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XRVrgM ft i&' '? ?ls.- ?
Entered at the poetofflco at Boone, N. C., aa atcond'claaa mail matter, ondar the act of Con gre*a of
"The buia of our governaeait Mm Ifc* amnion of the people, the vary flrat objective should be to
keep that right, and war* U left to me to decide whether V* ahould have a government without new*
paper*, or nawapapan without government. I ihould not hc?itat* a moment to ehoov the latter. But
I alSSM mean that every man ahould receive thaaa paper* and be capable of reading tfienv Thoma*
JaMamn. "fofat?#*- , . .? .. _ . A
BOONE, NORTH CAROLINA, THURSDAY, MARCH 15 19M
i i?
Minerals In Watauga
The protpect that uranium is hidden in
the rocks of the Blue Ridge, particularly
down on the south side of the hill in the
Federal forest preserves, and that strong
Indications of the presence of the valuable
mineral are apparent In Blowing Rock have
brought considerable excitement to 'the
kf , ? j V
The presence of uranium in consider
able quantities, would, of course, bring
untold activity and prosperity to this sec
tion of the country, and the people are
folding their breaths pending further in
formation on the scope of the discovery.
All this brings to mind the fact that
Mrs. Ernest Hillard has been telling us
for a long time that Watauga's full of the
?tuff, and her Geiger counter has reacted
In most every part of the county. She
has been intensely interested in the uran
ium prospect, long before the development
down to the South.
We are reminded that Watauga has al
ways been regarded by many people as
being a storehouse of valuable metals and
minerals. Back in the early days copper
mining was carried on in the Elk Knob
section. At varied intervals mining has
been done on the Grandfather mountain,
notably by the Williams fajnilyof New
York, some forty-odd years ago. We've
heard of silver mining on Elk Creek, and
Bob Rivers, the first, told of the gold min
ing operation which used to be carried on
near the Joseph Hardin farm, east of town.
The placer operation was by* the sluice
box method, he said, and local folks were
reported to have "made 'Wages" gathering
the particles of gold from the gravel of
the tiny brook. There's always been out
croppings of mica, but the ventures along
this line has never developed.
And (most folks maybe don't know it)
we once had an oil operation on Cove
Creek, near the James B. Mast store, where
some Pennsylvania folks drilled way
on down, trying to discover the liquid gold.
We've never known much about this ven
ture.
So the uranium excitement is bigger,
but nothing new to Watauga, where for
generations folk* lived fronp year to year
on the prospects of finding a gold mine,
or of a railroad coming into the deep for
ests of the isolated area.
Only this time, something big is apt
to develop from all the talk.
V
Open Forum Letters
' 4 ?? I'l ' 1)1'* ?'?') ? r ft . IJjJ ' ? -.*? w
Hundreda of letter* come into the Dem
ocrat office weekly. Some of them are
printed in full or in part, and we are al
ways glad to carry the opinions of our
readers on matters of public concern. That
is, provided they are of reasonable length,
and the writer observes reasonably ethical
standards.
But of course there are many which are
cast into the basket, regardless of their
obvious interest and quality, because the
writer has failed to sign the letter.
One fellow writes of a traffic situation,
another has some words on law enforce
ment problems, others are interested in
State and National politics, but only a
very few carry the names of the writers.
The Democrat haa held that letters from
the readers are good. "Hiey add to the
Interest of ? newspaper, and while they .1
?re always edited, and maybe omitted .
altogether for any of a number of reasons,
it is certain that one without the name
of the sender will not be published in the
Democrat.
If any of these people who want to
speak their minds on matters of concern,
want to bust into the local press they are
going to have to claim parentage of their
productions. The newspaper cannot and
will not be a party to anonymity. We are
anxious for our readers to feel at ease in
writing their letters for publication. We
are glad for them to state their views, but
the name is necessary. Please remember
that signing a letter "Citizen," "Reader,"
or "Worried Mother," won't do the trick.
No Time To Work
(Cleveland County Tim*.)
An interesting item' was recently pub
lished in The Chattanooga Times, and it
explained how the average person spends
his life.
To begin with, he spends one-third of
his life asleep. He spends another four
t years talking with people, 'but women
spend Ave years in conversation with oth-'
f ers.
A man, it is estimated, uses about five
months of his lifetime trying to tie his
shoe laces. He spends another five years
washing and shaving, and up to four years
in smoking up a quarter of a ton of to
bacco.
Telephone calls require one year of the
average life span, and some six months
are spent playing cards. For come of the
i fair readers, we would raise this to about
six years.
Six years are spent eating and drinking,
and three years are spent being sick. For
the average person, about five years are
spent in going to and from work, and this
figure is likely to go up as more moVe
to the cities and as the cities grow larger
and larger.
The main point in all of this tabulating
is that, after we spend all these years
doing these things, very little is left for
working. The time consumed, in all the
(? above pursuits approaches fifty years, and
therefore, probably less than twenty years
?re left for working, when it is considered
J there are mafiy other time-consumers nAt
included in the above.
In all of the items listed, It may be teen
that the greatest opportunity for time
aaving is to be found in the field of smok
ing, traveling to and from work and tying
one's shoe laces. Also a great deal of time
can be saved if one washed and shaved
less. ,
Second Spot Race
" Six are now in the field for the Demo
cratic nomination for the Lieutenant-Gov
ernorship, indicating that when the Demo
crats of the State, long used to primary
battles, can't get a hassle out of the Gov
ernorship, they are. perfectly willing to
move down to the second slot for their
spring voting practice.
Anyway, many are anxious to go to the
post in the Lieutenant-Governorship race.
' Governor Hodges is of a suitable age and
in fine fettle, so far as we know, and the
thought of accession may not enter into
the picture. Maybe it's just the tendency of.
folks to get as nigh the top* as possible
with their running, and stay away from
the big artillery which is usally unlim
bered when two or fnore formidable candi
dates gun for the top post.
J. Vivian Whitfield of Pender county is
the last man in the running. Others who
have filed or indicated they would run
arc Alonzo Edwards of Greene county,
Gurney P. Hood, Raleigh; Luther Barn
hardt of Concord, Kidd Brewer, Raleigh
and R. L. Harris of Roxboro.
If one doesn't like the candidate for Gov
ernor there'! always the pig-raiser, Olla
Ray Boyd, but the choice isn't so easy
down the line where many good men are
eager to wham the gavel in the upper
house of the My.
TOUGH PUZZLE
By Paul Berdanier
Stretch's Sketches
By " STRETCH ? ROLLINS
The Preacher Wat Loaded} Other Ne/tet
LAST FRIDAY NIGHT the Northwwteni Bank
had planned to treat the Boone and Blowing Rock
volunteer (ire department* to
? steak dinner in appreciation
of their invaluable service to
the two communities. (See
newt story.)
But the Boone contingent
didn't make it to the dinner
?for the very food reason
that they were engaged in tho
activity for which they were
being honored. They were
fighting ? -fire.
"Well," someone asked Al
fred Adams, "fou're going
to toed theee who art here, arent yon?"
Which reminded me of a story (Perhaps I've
told It before, but 1 maintain that a good story
deserves to be told more than once.)
A minister who had a rural pastorate drove
out to one of hU churches one rainy ^ Sunday
morning ? and only one man showed 'up for
the service. ,
The hour cyme and went, so finally the pAstor
said to his congregation of one: "Brother Jones,
suppose you took a load of corn down to feed
your hogs, and only one of them came when you
called. What would do, let that hof go hungry
Just because ndoe of the others showed up, or
would you feed him?"
"Well, Preacher," replied Brother Jones, "I
guess I'd feed him."
His point made, the minister mounted the
rostrum, the two sang a hymn, had a prayer,
paaaed the collection plate, and then the pastor
proceeded to preach a sermon to that one man
that lasted about an hour. Whan he finally
pronounced the benediction, Brother Jones look-% i
ed up wearily, and said:
" Preacher, if 4 went to feed my hogs and only
one of 'en showed' hp! I'd feed him, all right, like
I said ? but Hi be danged if I'd give him the
whole load!"
ONCE OVER LIGHTLY? HA!? As long as
they're cracking down on misleading advertiainjt.
how about the tv con man who tells you how easy
it is to clean your kitchen floor if youll only
use "Grime-O" or something? I tried it Still had
to mix in the usual amount of elbow greaae.
CAPITAL GAIN? A Broadway columnist sayt
nobody can figure out why, the day Ike announc
ed he'd run again, every bit fhow in town dived
with a thud. That's easy ? everybody was trying
to get a seat on the stock exchange.
v THE BREAKING POINT? Always wondered
whether to pronounce Wachovia (the bank) to
sound like "watch over you" or "walk over you."
/ _____ *
From Early Democrat. Files
Sixty Years Ago
March M, MM.
We are pleated to note that CoL Folk, who
has been inditpoaed, la improving at hii home
in l.e? Ir.
The Elk Knob copper vein ia now mpoaed
100 feet in thickness and la believed to he of
unusual value, perhaps worth a million dollars.
Mrs. Jane L. Rivera haa the tad intelligence
that her brother, Dr. J. P. Rhea o( bland MiUa,
Tenn., died on the 13th of apoplexy. >
I ' x
J. R. Hodges of Elk informs us that he has
contracted hia silver mine to a man in California
at *30.000 The mineral prospect In Watauga
ia flattering indeed.
There 'are plenty of wan now going on agalnit
the smaller nations. England haa determined
to advance up the Nile and to cruah the Midi's
power. It ia proposed to reconquer Soudan.
Wm. McKinley of Ohio is certainly in the lead
for the Republican nomination for PraiHint.
Thirty-Nine Years Ago
March IS. ltlT.
Mr. Nathan Shipley of Valle Crocis, who U
SO yean of 'age, fell on the hearth in hia room
more than two weeks ago and broke hia hip.
Lawyer John E. Brown, who hat been ill in
Waahington since the latter put of December, it
at home for the summer and will aooa move
to hia reoently-purchaaed farm two miles weet
of Boone.
Mr. E. S. Coffey haa returned from Waahing
ton and his friends are glad to know that he
haa been appointed to a J iterative position IB
the capital city.
The warehouae of Cook hrothera at Todd waa
entered by robbert on Sunday nitfit and two
aide* of choice bacon were taken.
The pos* ice at Virgil waa robbed laat Mon
day night, Md itin and eaah to the amount
of $71 waa taken. Postmaster General fcriMw
announcet that after April l the apvoiataoat
to *11 postmasters of the first, second and third
cUu will be subject to competitive examina
tions. . .
Fifteen Year* Ago
March M, 1M1.
lira. Rose Miller, resident of the upper Meat
Camp section, came to Boone last Friday with a
story of her son's having killed two biack
snakes crawling atop a four-inch snowfall, as
they went about gathering the sap from maple
trees to boil into tree sugar. . . . The reptiles,
four feet long, were described as being very In
active and apparently in a partially frozen con
dition.
The sale of -fortified wines in Watauga county
will be banned in Watauga county as of the
cloae of the present fiscal year in Jane, under
the terms of legialation passed in the general
assembly whj^i bore the signature of Represen
tative Cordon H. Winkler as co-sponsor. .
Uncle Philip Greer, V7. of Mabel, has the di
stinction of being the first of five living gener
ations, Gary Stewart, the great-grandchild, hav
ing been born to Mr. and Mrs. HaroM D. Vande
man of San Diego. Calif., January 16. "Uncle"'
Philip has eight sons and daughters. 24 grand
children, 33 great-grandchildren and one great
greatgrandchild.
Appreciate 4-H Publicity
We would like to thank you for the publicity
yob gave the National 4-H Club Week Program
and far the esspsrntien you give to the club werfc
in Watauga county.
Wfc would also like to thank the merchant*
lor sponsoring the ads for National 4-H Chib
Wert. ,,
W r DUKnMlaAB
W. C. Richardson
Assistant Coaaty Agent
JOHNNY VINES. President
Watauga County 4-H County
Council.
*
By ROB R1
A TEACHER'S RETROSPECTION
Mr. W. L. Winkler, veteran schoolteacher, now retired, looks
back over 46 years in the schoolhouses of the state, and recalls
some of the incidents which took place a long time ago. . .
He tells us of the spring day in 1M7, when at the close of the
school, jvhere he served as principal, a brilliant young High
School Senior made a speech and presented Mr. Winkler with
a leather-bound copy of Tennyson's poems. .,$gMr. Winkler
treasures the volume, but he had no notion that when Luther
Hodges handed him the book down at Lealcsville commencement
that thirty-nine years later, the lad with the golden voice would
b* the Governor of North Carolina . . . and there's a note of
satisfaction in the voice of the aging schoolmaster when he
relates his early -day acquaintance with the lad who brought
himself to the top of the business world as a vice-president of
Marshall Field & Company, took a flier at politics after he
quit his active corporation work, was elected Lieutenant Gov
ernor, acceded to the Governorship on the death of Governor
Umstead, and who's a sure-fire winner, it would appear, for a
term of his very own in Carolina's aged Statehouse.
. i '? ,
BICKETT ALSO SPOKE
Mr. Winkler noted that Governor Thonias W. Bfckett
?( spoke at the commencement down at L?ak*ville on
that memorable date. ... He had in turn been intro
duced by State Senator Ivey, who especially liked the
speech young Hodges made when he paid tribute to
his teacher. . . . Senator Ivey is quoted as saying:
"If young Hodges had been given adequate time, he
would have made a better speech than the Governor."
. . . Anyway, Hodges went on the State University that
autumn, where he largely "worked himself through,"
going soon thereafter to the Chicago merchandising t
firm to get his career under way.
"ITS MIGHTY HARD TO TELL . .
Mr. Winkler doesn't say he expected Luther Hodges to be
come Governor, but does say "it's, a mighty hard thing to tell
what's in a boy." . . . He does state, however, that Luther Hodges,
who didn't have a silver spoon nigh when he came into this
world, was a good boy ... a lad maybe a bit apart from the
crowd. Always a business-type of fellow, Mr. Winkler says
that his most famous pupil was a go-getter down at the grass
roots level of his educational career, and was able to skip from
the ninth grade to the eleventh without harm to himself. ... In
his Senior year he was class president, and class orator, and
according to his schoolmaster "was clean as a pin . . . never
anything brought against him." ? ,
ALWAYS PUSHING TO THE FRONT . . . PROUD OF HIM
"Luther Hodges was always pushing to the front,"
Mr. Winkler said, indicating that the lad from Leaks
ville wasn't content to stay along with the crowd. "Of
course I'm proud of him," Mr. Winkler said, and he _
looks forward to the likelihood that Governor Hodges
will maybf be nominated with only token opposition.
He thinhs the Democrats shouldn't oppose him in the
primary, and while he's a Republican and former mem
ber of the House of Representatives, he sounds Uke he's
going to be proud for his former student to be holding
down the top job for another full term.
THE FARM PROGRAM . . . AND FREE GARDEN SEEDS
The farm program, and whether the farmer should have a
flexible support pattern or a rigid formula, have occupied the
minds of the folks who follow the Congress. Anyway, the
farmers are not sharing in the lush season of prosperity, and
the politicians are trying to uncover the reason. ... A farmer
the other day said he reckoned trying to help the farmer got
started in a miniature way back when the Congressmen sent
out to their constituents each spring time a generous package
of garden seed, grown at Government expense under the aus
pices of the Department of Agriculture. . . . And town folks
also got the generous brown envelopes filled with the little
packets of seed ? radishes, beets, peas, beans, lawn grass, and
everything ? all for free! . . . We'd forgotten those days.
So This Is New York
By NORTH CALLAHAN
Seeing New York City through
the "ey es" of the blind was an un
forgettable experience. It cane
about thia way: ever fince I met
blind Bill Stanley on the train and
wrote ? column about kirn, my in
terest in blind folka has been sti
mulated more than it ever was ex
cept when I met Helen Keller. The
column about Bill broufht much
sympathetic rosponoe from read
er!, and recently I enquired to see 1 1
how he was getting along in hit
"Kentucky home." Paul J. Lancan,
able Superintendent of the Ken- -
tueky School for the B|>cd in
Louisville, reported that Bill was
happily working there In the mop
making division. Mr. Lancan also
told me he himself was coming to
New York with ten other Mind
boys, and asked If Td like to "tee"
the city with them. I jumped at the
chance.
f'
We met at the United Nations
building, the boys and Mr. Langan
being a bit late on arriving, having
been to Hartford to defend their
title* as champion wrestlers of a
blind school conference, having
ww the title at Baltimore last
year. This year, Virginia was first
in the tournament, Kentucky sec
ond and West Virginia third. The
Mind fellow* wrestle mainly by
"feel." I was told, and although
rough, show better sportsmanship
than moat athletes who can see
The chauffeur of their baa, gonial
Armando d'Angelis, a New York
er, (aid he wu thrilled by the et
citement of the matches He *l?o
told of how the boys had aeen
Yankee Stadium ? then wanted to
aee Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. It
seemed mighty nice that these
sightless fellows could be so whole
somely interested in sports.
The group soent quite awhile
going through the big UN build
ings. being told of what was there,
feeling the walU and statues and
tapestries. Gordon Pierce of Nan
cy, Ky. said tiw olace was "magni
ficent" Earl Hall, 14, of Can
Creek, asked me what an atomic
bomb would do to these and other
New York buildings. His pal* kid
ded him and said he couldn't see
the damage anyway. Burt Boyer,
US, of Putney, national wrestling
champion in the 130-nound class,
remarked that the General As
sembly building was something
wonderful. Frank Washington ef
Georgetown was happily amazed,
and James Hopkins of Crab Orch
?rf liked New York but preferred
Kentucy, as did Mason Hall ef
Carr Creek; Aaa we left the UN
for the Cmplre State Building,
Charles Allan, 15, blinded by an
esptasion when t, said the 196
blocks they bad travelled from the
Bronx to Manhattan seemed as Im
as across his whole state. El wood
Miracle, blind frees btrth, feH that