establishe
THE CURTAIN IS !
ABOUT TO RISE!
The Lull Before the Political Storm !
—Uneasiness Among, Democrats :
for the Solid South and Among Re- |
publicans for Former Staunch-
Ribbed G. O. P. States.
By WILLIAM P. HELM, Jr.
Washington, August 2.—The cur- i
r is about to rise on the election!
. ur.paign drama, the fur about to ;
. Two amiable, good-natured gen
t.cmen, ei her of whom would grace i
the White House, now smile at each !
v her across a continent. Soon they!
\ <:1 be at grips. The sjniles will
made, the mid-summer gentleness
v ill toughen and grow rough, the
verbal swings will pack a punch, and
the mixing will begin.
Such is the prelude to the 1928
campaign. The flight is to be for
blood, though both the gentlemanly j
lighters would disclaim such inten- !
tion now. Presently they will be
saying things, i n the heat and tur
moil, that they would not say today.
For when two such men fight, they
hit hard. And whether the prize be
lady fair, or fame, or fortune or
sovereignty over a nation, the game
L one of survival; and the fight
grows bitter near the end.
Last week and this, the stage hand
work. Hoover, the first star to
step on the stage, will speak his
opening lines on August 11. He will
formally accept the nomination then.
In doing so he will face a throng of |
90,000 at Palo Alto, hi s California
home. His voice will carry, on the
wings of radio, across the continent
and the seas. He will announce his !
actitude then on the questions of j
the hour and the problems of the
State.
As this is written, Hoover Is put
ting the finishing touches on his
speech. It probably will be given
into the hands of the press some
time this week, nossibly before this
article is put in type. That is done
to enable the newspapers to have it
in ample time to set. They will,
hold it until a flash over the wires j
releases it. Thus hundreds of edi- j
tors, possibly thousands, will know i
well in advance—but in confidence
—what the Republican standard
bearer will say.
Alfred E. Smith will follow a sim
ilar course at Albany eleven days
later, on August 22. The date was
fixed after a series of 'interviews
with the radio kings. They have
virtually named day and hour so
that the speech may have the widest
possible audience. The airways will
be cleared and 96 stations will hook
up—a record number —to carry the ,
voice of the Democratic nominee to
millions of listeners.
That is good business for the nom
inees and good business for the ra- !
dio makers.
Nobody is giving away something
of value for nothing these days.
Least of all are the Lords of the
Air. They should make a handsome
net profit out of the hook-up.
In the meantime, the furniture is
being arranged on the political stage.
To begin, both sides have announced
that they would accept any money,
without limit, that supporters want
to give. The Republicans have
generously agreed to give handsome
receipts for all donations. Undoubt
edly the Democrats will try to go
them one better, possibly engraving
their receipts. This campaign is
going to cost, in a national way, not
less than $6,000,000; and what with
a human inclination to adhere to
money the bank, and what with
drives for this, that and the other
worthy thing already in full swing,
it’s going to be no easy task to fi
nance the hair pulling.
During the past week, the Demo
crats seem to have had the edge on !
their opponents insofar as outward '
harmony is concerned. Senator Mo
ses and Dr. Work, on the Republi
can side, clawed at each other in
New York. The doctor came back
to Washington and the Senator went
to New York as manager over the !
important Eastern territory from
Maine to North arolina. After the j
scrap, harmony prevailed. During
the scrap, there were some peppy
encounters. Those two good war- (
riors, the doctor and the senator, ap
parently don't like each other a lit
tle bit, but have agreed to work in
harmony for the common weal.
Last week saw a continuance of f
the oddities referred to in previous
articles. Pennsylvania Republicans
in Philadelphia got a chill from re- *
Port s that the • Keystone State is
swinging Smithward because of the
nominee’s prohibition views, and the
Democratic leaders in Texas conjur
ed up the ghost of a Republican vic
tory in the Lone Star State, because
of their internal differences over
Al Smith. From Wisconsin came
word that Al Smith would sweep the
IState if the election there were held
tomorrow. From Ohio, word that
the state will have to be thoroughly
covered, and at great expense, if it
is to be kept in the Republican col
umn.
Equally disquieting to the Demo
crats was the news from the South
North Carolina, Tennessee, Florida,
and Alabama, for the time being,
would seem to be developing strong
Hoover sentiment which the drys are j
fostering mightily. This correspond!
dent will make a trip soon to the
Southern battlefield. Reports reach
big him from usually reliable sources
indicate that the solid south may be
broken this year and that Hoover
niay make inroads in the territory
south of the Mason and Dixon line,
it i s said that there may be as many
as six Southern states that, will go
Republican. Usually this sort of talk'
The Chatham Record
Young Chathamite
Is Proved Not Guilty
Robert Osborne Remains Calm
Throughout Hearing at San
ford; Proved An Excellent
Character.
(Sanford Journal)
Deliberating over an hour during
which time four tpilots were taken,
a Lee county jury Saturday after
noon rendered a verdict of ‘not
gu’lty’ in the case against Robert
Osborne, Gulf, charged with man
si-riglher in connection with the
eath of W. W. I• •• < l l tc n h •>
night of February 1, when the man
it ik’ in Hurt a s hi-; M■; it! .J.e*
- *k>n °n the 1 ahway between San
fc - ! and Gulf just inside the Lee
toi.uty line.
ien the rjrv with the
ev* ice the coi.tr *> .i 9 to 3
ir t?.vor of acquittal a 'cording to
members of that body. Following
further deliberation the count dwin
dled to a unanimous vote for a
verdict of not guilty. The jury re
mained in their quarters one hour
and fifteen minutes before a verdict
was reached.
Excellent Character
Osborne proved an excellent
character by some of the leading
citizens of this section. When he
took witness stand he stuck to his
original testimony despite the strong
cross examination of Solicitor Wil
liams of the prosecution. He told
how the man attempted to wave him
down and as he neared him, running
at a rate of speed within the law,
the man jumped at his car which
struck him with the left front fen
der. Osborne admitted that he did
not stop but continued to the home
of Dr. Palmer in Gulf with whom he
immediately returned to the scene
to give aid.
Devereaux was quickly brought
to a Sanford hospital but his injuries
proved fatal the following morning
at 6 o’clock. A coroner’s jury follow
ing a thorough investigation attach
ed no blame to Osborne as a result
of the man’s death, pronouncing it
an unavoidable accident. A grand
jury body later investigated the mat
ter and returned a true bill of in
dictment against Asborne charging
him with manslaughter and also
with hitting and running another
criminal offense. To the 'latter
charge Osborne submitted but the
cases were tried jointly and he was
cleared by all. He was represented
by Attorneys Gavin and Teague, B.
H. Crumpler and A. A. F. Seawell of
Sanford. Attorney Seawell assisted
Solicitor Williams with the prosecu
toin.
Predictions True
Innumerable citizens voiced them
selves to the effect that Osborne
would be exonerated long before the
trial got underway and their pre
dictions rang true. It was generally
considered an unavoidable affairs
by those persons who were familiar
with the circumstances in the case.
Being familiar with the circum
stance under which Osborne continu
ed on his way for aid when he struck
the man, it was generally believed
this charge also would be erased by
the jury. Over a hundred witnesses
took the stand during the trial.
Which aroused considerable interest
throughout this territory where Os
borne is well and favorably known.
MR. PAUL PERRY PASSES
Mr. Paul Perry, a native of Chat
ham and a brother of Messrs. W. R.
and D. N. Perry, died last Friday
iiight at his home in Sar.ford and
was buried Sunday in Buffalo
church yard near that town.
Mr. Perry was about 60 years of
age. He had been employed for
about 30 years by the Makepea. e
Sash and Blind Company, of San
ford, and was a most important fac
tor in the success of that coripanv.
He married Miss Bettie Peoples of
this county, and to the union there
survive three daughters and five
sons, all about grown.
His brothers from this county,
also brother Frank and sister, Annie,
of Winston-Salem, attended the fu
neral, a s did many other relatives.
The funeral services were conducted
in the Sanford Methodist church, of
which he had been a member for
many years.
NOTICE
Notice is hereby given that the
board of town commissioners of Pit
tsboro will meet on Monday, Aug
ust 6, at 8:00 p. m., at the Chatham
Oil and Fertilizer Company’s office
for the purpose of adopting a town
budget for the ensuing year. Any
citizen who wishes to do so may at
tend and will be hear at said meeting.
This July 30. 1928.
E. R. HINTON, Town Clerk.
is just so much hooey. This year,
there might be something to it.
The candidates themselves were
resting for the fray. Hoover, at
home in California, did what Hughes
failed to do there 12 years ago. He
made peace with Hiram Johnson.
They buried the hammer at Palo
Alto. For years th By were bitter
opponents, but recently the feeling
has been dying down. Now they
ire friends again, and rumon hath it
'hat the Damon-Pythias combination
i.f J old may be rivalled by the Her
bert-Hiram combination of 1928.
John Raskob left General Motors
cold last week, quitting two good
jobs to manage the one at hand,
that of electing Smith.
And so it goes. It is the eve of
the battle, the hush before the
storm.
PITTSBORO, N. C., CHATHAM COUNTY. THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1928
Receive Master Farm Homemaker Recognition. j
I-. ** * li ■
MRS, w. T. Whitsett k, f- ' |*gSEk,: : s; r~ Mrs. w. b. lamb
WHITSgTT, N.
~ ... I
- J
Anti-Smith Meeting
Rev. Mr. Rainey, of Durham,
the Speaker Saturday After
noon—The Republicans are
Ousted.
That there is considerable anti-
Smith sentiment in the county is cer
tain, but one would never arrive at
that conclusion from a look-in on
the anti-Smith meeting* so far held
here. About all the organization
lacks being ready for traveling is a
motor, radius rods, steering gear, a
body, wheels and axles. It borrow
ed a pretty good horn from Durham
Saturday, Rev. Mr. Rainey, a young
Baptist minister of real sense and a
good speaker.
But the first thing the speaker
did was to upset the former organi
zation. disfranchising the Republi
can members and causing the Re
publican officers to retire, on the
ground that they had been elected
as “temporary” officers of the club.
As there were less than t«n mem
bers who had joined at the fromer
meeting and these were mostly Re
publicans, when the Republicans
were shunted out of the organization
and it das declared that only Demo
crats who would support the State
and county tickets, while opposing
Smith, were eligible for membership,
Rev. W. T. Hurst seemed to be the
only actual member from the form
er meeting present, though Mr. R.
C. Ross, who has been a Democrat
up to the last few months, claimed
to be eligible, though he has already
participated in the Republican pre
cinct and county conventions and
has expressed a purpose to vote the
entire Republican ticket. '
But a reorganization was attemp
ted without a membership, those
who expected to vote against Smith
being called upon to stand. There
were nine or ten who stood, but
four of them, including Mr. Ross,
were Republicans. And on this
showing, Mr. Hurst was chosen pres
ident, and Mr. V. R. Johnson, who
was not present on this occasion nor
the former one, was chosen secre
tary.
Mr. Rainey brought with him a
copy of the resolutions adopted by
the Durham anti-Smith club and this
was offered for adoption as the
foundation of this club, but a s no
body had joined and was a full
fledged member under the essentials
contained in the resolutions, except
Mr. Hurst, the presiding officer, no
motion could be secured readily for
its adoption. At this stage Rev. G.
R. Underwood got the floor and ex
pressed the opinion that all anti-
Smith folk, whatever their former
party allegiance, should be allowed
to join, and thus it came about that
the motion made by the acting sec
retary, Mr. P. T. Farrell, whose
name had not been enrolled at the
’ former meeting, was never voted
upon, but by suggestion of the pres
ident, a committee headed by Mr.
Underwood was appointed to write
a set of resolutions for the club.
And the meeting adjourned with
only one member actually enrolled.
1 if we have kept the count right and
unless their has been an enrollment
when the body was not in session.
However, the Record is perfectly
’ willing to publish the full bona-fide
list of members.
There were as many as sixty peo
. pie present at one time, but the far
larger nercentage of them were
! Smith Democrats, Renublicans, and
children. The actual Democrats tak-
DATE FOR CHATHAM
FAIR OCTOBER 16-19
A note from manager Carl Gilli
land states that the date for the
Chatham County Fair has been fixed
for the four days beginning with
October 16. The premium list will
be ready for distribution by August
15. Superintendents of the various
departments will soon be announced.
The directors are planning to have
, a second floor put in the Industrial
j building to be used for school ex
hibits and ladies' epartment.
Every boy dis advised to begin
thinging about making exhibits and
securing a share of the valuable pre
miums to be awarded.
! MRS. LAURA PICKET’S FUNERAL
IIS HELD IN CHATHAM COUNTY
j Liberty, July 21.—Funeral serv
; ices for M'rs. Laura Adeline Pickett,
79, wife of Alfred Pickett, who died
Wednesday afternoon at the home
of her son, Wiley Jennings, Siler
City were conducted from Rocky
River Friends church in Chatham j
County Thursday afternoon at 2
o’clock. Services were conducted by
Rev. D. T. Row, pastor of the Lib
erty M. E. church.
The deceased was a member of
the Staley Methodist Episcopal
church and was a woman of'pleas
ant disposition and strong character.
Death came after a lingering illness.
She is survived by two sons, D.
W. Jennings, Siler City; W. J. Jen
nings, Gibsonville; one daughter,
Mrs. Mary Moore, Saxapahaw; 15
grandchildren and 31 great-grand
children.
BROWN’S CHAPEL NEWS
Mrs. Peral Lindsey, one of our
S. S. teachers, spent last week with
friends in Greensboro.
Mr. Willis Dark and family of
Florida are here on a months vaca
tion, getting around among rela
tives.
Mr. and M'rs. Frank Smith of Ra
leigh are spneding a few days with
relatives.
Mr. R. G. Cheek and family spent
the week-end with Mrs. Cheek’s pa
rents, Mr. and Mrs. J. F. Mann.
On Friday before the second Sun
day in August is set for cleaning off
the cemetery. We hope all will
turn out the date set and help do
a good job.
ing part in the meeting, as we re
call them, were Mr. Hurst, P. T.
Farrell, H. B. Jones and son, Mr.
and Mrs. Underwood. There may
have been another or two, but the
writer does not now recall them. But
the actual anti-Smith sentiment is
not represented by the organization
and, it may be predicted, never will
be. There are plenty of anti-Smith
people in the county, but they do
not belong to this “Chatham County
Anti-Smith Club,” and are not like
ly to belong to it.
In this connection, reference may
be made to a correction of the num
ber present at the former meeting
as reported in the Greensboro News
and corrected by Rr. R. C. Ross. Mr.
: Ross stated that there were fifty to
| seventy five in attendance at that
I meeting, but as we attened both and
j actually counted those present Sat
j urday and know that the showing
I j was at least twice as great as on
I I the former occasion, we are sure
| that there were not in the court room
■ | at the former meeting any 50 or 75.
1 j The vote in a test case, was eleven,
| but six of these were Smith men,
I kindly helping the feeble child get
■! a start.
4
If Lawful, It Is
Wrong-Two Cases
Clark’s comment in The Greensboro
News.
Recently they put out the word
from Durham that the clerk of the
court of that county had collected
interest on funds of which he was
the custodian and had retained the
interest for his own use. In other
words, that trust funds had been
put out at interest- and the clerk
had collected the earnings for his
own. He had made the money of
others, entrusted to his care, work
for him. Didn‘t look good. But
the clerk explains that the funds
mentioned were “floating funds,”
payable on call, and he had the rul
ing of lawyers and judges, that such
funds are not interest-bearing. That
is, the claimants have no claim to
interest on funds payable on call.
Evidently, then, they are not expect
ed to be put at interest, but kept
! on hand to be paid on demand. But
it is presumed that the clerk figures
that if he can put the funds at in
terest, having sufficient amount on
hand to meet the calls and make
something on the side, no harm is
done. May not be illegal, but the
practice should not be permitted.
No public official should be allowed
to work side lines with public pro
perty for private gain. Unethical
at least and dangerous—very dan
gerous for a public official to feel
ihat he can use public property for
his own advantage, even if he does
fully account for it in the end. Tends
to abuse and the violation of a trust.
Two churches are advertised for
sale in a North Carolina town for
non-payment of street assessments.
As churrch property is free from
taxes probably the courts will be
asked to say whether assessing
costs of street improvement against
church property isn’t the same as
taxes. Technically it is probably
the same. And yet the feeling is
Ihat the congregation should pay for
that street improvement without
raising the point. If refusal is sus
tained the cost is shifted to all tax
payers, who are in a sense taxed for
the improvement of church property.
May be legal but it doesn’t look so
good. It is a sort of habit of the
church people in urban places to de
mand concessions from municipalities
in the cost of lights, water, etc., and
to feel that it is due because of the
service the church renders. That is
to say, some church people will, if
permitted, reach into the public pur
poses—for the use of their church.
They ought to be ashamed of them
selves when they do, but some of
them will demand it as if it belong
ed to the Lord.
MAIL TRUCK BURNED
WITH PART OF MAIL
Mr. Grady, carrier on the Durliam-
Pittsboro-Siler City star route, had
the misfortune to lose his mail truck
by fire Monday morning and with
the truck went part of the mail,
though Mr. Grady managed to save
what is believed to be all the first
class mail and the daiiy papers. He
I really doesn’t know what was burn
ed.
The, fire started while the truck
was being supplied with gasoline at
a Durham filling station, and burned
up immediately.
It was right new truck and the
loss is considerable, a Irage part of
the remuneration for carrying the
mail a whole year, but it, is hoped
that Mr. Grady had insurance on it.
VOLUME 50, NUMBER 49.
THE ACTUAL OATH
TAKEN BY THE K. C.
Altogether Different from the
Diabolical Alleged Oath
Slanderously Circulated.
The Record holds no brief for the
Catholics or Knights of Columbus,
but when unfair and untruthful as
saults are made upon the Democratic
candidate for the Presidency because
of hi s connection with those two
organizations it does become the bus
iness of the Record, or any fair
minded citizen, to disprove such
charges. Slander of anybody is a
sin, and if we knew Hoover were
being wilfully slandered we should
gladly help disprove the charge.
For nearly a score of years an
oath alleged to be that required of
members of the Knights of Colum
bus, a Catholic organization has been
circulated. On a certain occasion
the thing was read in the Congress
of the United States, and thereby
secured a place in the Congressional
Record. Though the Knight s of Co
lumbus submitted their records to
a committee appointed by the Grand
Lodge of Masons of California, who
could find no trace of any such dam
nable oath, unscrupulous assailants
of the Knights of Columbus have
taken advantage of the public re
cord made of the alleged oath in
the Congressional Record, and have
been accustomed t" give similitude of
verity to it by stating that it is cop
ied from the Congressional Record.
Os course, that record is no more
assurance of its truthfulness than
is the stenographer’s report of the
sworn testimony of a witness in
court right here in Pittsboro. The
court records here, doubtless, con
tain r. s monstrous lies as the imagi
nation can produce, but under the
scheme used by the unfair assail
ants of the Knights of Columbus,
one might copy those records and
credit them to the Chatham court
records and make it appear that this
is proof of the chrages contained,
and if care were taken in the method
of presenting them the injured par
ty would have no recourse in law,
though the lie may have been utterly
disproved by reliable testimony and
the accused acquitted by the jury.
Court records are public property, as
are the records of Congress.
Now, any fair minded reader can
readily see that a man who would
take advantage of another and thus
broadcast slander against him is an
infamous scoundred. . But that is
what has been done for years with
respect to that alleged oath of the
Knights of Columbus. Though the
evidence that the oath is false should
be convincing to any fair-minded
man, jackals in sheep’s clothing are
till this very day publishing that
oath and circulating it among people
who have no means of disproving
it, and the more readily accept it
because it is said to be “copied from
the ongressional Record.” But if
being printed in the Congressional
Record is proof of a thing’s truth
fulness, the report of the Masonic
Committee is also true, for it is
copied in the Congressional Record
too.
In fact, we understand that there
are thousands of them being sent
into Chatham county this summer
and circulated as the veritable oath
of the Knights. Accordingly, below
we are giving a copy of what the
investigating committee mentioned
above did find to be the oath taken,
by Knights of Columbus, and before
any honest man in Chatham county
further extends the slander of the
false oath, he should convince him
self that he has not been humbug
ged. To circulate the alleged oath
with the only reliable evidence ex
isting against it, deliberately to
share in the slander. Here is the
oath found to be the actual one by
the committee of investigation. Read
it and compare it with the false
oath and judge how diabolical must
be the man who wrote it and those
who knowingly circulate it.
The Actual K. C. Oath
“I swear to support the constitu
tion of the United States. I pledge
myself, as a Catholic citizen and
Knight of Columbus, to enlighten
myself fully upon my duties as *
citizen and to conscientiously per
form such duties entirely in the in
terest of my country and regardless
of all personal consequences. I pled
ge myself to do all in my power to
preserve the integrity and purity of
the ballot, and to promote reverence
and respect for law and order. I
promise to practice my religion open
ly and consistently, but without os
tentation, and to so conduct myself
in public affairs, and in the exer
cise of public virtues as to reflect
nothing but credit upon our holy
church, to the end that she may
flourish and our country prosper to
the greater honor and glory of
God.”
BYNUM ITEMS
The following interesting itmes
from Bynum seem to have been omit
ted from the Record last week:
Mr. G. E. Moore, of this place,
has been i n New York for quite a
while on business.
Our new school building is begin
ning to “show up.” We are in hope
that it will soon be completed. •
HThere will be an all day service
at Mt. Gilead Baptist church next
Sunday, July 29th.
Mrs. Ernest Williams is visiting
her kinpeople in High Point this
week.