VOLUME LI, NO. 35
sUKSBI
trom
Capital LIlFE
I j
WASHINGTON, D. C. There were
big doings in the sleepy little town of
New York on March 4th, 17S9. The
dual body of the federal congress, I
scarcely an anaemic shadow of its
present corpulence, was assembling j
for its first session ... a session wich
was to definitely launch the infant j
theory of democratic rule, just re- j
cently born in a world of tyirany.
It might have been "black measles"
in the settlements, or Injun trouble,
or high water, or
| . " untravelable trails
i anyhow, history
lipr djAk books tell us that
attendance at the ini
itial session was
/ limited to a score
> - *5 d of members from
* .'Vjfc ? nearby states and,
to the chargin of a
HS&A Tar Heel, reveal
yLgSBsH that none of the said
JiiSH twenty came from
North Carolina. So.
dim 111 vers a quorum not being
present, this minori-1
ly in knee breeches met and adjourned
daily for tlie ensuing weeks
until April 6th, when both houses
were organized, Vice President John
Adams ascending to the senate diae
and Reprosnetalive Frederick A. C.
Muhlcnburg of Pennsylvania, assuming
the duties of speaker of the
house.
i/ast Saturday a joiwt session
oi ;:t;- v. C.bourvet1: j*=_ mm- i
:^T" /' \ ??- ^"'hryr;h:*r: Pr^ ;
dent Roosevelt .ossliycx^u ? ivtchlr.g
speech, brimful of (iforeign policy"
and tender promise, garnished with
the usual Delano charm; bewhiskered
Chief Justice Hughes, more solemn
than the law Ttsclf, represented tfie
judicial branch of government with a
dignified address on the blessings of
freedom . . . then there wore other
speeches, songs, music and snch-llke.
Cabinet members and departmental
dignitaries, wives and daughters of
congressmen and senators, diplomats,
gold-braided officers of army mid
navy, politicians, ordinary "New Dealers.
a few Republicans and an occasional
taxpayer packed every nook
and cranny of gallery and well. As
women would say- "it was a mighty
pretty party'"
THE SESQUIC ENTEXiX IAD of
America's law-making branch creates
a craving to ,4>Iook in" on that first
session; to call the roll of North Carolina's
membership which, for some
reason or other, didn't arrive until
the spring of 1790; to find out how
they lived, where they came from,
how much money they had. By constitution
apportionment the state had
five house members during the ini
tiai assembly, and there wasn't a I
lawyer in the bunch. Pay was scanty,
the- treasury was thin, ami a conservative
sort of congress hastily determined
that six bucks a day, coupled
with the glory of service, should
be quite enough remuneration for its
doughty members. There were no
fancy offices, overstuffed chairs or
tow-headed stenos, and the plumbing
was on the outside. The dulyelected
representatives of a newlyfreed
people gathered in the dramshops
of old Manhattan for discussion
of public matters and a two-bit
tavern bed brought slumber when day
was done.
But let's refresh memory a bit
with brief biographies of those sturdy
sons of Carolina who, bearing the
Federalist banner, blazed the trail
for the ambitious hundreds who since
have followed to coveted congressional
seats. There wasn't a "softie" in
the lot?for tall and sinewy timber
grew in those days. We'll start on
the senate side with . . .
BENJAMIN HAWKINS of Warren
county, a PTinceton student at
the beginning of the American Revolution,
whose knowledge of French
earned him an appointment aa interpreter
in the staff of General Washington.
Hawkins was a delegate to
the Continental congress and, following
his service in the national assembly,
he was appointed agent of all
Indian tribles south of the Ohio River
by the first President. Then there
was another senator by the name of
SAMUEL JOHNSTON, born in
Dundee, but fetched to America to
become a citizen of Chowan county
when he was a lad of three. Lawyer
he was, but not by right ot college
diploma, and moderator C the Revolutionary
convention. Johnston's serv(Continued
on page four)
ATA1
An Independent
BOONE.
Gets Promotion
Ralph G. Gireene, clerk in the
Boone postoffice, who has been appointed
postoffice inspects. Mr.
Greene will leave for Washington
next Thursday, where he will begin
a three-months training period
before taking over his regular
duties.
LAXON MAN DROWS
IN FLOOD WATERS
Laymond Walson Moots Dentil
in Poo Dec River at BenneltsviJlc
Monday
Laymoml Watson, aged 23, a resident
of the Ijaxon community, who
was employed near BomietUsvil'.e, S
C.t was drowned in the Poc Dee River
at that place Monday, when a motorboat
taking foodstuff to cattle
dr-i by zico-i wui' i ?.
; VJ &L\?L eqiLippv ~
with a life preserver, but became exhausted
s!\d waves ure believed tp
have forced water into his lungs.
'OltlW TflL'fl with him in the boat w>jre
rescued.
MT. Watson was a son of Mr. and
Mrs. Filmore Writ son of Laxon, and
had boon employed in South Carolina
by Mr. Arlic Brown for some time.
Surviving are the parents, one brother,
Loy Watson, Laxon, and j?. halfbrother,
VV. E. Clawson, of j^lxoii.
Funeral services were conduct ed
Wednesday at 2 o'clock from the
Laurel Springs Baptist church and
interment was in the cemetery there.
Dcughton, Harrison
Ask For Tax Elasmenl
By JIM RIVERS
(Dixie News Service)
Washington, March. 8.?Wresting
the lead from the administration in
a concerted effort to restore business
confidence. Chairman Robert L
Dcughton of the house ways and
means committee, ami Chairman Pat
Harrison of the senate finance committee,
Friday called on the treasury
for tax-casing recommendations.
A letter from! Harrison and Doughton
followed the Mississippi senator's
declaration Thursday for "radical"
cuts in expenditures, removal of tas
deterrents to business and abandonment
of another $5,000,000,000 increase
in the legal debt limit.
The two senate and house committee
chairmen pledged their co-opera
tion toward helping business, througl
removal of burdensome tax law pro
visions. They voiced belief that boti
their committees were in sympathy
with the President's recently-announ
ced views concerning business am
government co-operation.
Representative Doughton, confines
in Naval Hospital for two weeks wit)'
a bronchial trouble, left Monday foi
St. Petersburg, Fla., where he wil
spend several days resting.
DEATH CLAIMS BIBLE
TEACHER AT LEES-McRAI
Baanner Elk, March 4.?Miss Mar
garet Engle, 46, professor of Bibl
and religious education at Lees-Mc
tlae College, died Friday morning a
4 o'clock at Grace Hospital here.
She had been critically ill for :
week following an operation.
Miss Engle was widely known i]
the Southern Presbyterian church a
a teacher and worker among th
young people. She came here ii
1936 from Pannant College, Phila
delphia.
The funeral was held at Banne
Elk Presbyterian church this morn
ing at 10 o'clock. Rev. M. J. Mur
i ay conducted the services. Member
of the Christian Association Counci
acted as pallbearers. The body wa
sent to Sliepherdstown, W. Va., fo
burial.
JGA
Weekly Newspaper?Estc
WATMJGA~COUNTY, NORTH (
OFFICE BUILDING
TO BE DEDICATED
THURSDAY NIGHT
J WPA Leaders, Town and County
Officials to I5c Guests at
Banquet Celebrating Occupancy
of Llegant County Office
Building; $35.01)0 Structure
Erected Jointly by County
and WPA
Representatives of the Works
I Progress Administration, city
j and county officials, together
with other leading citizens of
the county, will be feted at a
banquet at the recently-completed
countv office building Thursday
evening, in connection with
a dedicatory program, celebrat
| ing me erection ot tne nanasome
$35,000 structure.
Tho banquet will take place at 7
o'clock in the evening, at which time
I George \V. Coan, Jr., stale 1VPA administrator,
has been asked to deliver
the principal address. C. M. Crutchfield,
area engineer for the WPA,
will also appear on the program, and
1 Ell or McNeil, chairman of the board I
of county commissioners, will accept
! the building on the part of the county.
J. B. I tort on, chairman of the
hoard of education, will also make
1 remarks of acceptance, while Dr. B.
B. Dougherty, president of Appalachian
College, will be invited to speak.
Mayor W. H. Gragg has been asked
to talk on the subject, What WPA
Has Meant to Our City."
Most of the offices in the new
building will be occupied by the end
of tile week. The structure will
house the offices of the board of education.
the county agent. welfare department,
health department, WPA
ol rice while xltc basement fioor is
being used as a garag.' and repeir
' -rKrj -or }/>e e-i-- Etv krisiwd tiuses. rr:
Commodious Structure
The county office building is a
commodious structure, containing 15
large offices and . an assembly roonf
which will comfortably sent about
150 people. It was erected through
the co-operation of the board of
county commissioner?'., the WPA and
the MY A. the latter org;.ideation having
played an important part in the
fabrication of (lie building by cutting
ail the rough lumber, framing,
etc., used.
j 'Hie building which Li valued at
I $35,000, is modern in every detail,
j steam heated and fitted with adequate
plumbing. The heating plant
Ls also to furnish heat for the first
floor of the courthouse. Constructed
of native stone, the structure is
* one of the most imposing to be found
:ii the city.
The assembly room will be used
for county agents meetings various
. group meetings, sessions of the wel|
fare board, teachers meetings and
. for any other city or county gathering.
Seating, however, has not
I yet been installed.
FIDDLERS' CONVENTION
BE HELD HERE MARCH 18
The looal chapter of Young Tar
. Heel Farmers is sponsoring an old1
time fiddlers' contest, to be given at
: the courthouse on Saturday night,
- March 18th.
About. ?50 ir. cash and merchandise
will be awarded the winners in the
. various contests The events sched
uled are violin solos, string band,
i guitar solos, banjo solos, harmonica
. solos, cowboy songs, mountain bal!
lads, vocal quarter, vocal duet or
; trio, vocal solos, tap or jig dancing,
. animal inmltation and hog calling.
i
REV. CLAUDE MOSER TO
1 SPEAK FRIDAY NIGIIT
' AT METHODIST CHURCH
1 Rev. Claude Moser, former pastor
of Boone Methodist church, and now
tiuii ui uic V7<u>iuuia u?trict
of the Western North Carolina
5 Conference, will speak Friday night
at tlie Youth Crusade rally to be held
- at the Methodist church here. This
e is a rally of the young people of the
- Methodist churches of Watauga and
t Ashe counties. The service begins
at 7:30 o'clock. Everybody is cora
dially invited.
n VOCAL PROGRAM
s
e The colored jubilee quartette will
n appear at the courthouse Friday,
.- March 10, at 7:30 p. m., in a program
of spirituals and other songs,
r The white people of the community
i- are cordially invited to enjoy the
- program which has been prepared
s and which promises to bring real enil
tertainment. The proceeds from the
s sale of tickets will be used for the
r furtherance of the work of the If. E.
church for the colored in Boone.
DEM<
kblished in the Year Eight
carolina. 'ihursday, marc
When Fire Threaten*
View frcm thft rear of MeG
firemen battled u. lire in the roof :
ihg- the blaze under control, which!
block.
BUSINESS AS US'!"All?Althc
I portion of the ?.IoGi:ire Imilding, en
carried on business as usual. rs
i finishing touches oil a permanent a
moved to the street to escape the.
GROUND IS BROKEN
FOR NEW THEATRE
Kicking K-X'k is to HaV" On:' of
?l:fV>JO!!SHS fn
Tuts Area; Work Began
Monday
Messrs. G. C. Robbin3 and H. P.
Holshouser, owners and operators of
the Carolina Theatre at Blowing
Rock for the past ten. years, Monday
began work on the erection of a mod
era uieatre guiiomg to supplant the |
one now being used, ariu which has!
become inadequate for the crowds
visiting the popular playhouse during
the summer months.
The building, which is located in:
the heart of the resort village, and
which was previously used as a store
by Mr. C. S. Prevette, has been purchased
and the side walls will be utilized
in the new structure. An engineer
from the National Theatre
Supply Co. has been engaged to furnish
the plans for the building, which
is to be ready for occupancy by
June 1.
The new building will have 145
seats, will house the very latest type
of sound and projection equipment
and will be one of the most beautiful
shewhouses in this section of the
state. Steam heat is being installed
for the benefit of the low landers who
(find the cool breezes of the mountain
top a little too cool even hi midsummer.
The new structure will include
space for one mercantile establishment
on the street level.
POSTOFFICEWORK
IS PROGRESSING
More Clement Weather of This
Week Allows Contractor on
Building io Make Showing
Mr. H. Stanton Brown, supervisor
of construction on Boone's new post/\pfl/?n
hrvilditio- io rwohino- cwlondid
progress on the structure with the
abatement of the rain this week, and
with continued favorable weather expects
to have the building ready before
mid-summer. Mr. Skidmore.
who started the job, recently resigned
to accept a position in Greensboro
and was succeeded by Mr. Brown.
The Lyons brothers, widely known
for their ability in stone masonry,
have made quite a start in building
the native stone walls, a good portion
of the steel framework is in place,
and barring extreme weather conditions,
the building will now take
form rapidly.
40 PER CENT
Statisticians of the U. S. department
of agriculture estimates that
farmers received only 40 cents of every
dollar paid across the counter ir
1938 for farm projects.
Born to Mr. and Mrs. George Triplett
on March 6th, at the Wataugt
Hospital, a daughter, Barbara Jane
3CRA
:een E.ighty-Eight
3H 9, 1939 ^
7 *
:d Business ?" ouse
~ M~~ ' *
fig&r t ] J
^ |
^;v** & i . i u V. j f
swwsa&ms ' " ' I
lire* building, fXiken last %eck, when
structure for an hour before brlng
threatened the (!istruclio? ol the
i
ugh fire wn ; raging in the topmost \
upleyees of MeG cure's I'euut \ Salon
. I'at IVIcfiufre is seen putting" the ]
rave, after the equipment Iiutl been
flange.
! WILCOX HEADS
; COMMERCE BODY
Merchants and Chamber of
i Comiiu-r.i' Members Gather
tn banquet aes-.-'.ofj inur-...
j At the oiiginal meeting of the new
| lioard of directors for the Boone
Chamber of Commerce Monday evenI
ing, H. W. Wilcox was named presij
dent of the organization; John Conway.
vice-president; Dr. W. M.
I MJatiiaaon, tnusurer. and Wade FT.
Brown, secretary. Other members}
of the directorate arc it. D. Hodges,
\V. O. Robertson and M. T. Clark.
At a banquet meeting of the. merchants
j association and chamber of
commerce he'd last Thursday evening,
the naming of the new officers
was recommended. The only, other
business matter to coine before this
meeting was the the selection of a
ecm.nittee to consult tobacco manufacturers
in regard to supplying buyers
if a hurley warehouse is established
here. S. C. Eggers, XL W.
Beach and Clyde R. Greene were
named on the committee. Dr. Amos
Abrams was the feature speaker of
the evening, using as his subject,
"Why I Prefer Boone to a Large
City."
Among the ether matters discussed
at the directors' meeting was
one pertaining to the prospects of
securing a suitable site for a golf i
course. A committee composed of
Dr. Matheson, Russell D. Hodges and
James Councill, was named to conduct
au investigation and make a
report at the next meeting which
will be held Tuesday evening, April
11th.
"I was very much pleased," states
Mr. Wilcox, "to see. the splendid interest
taken by the new set of officers
at our initial meeting. There
are great possibilities in store for
this organization. I am sure we
can accomplish a lot of good provided
we receive the co-operation
from the town and county. Remember
this is your organization and we
\Hfih ea" U ie ?a n?"' ?"
.. tu lb -??i bU VJJIt UilU <1X1.
Come, join us. L*>t's do something:
for our town, county and state.''
Legion Meeting Is
Held Friday Evening
Tlio American Legion and Legion
Auxiliary met last Friday evening at
the Legion hut and a banquet, at
which corn beef and cabbage was
served as a surprise to the ladies attending.
The men even washed the
dishes.
A good crowd was present and a
i general good time was enjoyed. The
regular meeting time of the post
was changed from the first Friday
night in each month to the second
Friday night, as a convenience to the
members of the Masonic fraternity,
who would like to attend both gath'
erings, which occurred on the same
night.
The Legion and Auxxiliary wit
hold their next meeting on the seei
ond Friday night in April. All ex.
service men are invited to attend.
T
~ $1.50 A YEAR
sevetTinjure d as
crash ends chase
of police officer
Wreck Near Mabel Sunday
Evening of Near Fatal Consequences;
Car Seeking to Evade
Officers Ingle and Oil i[s
Smashes Into One En Route to
Hospital
Seven persons were injured,
some of them seriously, near
Mabel Sunday evening, when
a tar driven by Paul Shoun of
Mountain City, at a terrific rate
of speed and hotly chased by
State Patrolman Carlyle Ingle
of Lenoir, and Policeman S. D.
Ollis of Boone, crashed head-on
into a vehicle occupied by William
Eller and family of Creston.
who were en route to Banner
Elk hospital with Mrs.
Clyde Eller. who was ill. i
Paul Shoun, Mrs. Shoun and Bill
Smith, occupants of the car wanted
by lh<; police officers, each suffered
a broken leg, besides cuts and
bruises, while Tom Eller suffered serious
injuries to the head; William
E ler received a crushed hip and cuts
about the head: Kelly Eller was SO.v.
rely cut and bruised as was Mis.
Clyde Eller, who was being carried to
the hospital. Mr. ami Mrs. Shoun
and Smith wore taken to the Wat
auga Hospital, while members of the
Bller family were received at Banner
Elk Hospital. Attending physicians
have not as yet decided as
to how serious the injuries are.
The chase, which ended so disastrously,
started in Bootw early in
the evening, when Officers Ingle and
Oilis noted the Shoun car making
unusual speed through the business
section of the town. They followed
and white the police siren was called
nuo pmy, lli? packed iy
. . - - <v?v . - it: an
effort to shoot down t?p xrres Cttc- Shoun
car, placed several revolver
bullets in the rear of the vehicle, but
neither passenger was injured by the
lire. After the crash, the officers
found no evidence of whiskey about
the car. the chase having occurred
as a result of breaking the speed
limit in the city.
JOHN R. McNAIRY
CLAIMED BY DEATH
Lenoir and Boone Business Man
Victim of Sudden Illness;
Funeral Held Tuesday
John R. McNairy, aged 06, prominent
Lenoir business man and one
of the owners of the Boone Drug
store, died from a sudden heart attack
Monday in the office of the
McNairy Drug store. He had been
in ill health for some time, and the
fatal attack came as he sat by his
j desk in the store which he owned
and operated.
mineral services were concluded
from the Zion Reformed church in.
Lenoir Tuesday afternoon by Dr.
Walter W. Rocve, and burial was in
Belleview cemetery. Lenoir. Business
houses of USe city were closed tor
the rites.
The widow survives, together with
one brother and five sisters: Dr. W.
H. McNairy; Miss Jennie McNairy.
Mrs. A. A. Blaclcwelder, Dr. Caroline
McNairy, Mi's. C. D. Rabb, all of
Lenoir, and Mrs. Robert Leonard of
Lexington.
Mr. McNairy. who was a native of
Guilford county, had been in Lenoir
for 32 years, where for the greater
part of the time he had been engaged
in the drug business. He was an
extensive real estate holder in Lenoir.
In 1920 Mr. McNairy and Dr. G
K. Moose opened the Boone Drug
Company store here, in which the deceased
retained his interest.
STATESVILLE SUICIDE
WAS WELL-KNOWN HERE
Dallas H. Pitts, 65, who was found
dead at his home at Harmony, near
Statesviilo Inst wao Txre?ll_
I known in Boone and the county,
where he worked for the Mutual Life
Insurance Co. The body wa3 suspended
from a rope in the garage and
ill health was given as the cause for
the suicide.
The body was taken to Concord
for interment.
MORTGAGES
FVtrm Credit Administration esti1
mates that 36 per cent of all farms
in the United States carried niort
gages in 3938, the debt amounting to
87,082,000,000.