The Carolina Watchman I
__A NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE UPBUILDING OF ROWAN COUNTY •
FOUNDED 1 $32 I05TH YEAR SALISBURY, N. C„ FRIDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 16, 1936 VOL. 104 NO. 12 PRICE 2 CENTS
NOVEMBER VOTE TO SET RECORD HERE
Leaders Say
Stage Set For
Heavy Ballot
On November third voters will
flock to the polls to cast theit
ballots for national, state and
county officers in what leaders
predict will be one of the largest
vote turn-outs in local political
history.
Both parties are oiling and re
touching vote-getting machinery
for use November 3 and this fact
coupled with the large amount of
interest stirred up by fhe national
campaign and particularly Presi
dent Roosevelt’s visit and the
Green Pastures rally points to a re
cord vote.
Another factor expected to con
tribute to an unprecedented num
ber of votes is the private battle
being waged by Rowan and Cabar
rus Democrats over the Doughton
banner, which was belatedly pre
sented to Cabarrus at a meeting
that launched the party’s cam
paign for both counties. The ban
ner will be awarded this year to
the county that turns in the great
est Democratic majority. With
this to spur them on party workers
in each county are expected to ex
ert every energy toward getting
out a big vote.
Republicans here, although ex
pecting nothing in the way of local
offices, are tearing no stones on
turned as they try to get Rowan
to turn in their share of G. O. P.
ballots for state and national can
didates.
Speaks Here
October 22nd
i HON. CLYDE R. HOEY
I
Gets 109 Months
For Series Of
Enterings
r
i —
Harry Lee Culbertson, Rowai
county negro, was given 10!
months on the roads in count’
court here Tuesday following hi
conviction of entering 13 home
in widely-scattered sections of Sal
isbury and stealing' from then
over a period of the last two yean
Officers and homeowners invol
red stated that the negro hat
pointed out homes he had enteret
while the family was away anc
cited details of what he hac
stolen.
Coming Here
October 20th
I-1
|HON A. H. (Sandy) GRAHAM|
iI
Two Rowan
Prisoners Hurt In
Highway Crash
Two Rowan county workhouse
l, prisoners were seriously hurt Mon
1 j day afternoon as truck in which
rl they were riding and an automobile
i1 crashed at an intersection.
J Frank Sutton of Chester, S. C.,
j suffered serious chest hurts and
| Willie Moses of Salisbury sustained
li a badly mangled foot. Both are
1 colored.
'[ The trick, driven by J. B. Safrit,
1 .guard, was making a left turn and
[ was hit in the side by a car driven
! by Dr. G. C. Bernard of Kannapo
lis; both vehicles were proceeding
in the same direction. The two
Postmasters Meet
In Salisbury Today
Plans and program of the annual
convention of the North Carolina
division, National Association of
Postmasters, to be held in Salisbury'
today and Saturday, have been an-j
nounced by Paul R. Younts, Char-'
lotte postmaster and president of
the association.
Between S00 and 1,000 of the'
1,279 postmasters of the State are1
expected to attend the convention,!
which is to begin Friday morning!
at 11 o’clock at the Yadkin hotel.l
convention headquarters.
Distinguished guests invited to
the convention include J. Austin
Latimer, special assistant to the'
Postmaster General, who is to be'
the guest speaker at the banquet1
Friday night; William J. Dixon,|
superintendent of the division of
postmasters, who is to address the
business session Friday afternoon;
Congressman Bob Doughton of the
district in which the host city is1
located; and the State’s other 10
congressmen.
Officers of the association in ad
dition to President Younts are W.
R. Dosher of Wilmington and
Wythe Peyton of Asheville, vice
presidents; S. T. Stough of David-1
son, secretary and treasurer; and
the following directors, by dis-!
tricts First, Carroll E. Kramer of
Edenton; Second, E. C. Spaight of
Rocky Mount; Tihrd, F. B. John-!
ston of Clinton; Fourth, J. R.!
Teague of Henderson, Fifth, Paul'
A. Bennett of Winston-Salem;'
Sixth, J. W. Coleman of Greens
boro; Seventh, W. M. Shaw of
Fayetteville; Eighth, Woodrow
McKay of Lexington; Ninth, J.I
H. McKenzie of Salisbury; Tenth,!
C. W. Bashamer of Gastonia; and;
Eleventh, C. A. Pennington of
Oteen.
The convention will open with a
meeting of the executive commit-!
tee Friday morning at 11 o’clock!
after registration has been opened;
at 10 o’clock.
The first business session of the
convention will be Friday after
noon at 2 o’clock. Invocation will
be by Rev. Mark H. Milne, Post
master J. H. McKenzie, Mayor C.
F. Raney and Paul E. Phillips, pres
ident of the Chamber of Com
merce, will welcome the visitors
with W. R. Dosher of Wilmington
making the response.
The address of Mr. Dixon will
come after appointment of com
mittees and reports of officers.
The Boyden High school orches
tra will play at the banquet at
7:30 o’clock, at which Postmaster
J. H. McKenzie is host postmaster
and Postmaster Younts is to be,
toastmaster. Walter Murphy will
welcome the banquet guests after
which Mr. JLatimer will make his
address.
The second business session will
be Saturday morning at 9:15 o’
clock. Principal items of business
will be selection of the next con
vention city and election of new
officers.
15 Thousand Attend
Sterchi Opening Here
Crowds estimated at 15,000 per
sons attended the opening of Ster-J
chi’s furniture store Wednesday
afternoon and night. The store,
located at 124 East Innes Street, as
well as the adjoining sidewalk and
street, were literally jammed the
entire reception period.
C. C. Rutherford, president of
the Sterchi chain of 3 8 furniture
stores operated in seven southern
states, was well pleased with the
reception.
Officials of the Sterchi stores at
tending the reception, included:
C. C. Rutherford, of Knoxville,
Tenn., president; C. S. LaRue, sec
retary-treasurer; T. G. Smith, dis
trict manager, of Charlotte; W. B.
Sedlitz, auditor: E. IH. Hillis, local
manager; Carl Busbin, assistant lo
cal manager; A. H. Ennis, credit
manager.
The Lotus club furnished music
for the event.
drivers were cited to court by State!
Patrolman W. S. McKinney on|
reckless driving charges. Five other!
occupants of the truck escaped in-!
juries.
Spoke Here
Tuesday Night
| HON. H. D. COOLEY
'
Cooley Lauds
New Deal
In Speech
Congressman Harold D. Cooley
of Nashville was the principal
speaker at a Democratic rally at
the courthouse Tuesday night as
he proclaimed the achievement of
the New Deal, lauded President
Roosevelt for his humanitarianism,
and his efforts to bring about eco
nomic and social security to the
nation in the face of the tremend
ous burdens he assumed in 1933.
Congressman Cooley reviewed
some of the outstanding activities
of the last few years, with parti
cular reference, to the gains in
business, to farmers and the labor
ing man, and said the return of
the Democrats to power in the
coming elections would assure a
continuance of the principles of!
progress and prosperity. [
SAVED
MORE THAN A MILLION HOMES
Take away the spectre of too high interest rates—save homes;
I save homes for thousands of self-respecting families and drive out
the spectre of insecurity in our midst.”
FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT, Acceptance Speech, 1932
Remember The Republican Days
"Be it ever so humble there's no place like home”
When frantic homeowners could not pay their mortgage interest
—sometimes 6, 8 or even 12 per cent.
When banks, loaded with unsaleable real estate but without ready
cash, failed at the rate of 100 a month.
When business, unable to get bank credit, piled up over 25,000
bankruptcies in 1932.
Democrats to The Rescue
One of President Roosevelt’s first acts was to fulfill his campaign
pledge. The Home Owners Loan Corporation (H. O. L. C.)
created in June, 1933, gave distressed homeowners a chance to
keep their homes by refinancing their loans for 15 years at 5 per
cent interest, with principal repaid by sma'l monthly installments.
It gave distressed banks and mortgage companies a chance to ex
change their defaulted mortgages for its government-guaranteed
bonds. In the country, similar emergency help was offered
through the Federal Land Banks by the Farm Credit Adminis
tration (F.C.A.).
Results:
H. O. L. C. restored 1,000,749 homes to their owners, F. C. A.
saved a half million more.
In June, 1933, mortgages were foreclosed at the rate of 1,000 a
dav, in March, 1936, foreclosures were lowest in 5 years.
By paying $225,000,000 in back taxes, IH.O.L.C. enabled towns
and counties to continue schools and other public services.
^HiO^LjC. advances of $75,000,000 for home repair benefited
workmen, contractors and dealers.
Farmers have saved over 20 million in annual interest charges on
loans refinanced by F.C.A.
The exchange of liquid government-guaranteed bonds for frozen
mortgages has protected the savings of 50.000,000 people invested
in real estate by banks, insurance and loan companies
Other Federal Helps To Housing
The Government has not only saved homes. It has encouraged
buying new ones and renovating old ones. It has aided slum
dwellers, in city and country, to get decent housing.
PRIVATE HOME FINANCING: Thanks to the Federal Hous
ing Administration (F.H.A.) you can borrow money from your
bank or loan company to build or modernize your home on the
easiest of terms because F.H.A. insures the lending agency against
losses from such loans. Other methods by which the Govern
ment has liberalized funds for home financing are the encourage
ment of new Federal Savings and Loan Associations in counties
adequate loaning service, and by opening a more ample flow of
credit from the 12 regional Federal Home Loan Banks into mem
ber institutions. t
COMMUNITY HOUSING: The Government is stimulating low
cost housing construction in various ways. Inside of cities, Public
Works Administration (P.W.A.) is building 50 projects and
loaning funds for 7 others; outside of cities, the Resettlement
Administration is erecting small homes in 93 rural community
projects and about 4,000 houses in' model suburban settlements.
F. H. A. has insured loans for 12 enterprises and has a mortgage
insurance plan for the private construction of low-priced "garden
homes.”
Results:
•Home building for the first quarter of 193j6 rose 372 per cent
over 1934.
Over a billion has been spent for home repair under F.H.A. lead
ership.
Private mortgage loans for new construction are more than
double any year since 1931.
Keep Your Home Secure ...
Keep Your Country Safe
Reelect President Roosevelt
Decides Klumac Mills
Entitled To Jury Trial
Judge P. A. McElroy decided at
a hearing Monday that the Klumac
Cotton mills of Salisbury was en
titled to a jury trial in the case of
the Cannon Mills, Inc., of New
York, against the Klumac frm.
The Cannon attorneys gave no
tice of appeal.
Writ To Enjoin
Merger Denied
Judge P. A. McElroy Monday de
nied a petition for an injurtion
against the Rowan school board by
patrons of six one-teacher schools
of China Grove which were conso
lidated with the larger schools in
the district this year.
Pojrttuffer
Puis Fast One
To Aid Choice
Salisbury Citizen Haunts
Post Office Lobby And
Nabs Discarded Liter
ary Digest Presidential
Ballot.
Then Marks Them For
His Favorite
Believe it or not, and strange as
it may seem, et al, et cetera, a
Salisbury citizen has already voted
eleven times so far this year in the
Literary Digest presidential poll!
This information was conveyed
to a representative ol Ihe watch
man by one of Salisbury’s most
reliable citizens and business men.
The veracity of the story cannot
be successfully denied; for, by
gory, it’s the truth!
He voted eleven times, did this
man, in this mysteriously conduct
ed poll. Then this poll-stuffer re
lated his activities to the local
business man who whispered the
story to a Watchman reporter.
How did he do it?
’JVas very simple.
When the ballots began arriving
in Salisbury in the presidential poll
of the Literary Digest, this cer
tain citizen parked himself in the
lobby of the Salisbury post office.
From time to time he observed
I chat various persons, after extract
ing mail from their boxes, and giv
ing the missives a cursory glance,
tossed various and sundry enve
lopes into the waste basket or
"mail garbage cans.” Many of
these he took from the cans. Some
were ballots from the Literary
Digest—at least, eleven of them
were. So he voted each one!
"Uncanny accuracy.” Bah!
Democratic
Speaking
Engagements
Announced
The following Democratic
speaking dates have been announ
ced by Walter H. Woodson, Jr.,
Chairman of the Rowan County
Democratic Executive Commit
tee, to be held in the Rowan Coun
ty courthouse:
October 20—Hon. A. H. (San
dy) Graham.
October 22—Hon. Clyde R.
Hoey.
Hon. Walter Murphy will deliv
er an address in the new Shaver
Elementary school house, Morgan
township on October 23 rd.
Mr. Woodson states that a speak
er of national reputation will be
secured to deliver an address at a
Democratic rally in the courthouse
on the eve of the election, the name
of the speaker and date to be an
nounced at a later date.
N. C. Prison
Population Up
300 in 30 Days
Raleigh.—Oscar Pitts, acting
director of the penal division, said
North Carolina s prison population
had increased from 8,646 on Sep
tember 1 to 8,931 on October 1.
A total of 1,946 prisoners were
sent to jail during September, he
explained, while only 1,598 were
released at the expiration of their
terms and 52 were paroled. Seven
teen parols were revoked.
There were 37 recaptures during
the month, against 43 escapes. The
average daily population'of 8,937
was composed of 4,245 white males,
39 white females, 4,525 negro
males and 128 negro females.
While Washington’s attention is
not in the least diverted from the
presidential campaign, considera
tion is being given to what is go
ing to happen after election, no
matter who may be elected. For,
on the question of who will be
the next President of the United
States, the best-informed political
prophets here are frankly throwing
up their hands. So many factors
which have not 'been present in
previous presidential campaigns
enter into the picture this year
that nobody feels quite sure that
the usual signs which have here
tofore been relied upon will prove
reliable in 1936.
But whether Mr. Roosevelt or
Mr. Landon is elected, the mill of
the Supreme Court will grind on as
if there had been no political cam
• T . . .1.1
pa 1 i'll* 1L 13 11UI tApttLtU L11 tl L *111^
important decisions will be handed
down until after election, but from
then on there will be a succession
of decisions on ten, at least, of the
acts of the 73rd and 74th Congres
ses whose constitutionality has been
challenged.
The principal laws under attack
are the Wagner Labor Relations
Act, the Frazier-Lemke Farm
Mortgage Moratorium measure, the
193 3 "Truth in Securities” act, the
Public Utility Holding Company
act and the right of PWA to mal^e
loans for publicly owned hydro
electric plants.
THE CHALLENGED LAWS
The Wagner Labor Relations
Act, which established the National
Labor Relations Board and guar
anteea tne rignt ot collective bar
gaining to all employees, has been
challenged by the Associated Press
and by the Bradley Lumber Com
pany of Arkansas. The lower have
upheld the constitutionality of the
act. Now the Supreme Court is
to pass upon their rulings.
Several power companies have
questioned the constitutionality of
government loans for publicly
owned electric light and power
systems. Their complaint is that
this puts the government into un
fair competition with private busi
ness. The action of the Supreme
Court on this and the Public Utili
ty Holding Company act is expect
ed to bring to a head the conflict
between the Federal Government
and public utilities.
A step toward bringing about
better relations between the Gov
ernment and privately owned pow
er companies was taken the other
day by President Roosevelt, who
called in representatives of import
ant power companies for a private
conference at the White House.
While no public information was
given out as to what was discussedj
it is understood here that the ef
fort was to find a reasonable rule
to govern the distribution of power
produced at government dams in
the Tennessee Valley and elsewhere.
The right of the government to
distribute this power has been chal
lenged, though its right to generate
electric energy as an incident to the
construction of dams for flood and
navigation control, has been upheld
by the Supreme Court.
FARM AND SECURITY ACTS
The Frazier-Lemke Act which
granted a three-year moratorium
against foreclosure of farm mort
gages has been challenged by the
Phoenix Joint Stock Land Bank of
Kansas City, which has carried the
request to the Supreme Court after
adverse ruling by the Eighth Cir
cuit Court of Appeals. The Su
preme Court decided last year that
an earlier Frazier-Lemke Act of
similar intent was unconstitutional.
The present act was passed in an
effort to accomplish the same result
by constitutional means.
No formal action to challenge
the constitutionality of the Social
Security Act has yet reached the
Supreme Court, although that is a
vrortr imnArfinf o nt rv-f tlio 7 AtVt
Congress of which a constitutional
test is expected sooner or later.
In the meantime, the Social Se
curity Board is preparing to carry
out the provisions of the Act, es
pecially that part of it dealing with
old age insuranct, which does not
take effect until January 1, 1937.
The gigantic task upon which a
huge staff of clerks has been at
work for nearly a year is that of
checking and recording the names,
ages, and employment records of
some 26,000,000 workers in in
dustry and business.
Immediately after election every
postmaster is to be furnished with
(Continued on page Four)