NEW BERN CRAVEN COUNTY
PJJBUC UBAARY
The NEW BERN
PUBLIfHID WIIKLY
IN THI WAIIT OI>
'UTBRN NORTH
A man running tor public of
fice needs, among other things,
a keen sense of humor. Perhws
^ candidates seddng victory
In Now Bern's aty Election
on May 2 will appreciate this
story.
It seems a couple of hungry
ca^bals were cooking a most
fortunate missionary. One
ramed to the other and said,
'By the way, have you ever
eaten a politician?"
* **aven't," his friend
repUed. "To tell the truth,
I never could figure out how
to dean one.” So, of some
Of the losers next Tuesday feel
an urge to head for the Jungle,
they possibly won’t be In any
great danger of gracing a stew
pot.
There are 25 million dogs
In the United States, which Isn’t
hard to believe If you happen to
live on lower New Street. In
fact, we’re Inclined to wonder
whether some of the canines
Intended for another town didn’t
end up in our village on toe
Neuse and Trent.
Not that we’re complaining,
seeing as how we’ve been a dog
lover for all these many years.
Cats we can do without, but
believe It or not there are a
million more felines In toe 50
states than there are canines.
At nine lives apiece, that to
tals 234-million cat lives, which
aln?t good news for a lot of town
mice and country mice.
Here’s something to think
about. Once asked If he could
summarize the lessons of his
tory In a single volume, Charles
A. Beard, toe famous histor
ian, allowed as how he could
do It In four sentences:
1. Whom toe gods would
destory, toey first make mad
with power.
2. The mills of toe gods '
grind slowly, but toey grind
exceedingly small.
3. The bee fertilizes the
flower it robs.
4. When. It Is dark enough,
you can see toe stars.
Remember toe good old days
when you could gaze out your
kitchen window most any spring
morning and see a blue bird?
New Bern has robins, plenty of
them, but blue birds robbed of
their nesting places by star
lings and other feathered bul
lies become fewer in number
with each passing year.
Speaking of the good old days
(actually toey weren’t entirely
good) our town’s current office
seekers, capable thou^ some
of them are, lack toe color of'
various local politicians who
ruled toe roost 40 or more
years ago.
Callle McCarthy Frank Pat
terson, Albert Bangert and oth
ers had something in their
personality that makes toem
remembered. None was more
colorful, nor more adept at
rounding up votes one way or
another, than Frank Hackeny,
who with BUI Milan and Frank
Shrlner played the role of king
maker in the Fourth Ward.
Hackney, as Irish as Mrs.
Murphy’s chowder, knew toe
Fourth better than an opera
star knows her favorite aria,
and It Invariably paid dividends
for candidates whohadhlsbles
sing. Other wards weren’t lack
ing vote hustters, but Hackney
was In a class by himself.
Among Craven county office
holders It has often been said,
(Continued on page 2)
. if ' ' ■
...I,*’. '
-V
' '■ • ri
MORNING AFTER—Our illustrious friend, Happy,
(boss of the Mark Dunn family) condescended to pose
for this Mirror portrait that shows all too well how
candidates defeated Tuesday in New Bern’s election
will look after a sad and sleepless night. Happy hasn’t
Hounded anybody for votes, made promises to con
stituents, or kissed any puppies. No matter what hap
pens in the town’s five wards, he couldn’t care less
about the results. One thing is for sure, he won’t have
real need for the ice pack perched on his head for
the benefit of Photographer Billv Benners. Leading a
human’s life isn’t for Happy. It *sn’t like he didn’t
know where his next bone is cc .ing from, and the
exact location of every tree and cat In the neighbor-
hood. Being a dog, says the buxom Basset, is better
than being Mayor or alderman, any old time.