follows wrong doing, and our countrymen are char gable with three national sins: The liquor habit. Sabbath desecration, and in many instances bad morals. Much is being said about women, but men are much worse than women, and always have been. I meant a sales tax by the Federal Government would increase the cost of living, and that would be an excuse for strikes all over the land. The world should rise above such unprin cipled taxes as sales taxes. It would be tolerable if they were put on at the (Continued cn page eight) OUR DEMOCRACY- by Mat If ToOAy we spend all the money in our pockets for. all the 600ds on THE SHELVES, WE EMPTY OUR POCKETS, EMPTV THE SHELVES;- WE WILL HAVE NEITHEK MONEY HORGOOOS for TOMoejeow. I ' 3 F WE OO NOT SPENO ALL OF OUR MONEY BUT DO PUT ALL WE CAN INTO WAR BONOS, LIFE INSURANCE. savings accounts,-!, i j There will bk ' more coops and we will " ' vi HAve both MONey" ano secuerv ti rO TOMQRKQW, 5 i
The News-Journal (Raeford, N.C.)
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Nov. 11, 1943, edition 1
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