Newspapers / The Franklin Times (Louisburg, … / Feb. 13, 1969, edition 1 / Page 2
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The Ff i.t>i Tuttinf A T>?n<n Times Your Award Winning County Newspaper LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT To Tell Us Something Voters in neighboring Vance Coun r"ty defeated four bond issues this week. The margins of defeat-es pecially in the matter of a proposed $2.8 million water system improve ment --was decisive. It is difficult to imagine that voters in Vance or anywhere else are against improved and ample supplies of water; new fire stations, new fire equipment and community recreation. However, Vance voters made their desires un equivocally clear on all these things. Also this week. Governor Bob Scott rpade his budget presentation to the General Assembly. Without the benefit of advance knowledge on the Governor's message, one can easily assume that it will require additional taxes. Much talk has been heard re cently on the possibility of a five-cent -per-pack tax on cigarettes and a minimum of three cents per gallon on gasoline. Some legislators are known to favor a one-cent increase on the current sales tax. Some others are advocating a substantial increase in the cost of automobile licenses and ad infinitum. Up in Washington, things are little better. The Congress has given itself a forty percent salary hike and raised salaries for everyone else in sight of the shiny dome and many standing out in the shadows. Already operating 'billions in the red, the national law makers go merrily along their way devising more and more onerous taxes. The poor do not need worry about this. Unfortunately, their income is too low to be taxed. The rich have long since contrived their ignoble loopholes. So it follows that those left to carry the intolerable burden are the average citizens--the middle -income group. It is this segment of our society that must also maintain the economic .health of the nation. Supporting fam ilies, raising children, donating to the many charities and maintaining a household are every day problems to the middle income citizen. The cost of food is way up. Medi cal expenses have jumped to unbe lievable heights in recent years. Keep ing a child in school gets more expen sive each year. Salaries and profits for the little man have long ago lost the foot race with the spiraling cost of living. Citizens can hardly be expected to look favorably on more taxation while pulling in their own belts with ever growing regularity. For most people, keeping one's head above the financial waters is life's greatest urgency. It could be that Vance voters are trying to tell us something. Mourn Now Two Pilot Mountain police officers were murdered earlier this month and four Negro youths have been charged with the slayings. The two policemen left grieving families and empty places which can never be filled. Compas sionate people mourn their loss. But, the warning must go out. Those who would mourn the senseless killing of these two public servants must dp so now. It must be done in the bitter heat of remembrance. And it must be done before the do-gooders begin their predictable drive to excuse the killers. Any day now, the ultra-liberal for givers will be crying against any punishment the courts might decree when and if conviction comes. They will point out that the youths - if they be the killers - are underprivileg ed; that they have been left out of the mainstream and that they didn't really mean to do bad. They will say - as one liberal editor recently did about another case -- that "Both justice and society seem to be sick kittens in this land". If anyone doubts that a drive will be launched to all but, if not entirely, set free the murderers of these police men, it takes only a glance at the front pages of today's larger news papers to get the message. In Edgecombe County a short time ago, four Negroes entered the store of a 65-year-old white man, whose only sin was that he had worked all his life and still found it necessary to keep open his place of business. When the foursome left the store, the owner was dead. All he had worked for in his life was of no further use to him. His life had been snuffed out sa that these people might steal a little money not belonging to them. His family, as all families do, mourned. One of the four people accused in the murder of this storekeeper is a Negro girl. Marie Hill was tried and convicted by a jury of four Negroes and eight whites. The jury did not recommend mercy and she was sen tenced to die in the state's gas chamb er. Without getting into the many pros and cons of capital punishment, one is now to assume that the life of this convicted murderer is worth more than the life of her victim, who, as far as is known, never harmed anyone in his life. Nobody cries for the storekeeper, except maybe his family and a few friends. But over a hundred people are making a march on Raleigh in protest to the conviction of the murderer. Liberal groups are shouting every where that she should not be made to pay for this crime. It seems that some would advocate giving her some sort of medal. Her case is on appeal and it is highly unlikely that she or anyone else will ever again be put to death by the state. But the fact remains that in today's society it is the criminal that gets the sympathy and the victim can remain dead -very dead. ^ So, if any are to mourn the two Pilot Mountain police officers, killed in line of duty, it should be done immediately. Soon it will be fashion able to forgive the killers and blame the victims. Such is the way of things in this country today. The Fr$^$in Times Established 1870 ? Published Tuaadayst Thursdays by The Franklin Times. Inc. Btckrtt Blvd. Dial GY6-3283 Louisburf, N. C. CLINT FULLER, Mamglnf Editor ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Business Msnafer NATIONAL EDITORIAL AdvwrtWng Rata v|ty | ASSOCIATION Upon Request ? L^^52L,__ SUBSCRIPTION RATES In North Carolina: Out of State Om Yaw. $4.64; Stat Montha, <2.88 On* \mt. $6.(0; Six Montha, $4.00 TIum Montha, $2.06 Thra. Mentha, $3.50 I dw mail matter and postage paid at the Poat Office at Loutsburi. N. C. 27549. 'What in the uorld lias gotten into hi mi' Legistative Report By Rep. James D. Speed Raleigh - On the whole, I believe the governor's new budget proposals for 1969-71 are very good and that his recommendations generally are realistic. I especially agree with the governor's recommendations concerning salary increases for teachers and for state employes. However, I feel that his recommendations for salary increases in the field of higher education go too far. Looking at the specific tax proposals, I am disappointed at the concentra tion of ad d it io nal taxes upon to bacco in stead of other pos sible sour ces of re venue. I be lieve this to be con trary to the thinking of many legisla tors and citizens throughout the state, especially those in tobacco-growing areas. The governor quite frankly ad mitted that he had stated during his campaign that he was opposed to such a tax. His words were: "My only regret in recom mending a cigarette tax to this distinguished body is that when I campaigned for this office, I said I was opposed to such a tax." I feel this is an especially bad time to do anything which would further weaken our tobacco industry. I also was disappointed that the governor did not recommend any further fi nancial help (or the local gov ernments in North Carolina which are badly in need of help. Many of us had hoped that a part of any proposed addi tional revenue or tax increase would earmarked to assist our counties, cities and towns. It is my feeling that the separate counties are in more need of financial assistance than other local governments such as the municipalities. The cities and towns presently receive aid in a number of ways which are not available to the county governments. For example, municipalities receive Powell Bill funds' for improvements and maintenance of streets and, under legislation enacted in 1967, will become re cipients of a larger share of the state-collected utilities franchise tax money both on next July 1, and even a bigger share on July 1, 1970. 4 I feel that the counties are in special need of some type of returned revenue from the state's tax collections. While the towns and cities could also use additional revenue, I believe they are generally in a more favorable position than the counties ?t the present time. The governor's proposal for 10 per cent salary in creases for teachers in each year of the biennium is, in my opinion, as much as the state can afford at this time. We must consider the many other demands for funds for necessary expansions of state services and programs. 1 am in full agreement with the proposal to put state employe salary increases on a graduated scale with more emphasis placed on the lower income groups. The straight percentage formula which has Jjeen used in the past in granting salary increases has had a tendency to create a greater spread of differential between " the lower and top income groups, without regard to perfor mance of duties. I feel that consideration must be given to the amount and quality of work done. The Governor is recommending this as a broad policy. I feel that it should be adopted. I approve of the governor's requests for more appropria tions fot mental health cen ters and other institutions and of granting the request of East Carolina University for $1.6 million to begin develop ment of a regional medical center, called the Allied Health Center. This, 1 think, is justified in light of the jlenial of many other capital ^improvements requests for East Carolina University. I also feel that additional funds for a poultry and live stock diagnostic laboratory, deleted from the earlier bud get, are very important for the growth of a sound agricul tural program. I am g)ad that the governor has recom mended restoring these funds. jj LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Timet welcome s letters from readers. es pecially on problems and opinions concerning Franklin County. We do not undertake to edit let ters without the consent of the writer, but reason able length is advised to assure publication. AU letters must be signed and must include the name and address of the writer. The Times will not publish unsigned letters, or withhold names of writers for any reason. To The Editor: Thanks for. another fine editorial contained In your Feb. 11th issue. I agree with your statement "it is now time to' stand up and be counted In support of our achools". I wish to express my grati tude to all the officials, the local members of the faculty (both races) and those par ents of both races that have Sntributed of their best ef rts toward providing good public achopls for all of our children. I want to stand beside Mra. Romero, and Mr*. Lucy T. Allen (who wrote earlier let ters in support of our schools), Mr. Chadwick. the committee formed this week and all those loyal people who are determined to "carry on" in support of Franklin CoOnty schools. Life itself is filled with problems. My first school problem started when I was only 6 years old. I would dread the close of each school day because 1 kpew I would be in for a licking on the mile walk from the school home. That problem which was momentus to me was solved by years of growth in which I was able to "turn the tide" Let It be our hope and pnyer that our schools will continue to grow, ' George D. Fuller Possible Space Power Montreal ? Two Canadian scientists reported recently that Canada could have its own satdite launching pad and riae to the ranks of a spaceage power for about Jl mllllon An aerospace ex pert said he believed that the Churchill range could be coverted and put Canada among the modern satellte powers. I got me a curious bill the other day. 'Course, I'm always getting some of the unfriendliest mail you ever saw. Most of it demands that I either buy something and charge it or that I pay for something I already bought. And as any red-blooded middle class (I hate that word) American male- married especially- already knows it ain't easy to pay for all you bought and charged. Sometimes its downright hard to do. - I didn't open it at first. I seldom open the mail at first. I wait a_few days and let the suspense ?'build. You ought to try it sometimes. * There, are days when I can hardly wait to open last week's mail. You'd be surprised how many useless meet ings you miss this way. When it come time to open this particular piece of what 1 call junk mail- all bills are junk to me-l started out slowly. 1 knowed full well 1 won't going to like what I was likely to find inside. This helps the sus pense and makes you even gladder that you didn't open your mail at first. I pulled the little don't tear, don't splinter, don't get dirty pit?e of cardboard. Started to throw it away right off. It was full of holes. But \ decided to try to read all that light blue printing. Shore enough it said I owed 'em and I ought to have already paid 'em. I countered that they wuz probably right. It wuz when I looked at the amount that I lost my cigar. I swallowed it. Burning end first. Now if you ain't never had this experience . ... you ain't missed nothing. There big as life and weighing as much as the little woman wuz the figures: $00.00. That's right. $00.00. They said pay it. They said it wuz past due and to pay it right now. Immediately. I figured that crazy computer had been off on a blind date and hadn't been paying\ttention to the right things. So's I ignored it. A few days later. I got another, one. In due course, I opened it. It wuz a second notice. It said I owed $00.00 and I'd better pay it or else some terrible things wuz going to happen to me, my wife and youngins. Studied on this for awhile. Didn't want anything to happen to the kids, but that remark about the little woman wuz interesting. So, I ignored it again. Then come the final notice. The mailman knocked on the door and hand delivered it. Fact is, he slapped me in the face with U. Said it wuz a new service of the post office. The company had paid extra for it. Don't know if the company paid extra for sweeping him up out my yard or not. But that final notice saidAhey'd burn the house; poison the dog and whip the neighbors if I didn't remit at once $00.00. Now I ain't one to c^use my neighbors any undue trouble. And even though they been whipping e4ch other for years, I decided if I wuz going to live in the neighborhood, I'd best pay. So I wrote them a check for $00.00, signed it and mailed it. I hope that's the last I hear of it, too. Sinclair is better. For any mo toring you do. (Trips. Vacations. Or just fun driving.) Anywhere youjdo it. Because Sinclair is the better gasoline. It has the best mileage ingredi' ent there is. Plus NC-71 NC-7 is Sinclair's formula to help control damaging engine deposits. And no other gasoline has it! That's why we say.. .if your car had a mind of its own, it would head for the better gasoline? Sinclafe. r Sinclair The better guoline LITTLE RIVER ICE CO. S. MAIN ST. PHONE 496-3410 ' LOUISBURG, N. C.
The Franklin Times (Louisburg, N.C.)
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Feb. 13, 1969, edition 1
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