' ' ? VOL. 52, NO. 24 TODAY and ?ANf. PARXtBTp^i^/ Ll SOO.BR I Dtit NEWSPAPERS 13.00( Every thoughtful observer wh. visits Ameripa from abroad ib amazed to discover how much the , people of the United States know about what is going on, not only ir their own country but all over the world. The American people know more than the people of England . Germany or Russia know aboul what's going on in their own countries. The reason for America's wide knowledge of events and public af fairs is that we are the greatest nation of newspaper readers to be iounrl anywnere. More of us call lead, more of us are eager for information?and we have more newspapers. Few even among Americans realize that there are more than 13.001 newspapers published in the United States. About 2.000 of them arc daily papers, the rest weeklies 01 semi-wceklics. That doesn't count the enormous number of magazine; of all kinds, of which we read more than do any other people. No wonder we are so well informed. FREEDOM opinions The German or the Russian or tile Italian can read in his newspapei t nlv what his government wants him to read. No editor in the totalitarian nations dares to print anything which criticizes the govern nienl. Most of them have to submit every line to some government official before it gets into print. Nothing of the sort is possible in America. Government may not liki what a newspaper soys, hilt it can"', do anything to stop an editor from printing any news or opinion he chooses to print. So long as he does not libel anyone, advocate the overthrow of the government by violence or incite people to Hot -5T crime,- or use indecent language, anyone who has access to a printing press can print whatever he wants to print. rThe supreme court of the United States has just ruled that this freedom of the press, guaranteed by the constituticn .extends to pamphleteers, who may not be restrained from distributing circulars, band bills or any other form of printed matter. This is a restatement ol what is perhaps the most funda] mental of all our liberties, the right to express our ideas and to tell the truth as we see it, without let 01 hindrance. POLITICS truth Politicians who want to make themselves the tulers of the people rather than their servants, dpn'i like newspapers because they ar; too likely to tell the truth abou what's going en behind the political front. Every attempt ever made ii Atncrici to suppress or control tin press has originated in politico cliques or gangs who were up tt some skullduggery that they didn't want the voters to know about. Up to about 150 years ago every newspaper was owned or controller, by politicians with an axe to grind The first newspaper to set itseli free from such control was the London Times. Its founder. John Wal ter, figured that if he could gel enough small advertisers so that ii wouldn't ruin him if a few dropped cut, he could run an honest newspaper and print the truth aboul public affairs. That was the beginning of the real freedom of the press. There are still a few newspapers tied up with political backers, but ninetenths of American papers are free The freest of ail are the ones thai have the most advertising. CONTROL "legals' When Huey Long was makinp himself "Kingfish" of Louisiana ht got his hand-picked legislature tc pass laws of many kinds intpudec to cripple the newspapers. Some oi those laws were upset by the supreme court, but one which still stands on Louisiana's statute book! is held responsible for the orgy 01 financial crookedness in the stat? since Long's death. This law abolishes the publicatior of so-called "legal" advertising jviosi states require all proposals involving the use of public funds, ta> lists, bond issues and the like, to tx advertised in newspapers in everj county. Those things are the pub lie's business. The Long schcnru kept the public completely in th< dark as to how much money the politicians were collecting from tfcs people and how they were spending The procession of political graft ers that has recently started for th< Louisiana penitentiary is evidenci that the people have waked up t< the fact that they were being rob bed, and how. But until the stab tesumes the publication of officia reports of its financial matters there's always a chance of "some thing being put over. ADVERTISERS whim' Every once in a while somebodj comes out with a book or a .naga zine article trying to tell people tha advertising ' is an economic waste that if it wasn't for the cost of ad vertising they could buy thing! cheaper. The precise opposite hap /ATM An Independent ) BOONE, WAT. pens to he true, as everv publisher and every advertiser knows. If it wasn't for advertising no concern could do a large enough volume of business to sell his product at reasonable pricesSome of Hhose same wrong-headed critics contend that newspapers are under the domination of advertisers. I've run several newspapers, and have studied the inner workings of the business for years. I've never encountered an instance ot a " newspaper adapting its editorial policy to the whims of its adver> tisers. > One newspaper I worked on hud a large advertiser who disliked the ' the paper's attitude on a certain i matter and pulled out his daily full page advertisement. A vear later ' he offered advertising copy again . and the publisher refused to let him t into the paper. | DEWEY DEPICTED AS CHILD VVHU WKI'lES TO "SANTA" . Chicago, Dec. 7?Thomas E. Dewi ey was depicted as a small boy writing to Santa Clnus for the Rcpubli can presidential nomination, in a cartoon yesterday in the Chicago Daily News, which is published by I Frank Knox, 193G Republican nomi| nec for vice-president. In a cloud over Dewey's head was his vision of Santa, with the head t of the Republican elephant, carry; Ing a sack labeled "'40 Nomina. tion." John Q. Public was peeking around a corner and remarking: "Now isn't that cute." The Washington monument cost . SI.31)0.000. n Ea F New [ if s PREMIUM ii ...IfsREGUL \ This is your lucky day! show you why. At regular price?new % actually meets ipecificati* j knock performance. > A gasoline so good tha give to it our 1iou*-oi - until now for gasoline sel I New ESSO brings quk > smoother operation and a power. Yours today at th UMCXCI11CD AT I S r i ...YOU I 3 JGA DEMC Veekly Newspaper?Established in the Year Eightet AUGA COUNTY. NORTH CAROLINA. THURSDAY, DEC. 14, ByQar'v , 9BSE(H^^ ? * vBHEKt -*Sr *' >&\ WAVmS BEAT NEW Gl eh TOP VALUE in its i Performance [SSD CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WINS NATiOHill AR in Price! diver before given in the oil industi Let voor Esso Dealer scientists honored for super-fuels ESSO?a gasoline that cms for premium anti- Eoo Laboratories organization has just been given National Award for Chemical Engineering Ach t?'nccrr" This is the font time it has ever been given in the oil fvjf-T, ~rf^|T . The award was made for Esso's many advances in d k starting, fait pickup, super-fuels for aircraft and other high-powered cn; new high in knockless appreciate this formal recognition of Esso Leadershi e Esso Sign. Try it! V STAND AND Oil COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY 1EOULAR PRICI ^ * S#o*eor?4 by CHmiIqoI & Metallurgical E?gia??.-ing SET BETTER PRODUCTS AT )CRA' in Eighty-Eight 1939 ? :OVE CREEK I1 HIGH SCOOPS S do i mc The Cove Creek high school Pr( nonthly, the "Wacovian" is slated to slu ome from the press on December tw 5. This issue, a special Christmas 1 diticn. will contain many features )ertaining to the Yuletide. The J December issue is the second a ] hat the paper has made its appear- P. inoe this year. The third printing At vill take place about the iniddV? of fanuary. re< Harold Mast Honored Dc Harold Mast, talented young cur- tic oonist of the "Wacovian" stulr\ was tol ecently lauded by the state depart- w; nent for his work in conne 't'pn cri vith that publication. In a letter I ? o Principal S. F. Horton. voiric w; Hast was praised by the officials or having given to the state a dis- Vi inctively new type of artistic work, mi Debaiinq Club Prepares for Meets an For the past several weeks. Cove to ^reek students have been preparing C* cr the triangular contests of the m< ^orth Carolina Debating Union, of rhe high school has entered the tate-wide contests and will partici- \\7 Date in the meets to be held next ipring: the query as stated by the oficials of the union is, "Resolved, L'hat the Federal Government Should Own and Operate the Rail- tin oads." Students now engaged in a en :tudy of this Question are Harold 3(i, Vlast, Foy Parker, Geraldine Binglam, David Love. Billie Harmon 16' md Walter Thompson. da Parent-Teacher Association 1 Ql The Parent-Teacher Association, i m price cla; mmitI NewESS LAHflnU New All-Time High in ^ for those who w; Ready now?the highest . performance we have eve the 1939 ing public! ievcment. This new gasoline?the I industry. Esso Sign-is designed to a eveloping ?*'" eines We Adapted from Fightm) . new ESSO Extra delivers 'P' found only in such a gasc / Buy it today at the Es* ' UNEXCELLED AT I THE (Esso) S r SECTION B?EIGHT PAGES irganized here recently, will hold next meeting on Thursday. Denber 14. A program committee ided by Mrs. ltoby Greer was apmted by Mrs. C. I. Billings, presiit of the local unit, at the last ding two weeks ago. A varied jgram will be given entirely by irients at the next meeting some o weeks hence. LIKES SPECIAL EDITION Following are some excerpts from personal letter received by Mr. G. Hagaman lrom Rev. J. Norton kins who is now in Kumford, Va.: "I read with much interest the :ent special issue of the Watauga imocrat celebrating the complein and approaching opening of the aacco warehouse in Boone. It as a good piece of work and a adit to all concerned. I am sorry zarmot ho in Rrtorto mhnn irehouse is opened for business. "We are spending the winter in rginia. in the vicinity of Richand and find it a very pleasant d agreeable location. There seems be quite a number of Nortb irolinians in and around Rich and. so we do not have a feeling being total strangers." PA ENROLLMENT AGAIN HITS THE 2,000,000 MARK Washington, Dec. 7.?WPA enroll?nt totaled 2,023,551 in the week ded November 29, an increase of ,033 over November 22. Not since August 9, when 2,,052, 3 were enrolled, officials said toy, has the roster passed the 2,O.GCO mark. The record high of 50,000 was oil November 1, 1930. tftS Its >s 0 EXTRA EXTRA Quality... int the BEST! txtra quality and x offered to the moco#? r finest ever sold at the issure extra quick starts knock less operation. 5 Grade Aviation Fuel, the spectacular power >line. > Sign! 'ftEMIUM MICE SIGN! *