The
ROANOKE RAPIDS HERALD
Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina
HALIFAX COUNTVS LARGEST NEWSPAPER
North Carolina’s Only TABloid NEWSpaper
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CARROLL WILSON,Owner and Editor
Entered as Second Class matter April 3rd, 1914, at the post office
at Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, under Act of March 3rd, 1879.
PRINTING - EMBOSSING - ENGRAVING
HOW BAD ARE CONDITIONS?
Under “Letters From Our Readers” we
print in this issue a letter in regard to crime con
ditions written by a citizen of Roanoke Rapids
to this newspaper. On the back of the letter
was written a note to the effect we could print
the letter in case we agreed with the contents.
We print it not only because we do agree
with the general contents but also because we
are glad there are citizens here who are not
satisfied with conditions which are prevalent.
We would not print it if we thought it was
written in spite or prejudice; it is accepted in
the spirit of helpful criticism with the desire
that general conditions may be remedied.
There is no doubt but that there exists in
Roanoke Rapids certain unwholesome spots
which need cleaning up. We are not reformers,
in any sense of the term, but when conditions
unhealthy for the morals of the community are
permitted to get out of hand, it is time to call
a halt and indulge in an oldfashioned house
cleaning.
There has always been, probably always
will be, vice spots and lawbreakers. Sensible
officials know they cannot get rid of them
completely. There is even much to be said in
favor of the old segregated or “red-light” dis
tricts.
But when these sections are allowed to
flourish uncontrolled or to spread their act
ivities to other sections, there has always been
an uprising on the part of decent citizens and
the reformers have come into power for a
short period.
Even those who patronize such places or
consort with their inmates, pull up short when
they realize that their children and families are
being contaminated. One might deal with boot
leggers, prostitutes or other law violators and
yet revolt at these persons flaunting their pro
fessions on the Avenue.
Just how much our recent crime wave,
spoken of in the letter, can be blamed on lax
law enforcement is a matter of guess. We will
say, however, that all blame cannot be placed
there. Law abiding citizens must share that
blame for if they sit by and permit such condi
tions to grow unchecked, starting a hue and cry
only after it is too late, it is unfair to charge
all to the officers. We usually get the kind of
law enforcement we demand and when the
general public grows apathetic about such
things, it is natural for officers to do likewise.
It is time to call a halt. Petty violations, tol
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erated, develop into major crimes. Matters get
worse until there is no clear line of separation
between the “harmless” little violations and
one of more serious nature. Habitual lawbreak
ers, ever a menace, become bolder and even de
fiant. Respect for others, their property, their
lives, is lost.
There are certain decent standards every
person and every community must have. When
a community is under proper control, even law
breakers respect those standards. They are forc
ed to by public opinion.
When the time comes that children must
be kept off the streets because it is dangerous,
physically or morally; when our young people
are thrown into constant contact after school
hours with conditions which breed immorality
and disrepect of law and order; when.the wo
men folks dare not walk the streets after dark
for fear of being insulted; then the time is at
hand for the action called for in the letter we
print this week.
And such action will be^ forthcoming, for
there are plenty of decent citizens in Roanoke
Rapids, who, when aroused, can accomplish
anything and mainly because they will be on
the everlastingly right side of the battle.
NOW IS THE TIME TO BUY
Certain phases of the National Recovery Administra
tion’s buying campaign merit careful consideration.
The President said in his statement of June 16, when
he signed the Recovery Act, that the long-dormant buying
power must be brought into line with increased cost or pro
duction. But he wisely withheld advice to the people as to
when to start supplying their prudent needs until he was
convinced that the many hundreds of thousands removed
from the ranks of the unemployed were being continued in
their jobs, thereby creating an absolutely new purchasing
element in every community. These recuscitated citizens
finally have been enabled to qualify as consumers.
And other hundreds of thousands were removed from
part-time to full-time employment. Thousands of factories
all over the land continued to acquire stocks of raw mater
ials in July, August, and September in a manner which
showed that the upturn was sustained by forward orders
from wholesalers who, in their turn reflected what they at
last recognized as a genuine
restoration of public confi
dence in their respective re
gions.
Banking and industrial sta
tistics show that the reabsorp
tion of 3,000,000 workers,
based on minimum wages pro
vided by NRA, which apply
only to what is termed “com
mon labor,” of itself creates
a buying power in this coun
try of several billions per
year. That impetus in trade,
which did not exist 4 months
ago, would push up prices,
without considering the log
ical incentive of employers to
cover their increased cost of
operation.
Another salient feature of
this campaign is its name,
“Now is the time to buy.” The
people, upon whose intelli
gence the President depends
for its success, should accept
it and support it for what it
is—a considerate and valu
able reminder of our duty to
ourselves and to each other.
W. Lunsford Long
J Winfield Crew, Jr.
LONG & CREW
Attorney-At-Law
ROANOKE RAPIDS,
North Carolina
ZOLLICOFFER
—And—
ALLSBROOK
Attorneys at Law
IMPERIAL THEATRE BLDG.
Dial R-324 Roanoke Rapids, N. C.
Dr. E. P. Brenner
CHIROPRACTOR '[
Roanoke Rapids, N. C.