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Your Award Winning County Newspaper
LOCAL EDITORIAL COMMENT
If Freedom Dies
The Senate showed once again yes
terday tftat this country is in the grips
of the liberals. By a 52-17 margin, the
upper house nullified an amendment
to the HEW appropriations, bill, al
ready approved by the House. The
amendment- named for its sponsor.
Congressman Whitten of Mississippi
would have prevented the federal go
vernment from forcing busing to ac
complish school integration. The
House version would have returned
some measure of free choice to the
people.
Although the bill must now to go a
jon^tfommittee for ironing out of
differences between the two versions,
for all practical purposes, the South
has lost again.
It is interesting to note that mem
bers of the House who are elected
every two years are more sensitive to
the wishes of the people. Senators
who bask in the comfort of six-year
terms, continue to ignore the people's
will. Congress, as a whole, continues
to overlook the most democratc part
of this democracy-the freedom of the
people to choose.
The Constitution, like the Bible,
can be made to say whatever the
interpreter wants it to say. But, most
Americans will agree that it was the
intention pf the writers of this great
document that Americans be free to
choose their own course and their
own destiny.
' . The Senate's actions this week go
far beyond the realm of integration.
The Senators know that the present
setup is against every democratic prin
ciple and they know that small child
ren are being mistreated, parents are
being inconvenienced, and the rights
of some are being denied while they
piously proclaim to be protecting the
rights of others.
A citizen can today choose to
travel at unsafe speeds on the nation's
highways. Although this could lead to
death, it is allowed. The motorist has
a freedom to choose.
A parent can select the doctor or
hospital to which a child can go or
indeed, as has happened, choose hot
to give a child medical treatment at
all. While this could result in the
child's death, it is allowed and the
parent has a choice.
A United States Senator can
choose-and can afford-to send his
child to a private school. No one
forces integration on him. But, a
private citizen-burdened with heavy
taxation-who cannot afford a private
school has his choice taken away oy
the same Senators.
Those who now support the
tyranny of forced integration will
someday find the show on another
foot. The day will come-as it must -
when the tyrants must move to other
fields. Freedom does not die in one
clean sweep. It is slowly chipped
away.
To paraphrase Kipling:
There is but one task for all -
One life for each to give.
? What stands if Freedom fall?
'Who dies if America live?
The Franfcjin Times
Established 1870 - Published Tuesdays & Thursdays by
The Franklin Times. Inc.
Bickett Blvd Dial UY6-3283 Loulsburg. N. C.
CLINT FULLER. Managing Editdf ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Business Manager
NATIONAL EDITORIAL ^
Advertising Rates
Upon Request
ASSOCIATION
1969
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
In North Carolina: Out of State:
One Year. $4.64; Sue Months. $2.83 One Year. $5.50; Six Months. 84.00
Three Months. $2.06 Three Months, $3.50
Entered as second class mall mailer and postage paid al Ihc Post Office al Louuburg, N C. 27549
I
'Happy birthday to . you . . . happy birthday to you . .
Congressman L.H. Fountain Says:
Reserve Judgement On My Lai
Washington, D. C. - What
ever may have happened at
the ViHage" 6f My Lit In
South Vietnam many months
ago -and the facts are not all
in-all responsible Americans
join in condemning any war
time act of sickening, mind
less violence.
Bu, should we not reserve
judgment on this highly pub
licized affair until we have
had a chance to sift through
the conflicting reports and
reach a sensible, reasoned
conclusion?
It is well to remember that
throughout all American his
tory, we have never adopted
the policy of sending our
soldiers to slaughter innocent
civilians. If innocent women
and children have been shot
down in cold blood, even in
the midst of war, those res
ponsible must be punished -
although frankly I have dif
ficulty in believing that some
Americans have done this sort
of thing.
In any event, the honor
able profession of American
arms, which is dedicated to
keeping America free, has
never condoned ill treatment
of civilians in zones of war.
On the contrary, the soldier's
creed calls upon him to be
the protector of the helpless.
The tact remains that
terror is an instrument of
national policy for the Com
munist enemy. Millions of
South Vietnamese can attest
to this, because of unspeak r
able acts against members of t
Cong and the North Viet- <
namese regulars.
Hundreds of thousands of
South Vietnamese, especially
those in places of authority
have been maimed, tortured
or butchered in barbaric
ways.
Who ?an forget the Hue
Massacre during the Tet Of
fensive last year? The Com
munists held the ancient capi
tol of Vietnam for 25 bloody
days. During that time the^
succeeded in murdering <2,786
people (maybe more), includ
ing 16 Americans and Euro
peans. Some victims were
shot; some were buried alive.
Members of the Christian
Church were high on the mur
der list.
This was no isolated Inci
dent. Typically, the Viet
Cong commit atrocities every
day. If a villager is even sus
pected of communicating
with South Vietnamese au- ,
thorities, he is soon murder
ed. He may be impaled on a
stake, or shot, or burned to
death, or killed in an even
more horrible way. "
. If a South Vietnamese vil
lager balks at paying taxes to
the Viet Cong, a hand gre
lade may be rolled through
he door of his rude hut or a
Jam*Uurower may burn him
Hit.
This is not a pretty war.
s'o war is, especially when
:ivilians become victims. But,
n general. I'm satisfied our
Fighting men have behaved in
exemplary fashion under 4be
most trying circumstances
imaginable. Let us hope and
pray that if deliberate murder
of anyone -especially inno
cent women and children in
Vietnam-was committed,
that it - was as the President
said, an isolated incident and
that those proven guilty will
be properly punished.
However, whatever hap
pened at My Lai must be put
into context. It was certainly
not final and convincing
proof of American degen
eracy. Surely, we as a people
should not suddenly assume a
guilt complex and lose our
heads, as too often we've
done in domestic matters, in
volving such things as alleged
racial discrimination. -
Let us await the return of
all the facts. And, in he great
American tradition, let's re
member that anyone charged
with a crime is presumed to
be innocent until proven
goilty.
The Sizzling Sixties
(Continued from Page 1)
were at Berkeley. Here at home things
went along at the same steady pace.
In 1961 the county celebrated the
100th anniversary of the raising of the
Confederate Stars and Bars on the
courthouse square. A cold rain dam
pened the gala parade, but thousands
came to wktch and hear, nevertheless.
Just about everybody came .who was
expected except Governor Sanford
who failed to show up for the major
address. Franklin has not yet forgiven
him.
A pilot man was missing from
March 31 when he traveled to Raleigh
on business until April 8 when he *as
found in Oklahoma. He couldn't ex
plain what had happened to him. His
absence caused a great deal of concern
in his community at the time. ~
The Louisburg Jaycees picked
pretty perky Mary Conn as Miss Louis
burg that year and the Louisburg
Town Oouncil-as it had and has done
A
SCHOOL BOYCOTT 1963
(or years- tickled the electric rate. The
Council did the same thing In 1961 It
has done since about the matter.
Hkkory Rock and Justice schools
were consolidated after supplying (od
der (or, the news cannon (or many
months, keeping the schools In the
news and General Ed Griffin retired
after 38 years of military service.
Franklin rejected the 10 state bond
issues. Some said it was because Terry
Sanford favored them. Joyner's huge
wholesale building firm was destroyed
by fire and a new food tax went Into
effect. The Board of County Commis
sioners agreed to build a Board of
Education building and Dr. Cecil W.
Robblns. President of Louisburg Col
lege, was named Man of the Year
As 1962 came on, Ipuisburg Col
lege prepared to celebrate its 175th
anniversary - and announced a
$900,000 expansion program and
plans were announced (or a new men's
dormitory-later named (or the late
College President Walter Patten.
It snowed in January--not an un
usual event but In February there
came a unique announcement Sports
wear would locate a (actory here in
Louiaburg. The 14-year industrial
drought was over. Before the decade
ended, there would be 13 other such
announcements and moat would bear
the fruit of actuality. The transition
from agrlcultuml to Industrial had
begun. The shot In the arm to the
county economy could easily be seen
as the soaring sixties readied to bow
out.
The new Louiaburg Higl\ School
plant was dedicated In March; Nina
Thayer wu chosen Miss Louiaburg and
Shirley Carter was named Woman at
the Year by the Woman's Club. The
Board of Education moved to conao
lidate Justice School with Hickory
Rock-White Level and renamed the
school Edward Best Elementary. And
Claude Arnold and Brooks Young did
an encore after thejr County Commis
sioner race ended in a dead heat.
Arnold died in office and Young re
gained the seat in the following elec
tion.
Charles Green, prominent Louis
burg attorney died in September; The
Franklin Times changed to the new
offset method of printing after 92
years of hot-type and Sheriff Joe
Champion and his son-deputy Wallace
were sued for $40,000 by a Nash
County man. Bland Pruitt, for hii
work in landing Sportswear, was nam
ed Man of the Year.
The county was shocked in
January. 1963 at the death of Its
popular Superintendent of Schools
Wiley F. Mitchell and the Board of
Education took ita time i/i naming a
replacement. In April Warren. Smith,
Principal at Edward Best High School,
was tapped for the post.
NC-56 was slated (or repairs early
that year. It was slated (or repairs
every yaar thereafter. As the sixties
die. NC-56 stills hanp on (or dear li(e.
Youngsville's James T. (Joe) Moss was
named Franklin County's Outstanding
Young Farmer. He was also named
North Carolina's Outstanding Young
Farmer and to complete the set. he
was named the Nation's Outstanding
^ Young Farmer. Late in the sixties he
was appointed - by Governor Dan
Moore to the State Banking Commis
sion.
On Thursday, April 4, prayer books
were read as Frankllnton was threaten
ed by a (Ire which (or a time, seemed
destined to destroy the entire town.
Fire units from all surrounding com
munities and hundreds o( volunteers
joined In in a monumental e(fort to
FIRE THREATENS FRANKLINTON 1963
1
vW
ONLY
5
SHOPPING
DAYS TIL
CHRISTMAS
BECOME
I w 10
THINK
OF IT...'"
by
frank couru
I didn't know whether to tell it or not but I knowed I had ~
to git some more information. I tried to think of the smartest
one in the bunch but they all come up with a tie. But I finally
settled on. Zeke. mostly because he had at least seen Chapel
Hill. None of the rest oMhe boys ever went to college.
Actually, Zeke never went neither. He got lost one day
coming from Durham and ended up in Chapel Hill. He hadn't
been snake bit. but I always suspected he was taking medicine
for it when he got lost.
"Zeke," I said. "I come to you 'aruse I got confidence in
your judgment. And besides I know you can keep a secret and
I know you ain't going to jump in ahead of me. I got a real
good Christmas present if I can
Minna i* " ,
?' ?' 1 "f. ??- /
"Well. Frank, I ain't got no ?
money. Everything I got is in ^
stocks and bonds. It wrapped
up in my old socks and bonded .
together with a rubber band.
That's a joke, Frank; just in
case you didn't git it". 1
"Yeah, I got it, Zeke. But 5
this ain't no joking matter. I'm
serious. I seen it in the news
paper. It was stuck way back in
little letters and I think maybe
aint nobody seen it but me. I
ain't heard a soul mention it."
Zeke was gitting curious. I
could tell. He always blinks his ?
left eye when he git curious.
He saves his right one for \
serious blinking when he winks
at the girls. And that's a joke, \
folks, in case you didn't git it.
"Frank," he said, "I want to help you git yore Christmas
present just so long's it don't cost me nothing. Ill gladly give
you the benefit of my thinking. You just name it."
"I'm thinking about buying me a town. Zeke. You ever
heard of Lorman. Mississippi? That's the place I figure on
buying. It's for sale. The fellow owns it is asking a right big
price but I figure I can git it cheap. Ain't much of a market for
towns in Mississippi nowadays, Zeke, especially since the
government done took Mississippi out of the Union."
"Frank, I reckon you'd better set down. Christinas is git(ing
to ytau, boy. You can't buy no town hi Mi*issippi. Krajik
Who ever heard of such a thing?"
"Just look at the advantages. Zeke. I could be the Mayor. I
could stand on the corner ever Saturday, directing traffic and
helping them young girls across the street. I could be the tax
collector, Zeke. There just ain't, no telling how much fun I
could have, if I woneda town, Zeke."
"That's true. Frank. Hadn't thought of it that way. You
might have a idea there. I reckon it would be a challenge to
yore community service to help them girls across that street."
His right eye was working overtime now.
"Yeah. I could git the money frbm the government, Zeke. I
could git them to build nte a swimming pool and a golf course
and put in f" water system and pave the streets. Then 1 could
charge folks for all that and make a killing. Zeke. There just
aint no telling what a Christmas present like a town in
Mississippi would be worth."
Zeke was scratching his head and I could tell something was
troubling him. "Frank", he finally said, "It wont work. I hate
(o tell you this but it just wont work. Yore little woman
couldn't never git it gift wrapped." He told me agin that that
was a joke, like I didn't know.
I just flat out asked him, "Zeke, you gonna help me or not?
. If you aint gonna help me realize my life's dream, then 111 go
git somebody to help me". '
"Oh, III help you, Frank. Seems like you got it all worked
out. You say the government is gonna pay for it and you
gonna collect the taxes and run things. I aint quite sure what
kind a help you want from me".
"Shore you do, Zeke. I got to git somebody to help me
move it to Franklin County. I cant stand Mississippi".
save the town. Hundreds of teres of
woodland were burned and Franklin
ton citizens still recall the day.
A Loutsburg College coed. Sky ler
Odum was named Miss Louiaburg in
May and political controversy arose
when Rep. James Speed left Register
of Deeds Alex Wood and his staff out
of a salary bill in the House. A States
Rights group was formed here but was
shortlived as area citizens began to get
disturbed over the national drama.
That show had hit the road and things
were getting too dote to, home. As the
sixties ran on, It became apparent
there was nothing locals could do.
Or. 1. Beverly Lake -t county fa
vorite-came here In August for a
political rally and the tret was hit with
t rabid bat scare. One 9-year-old boy
was forced to take the shots, although
it was not certain ha was bitten and
the bat later proved non-rabid.
At the start of September three
members of a Wlnston-Satom family
were killed in an auto accident near
Bunn and Negro students boycotted
Riverside School here and their par
ents forrotd a picket line. When the
Board of Education stood fast on their
demands, the students returned to
classes. A squabble arose when a house
on South Main Street burned here and
the Loultburg Fire Department dldnt
ittempt to put out the Maze. The
Department explained It could not go
outside of town without a contract
but out-of-town newspapers criticized
the town nevertMe*.
Edward M. Bartholomew, noted busi
nessman and College Trustee, died here
In October and the area waa threaten
ed for a time by a hurricane named
Ginny. Gordon Zealand resigned his A
post as Industrial Development Direc
tor aftd W. J. Benton, resigned as
Commission Chairman to accept the
directorship on a parttime basis. A
number of liquor stUls were raided
during 1963 and several cases of anon
in the county were under Invest! gi- >
Uoi).
Then that Friday In November,
President John F. Kennedy was aasassi
nated in Dallas and while the young
Chief Executive was not overly popu
lar here, his death was nevertheless
greeted with a sense of shock. Locals
stayed glued to their television sets
and watched the most dramatic event
of. our times unfold. Monday, the
President was burled at Arlington and
locals joined the nation in turning to
Lyndon Johnson. In 1964, Franklin
County supported the Texan In his
own bid for election to the nation's
highest office
Rain spoiled the first Christmas
Parade In years and a rash of robberies
hit the area In December. The County
Commissioners spproved - what later
turned oflt to be a controversial free
food plan and W. J. Benton was named
Man of the Year. *
TO BE CONTINUED