Newspapers / The State’s Voice (Dunn, … / Sept. 1, 1934, edition 1 / Page 5
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By Rev. W. L. Clegg, Maxton, N. C. Thc following resume of the thought-provoking address of Mr. Kirby Page at Duke University has teen in our hands several weeks, but it is still time ly This very week the. nomination of Upton Sin clair for governor, of Calfiforhia again brings' . the minds of the people, to- the contemplation pt tbe mat* ter discussed by Mr. 5*age, tbe, possibility of sectnj ing an adequate-distrilmtioa nf ibe ^oods that dan be created in so*rS*t abundance.’. Mr. Clef’s; re * gume follow*. ■' 1 I am giving you -this a~rev>6w of a lecture by Kirby Page delivered at the^In^tit^tP of Interna tional Relations . at , Dtike University. His * topic was: “Must We .Travel itbft.MosgOw, Road?" ’ “ In order;, to. arrivals t- a decent -economic order, must we -adopt4he*?sti*tegy’ r of Communism, . The. Communist -answer *is ?fcba.t*y<>u*^cfta; build •; a. new society only .after- ftbtving .-torn idnwnvthe old,, and that this must-be” don#-by-a;^4elent Aelnure of pow er. can we, without a violent revolution, build-. a siciety? With aWmy soul I-believe we canv : What is the.matted iwith, the present ;society2 do we want <»omgthing.new?. First of all,, because^ we divide. incon»e.ttne«iually,vTbeworkers do not get enough income to buy AMtcfc-the goods .they , have produced. Inl9e3tbere were invti»§ Un^ed ftaies, approximately TOmillion adults and. 25 millioni.heads^ of families. Under the income tax law, only those uumarried adnlts who revived incomes in excess of $1,000 and the heads of families who received more than 2,000 were required to^gr incOm^_thx, I£ tex significant fact that only 4 millions or one adult out of seventeen paid, an income tax Jtemember that this was in a comparatively. BfOaperOua year. , T A good clue to the economic healtlvof % nation,is the rate of interest. It is true thatonly a month ago the government borrowed money at the rate of one sixteenth of one per cent per year. -The reason is that there is'more moneydn-certain^ places than can be invested. Only as much money can be in vested as is required to produce the goods that can be sold. If too much is invested, there will be over production, and when this happens, industries shut down and men are thrown out of work. Too much money in some places produces want in other place?. A second ill of the present society is that we do not use our resources adequately; there is! waste on a colossal scale. At one period during the past year, the United States Steel Corporation, America’s greatest steel combine, was producing only one-sixth of its capacity, and industry throughout the coun try is utilizing less than half its equipment. The reason is that the people can not pay for the pro ducts— they haven’t the money. There are two types of efficiency, one of which is technological “on the spot efficiency,” such as is seen in the workings of a mine or mill or factory. But if there is this highly developed efficiency, why do industries produce only about 40 per cent of their capacity? The other kind of efficiency is the coor dination and correlation of all these technologically efficient plants in the aggregate—the coordination of one industry with others, with the purchasing com munity that buys the products. At this point we are utterly inefficient, because of an obsession that has gripped us about private property .in tlje means of production and distribution. There is a great waste „ n A Anonn i-A/1 utTiiuoe iiie.piaiiis are uwucu ^ ~-— for private gain, and can be operated only so long as there is profit for the owner, and therefore adequate correlation of industries is impossible. »The reason why the inass of our people is near hunger and mil lions are destitute is that we haye the system of pri vate.property in this nation A third trouble with modern society is that we consume ourselves in struggle, strife, conflict, and warfare. These are unavoidable as long as we main tain the system of private property organized for private gain, and has competition as its channel of operation. People compete for their bread and for Sustenance and for life. Consequently there'is bit terness. hatred, war and devastation. These are pre cisely what our present economic order produces, and they will continue as long as we have the system °f private property. „ The workers organize against the employers, and have class war- Then the workers ana employ ers unite as citizens and are pitted against the work ers and employers pf another nation in international war. Is this the best that we can do? To admit this is admit, our intellectual and moral bankruptcy and tkat we deserve to perish. However, if we wish to improve our condition, there are certain Idlings that necd to be done. First is to transfer ownership of natural resources and the heavy - industries from Private to public hands. Wherever there is owner ship there is power and privilege. There is too at the top and too little, at thp, bottom. We need not private bat collective ownership, and this ®4be. corner stone on which any successful economic structure must be built. That is not saying that all -.fiSoperty must be publicly owned, bat only the heavy industries, such as banking and credit* electric powr er, transportation, commnnicatkm, minerals 'and mines, and the chief means of production and flis~ s ttfbution.. These, things »u»t be operated for the - n»e dt all the people. The ascend important step to ‘ take is to provide approximate equality «f dfetribu-. tion.. If a .minimum income were to be $2,000 a £ear, .then- the maximum should range from $5,000 to pos - sibly hs, high- as $20,000 a year. A third and impor tant thing is* to have an adequate ; motivation for working in a system wherejprivate property in the" ; . Wg industries no longer ,ex(sts and where there ps a large degree of equality of distribution. Ton 4 ask - ^hy^ anybody, should bother to work, if be were To • get- a ,fairlyr equal s£jre of the ineoue anyhow? * There are nine ii^gortagt reasons why people would, work ia this type ot,SQciety. The.individual would ’ get a fair income^ Ttygre would be the possibility: or a slight difference.!#. income for the harder work*. “er. There would bd safety* and security, backed by ; insurance which would make misfortunefall not.on the back of the individuiii^but on the organized sb* rietyv There would sense ** Of responsibility ^ which .would make the .individual feel his necessity to wprk. There would be the joy of creativity,^ though this might not eyist In ail~6eids. The work? erjwould enjoy appreciation and praise from his fel low men and meet disapproval*' and' wfte punishment when he fails to work. Finally,' he would work from a sense of “oughtness,” a sense of'patriotism giveh to construction and creativity. ’ . We could have available plenty for everybody. We have resourses, skill, brain's, mOn.'an'd heart—the makings of a decent society, ifnf we are held baek by inertia, fear, vested interests, and greed. There .. •are three major things .that we must do if we would gain this improved society. First, we must educate; change people’s minds. Deliverance awaits changed minds. Then we must orgahlze the workers in£o la bor unions, the buyers, into co-pperative societies, and the toters who believe in the'^fiew society, not ' into the old, but into a national Socialist .party. And . finally we must run risks and take-.consepuences, We ; cannot build a hew. society withvfimidity. We can not transform a pagan comnmnity-rinto the (Kingdom of God on earth without sacrifice-. * Pioneers leave bloody tracks. Although gping beyond and ahead may be dangerous, still it is. thrilling and exhiliarat ing and joyous. If we want to live fully and abun dantly, we must rise above.the level of the present, society to a new level where the-, common welfare is the highest aim. -------:——" PRESENT-DAY CITIZENS v OF.HILLSBORO' , . (Continued from Page Twp) tax supervisor for six years, coming to the position soon after his graduation from the school of com merce it the State University. Like Mr. Claytor, he is a native of Orange. Mr. Ray tells me that Orange has not defaulted upon a cent. Only 18 1-2 per 'cent of the 1933 levy is still unpaid- The tax rate for 1934 is 78 cents, nine* cents lower than last year’s..: Mr. Ray estimates that he has discovered unlisted property to about' the maunt of $20,000 since .he came to his position. This is one of the most promising, young men I have met in a survey of many coun ties: - Veteran Office Holders. Mr. W. S. Andrews-and Mr. A. W. Kenioh have become veterans in the Orange court house. The former has served several terms as sheriff and sev eral as register of deeds. - He is of the family of the Orange Andrews from which the sheriff of Chatham is sprung. The Andrews store in Chapel Hill was long one of the village’s chief jnarts. Kenion.has been farmer, teacher, bookkeeper, deputy sheriff, register of deeds, and is finishing up his second term as clerk of the. cojirt. He didn’t even havP any opposition for the .nomination this year. . I.had missed Mr. Kenibn on niy'former visit, and it . was. a pleasure to have the privilege, of meeting him, , though a busy eourt dhy gave little time for acquain tance, v , Assistant to Mr. Kenton for five years has been Mr. Lynch. He is a native of Guilford county; I remember him very pleasantly from; my former visit and expect to find him on the job or in a. better onfe on my next^all. Mr. Andrews has a new as aistant, but I'-regrOt that I did not -record-bW ^name and cannot no^reoatt it I deem Bis abaijtt? la such that his chief can be spared some day io take that fishing trip Black River that I hugg^sted. as having possibly moreamportahtr results than a string y of, fish. That fine assistant wonld make a good sno i • • •’ • *■ ‘ '■ *'r-v '■ •* : cesBor if Ur. Andrew* should become afarmer in his elderly years. t"; *£ :^'r\ ' * ^ £■ Swiff W< T> Sloan is a native of Lee county. He served several years as chief of police at Chapel HU], ~and that means that'"he is broadly known. That session of court kept me from meeting him, first*elected in 1828. V-; He wan ^ .g ‘tos 'G. B. Jones is now the county ’squire. Orange has no recorder’s court. ’Sqnire Jane* does most of the magisterial work of the county. He came trOfit 'Ids farm for a four-year service as register of Q«ed* and found it too pleasant in Hillsboro to return. - f Ifei. B. Spayrawitbat ian eewnscm naasa- hi Orange^ was possibly the youngest. man.. to becomy postmaster of an office of the importance of that it > Hil&l^ro. "His &tfier, Mry T. II 8parrOWr wasthft Hillsboro postmaster. Upon, that gentleman's deatln bl^r^-year old son filled out bis teim>as acting, post* . .■ mas^r' and was appointed t«r a term/being succeed* edj>yr.jfr. ShepperdStrudwick^esathan two months v age., Mr. Sparrow, unlilm-many, who iose their palhA lie positions, loot no time in getting fo. work..; I B*'. has a good store in' West, ijtljsboro, and-I , predict that he will make good. . Ho wasbornatChapei Hilt where'the Sparrows thrive j^d fonittpig. .... ]r Our Lieutenant-Governor. rt ••*/..* v Of course everybody knows thatLiOutenant-Gov* ernor “Sandy* Graham lives at HiUeboroo: Hiathig case in which , he was engaged,allowed only, a few moments for a* chat with him.' • It is not beyopd per* adventure that Mr. Graham will be a candidate for governor two years hence. Bat lief has another-See* flion of the senate to proside, over before his term: as lientenant-governor expires and it is. very fitting that he is not' declaring himself as *uch, if at all, before that duty has been,.performed. He is one of the best known and most .liked men in the state . and, located as he is in the center of the state,; has a very broad acquaintance. If “Sandy”, does mm, somebody will know about it when the race is over. Mr. Graham’s office is a one-story, building of stone, which I infer is the very building in which W. W. Holden served his apprenticeship in the .printer** A. H. GRAHAM Lieutenant-Governor and Hillsboro Attorney trade. As stated elsewhere, he lives in one of the his toric homes of the old town. There is no man in the state with a richer heritage than North Carolina’s lieutenant-governor. , Associated with Mr. Graham in the practice of law is young Bonner D. Sawyer. Of course, a Sawyer must almost necessarily come from down east. This bright young lawyer hails from Pamlico. He gradu ated at Chapel Hill in 1924 and got" his law license the same year, but spent six years in the business office of the University, before beginning practice with Mr. Graham in 1980. A Pleasant Visit—Going Again. Having ridden seventy miles that morning after a late start and leaving Hillsboro in time to see a few people in Durham the, same day, and , then back home, don’t be surprised that I am. not able to~4|f troduce you to more of Hillsboro’s good citizens. But I did meet. Mr. C. H. Jones. a nephew of our friend ^George McNeill, of Fayetteville, who holds down a job in one., of the cotton mills.; also the promising young son of Postmaster Strudwlck, who has a summer iob with Auditor Bay. Some day we bore to"go back and get more broadly acquainted- It wa* a pleasant trip,, I evengot to howdy judge Cramer. These judges are hard to catch for .renewals, and when. Judge Cramner asked, “What are you doing here?”, I replied, hunting for money—gimme a dol lar”., I got it.—And his honor was on the bench too. I didn’t expect to collect,. under the circumstances^ but he gave me too good an opening to neglect: Old Summer has at last taken a vacation of a few days, or. at least eased- up in its persistent effort to outdo all Ifcs forerunners.. - 1 ; -Vt 'S'
The State’s Voice (Dunn, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 1, 1934, edition 1
5
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