7ntf
ii2 won:
Bits of Wisdom
, All service ranks the same
with God. '
Browning.
A Brief Survey of Cur
rent Events in State,
Nation and Abroad
the Facts Boile.d
Down to a Few Pithy
Lines.
unit ' -
i... ...
PROGRESSIVE
LIBERAL
INDEPENDENT
VOL. XLIX, NO. 14
FRANKLIN, N. C, THURSDAY, APRIL 5, 1934
$1.50 PER YEAR
Til k
mw0
y y v . j r v v i i v ; v , , i f i i v j I r if
MEEKINS NAMED STATE
CO. P. CHAIRMAN
William C. Meekins, of Hender
sonville, was elected chairman of
the North Carolina Republican ex
ecutive committee at the state con
vention of the party in Charlotte
Wednesday after James S. Duncan,
of Greensboro, sprung a surprise
with the announcement that he
would not be a candidate for . re
election to the post. Duncan's ac
tion was interpreted as a surrender
of the "old guard" Republicans to
the demand of insurgents for new
leadership. Meekins was . elected
by votes over A. I. Ferree, of
Asheboro, only other announced
candidate for the chairmanship, who
received 45034 votes. A handful
of votes were cast for Clifford Fra
zier, of Greensboro, Republican
candidate for governor in the last
election, although he was not a
candidate. The convention adopted
a platform attacking "the great
cost of bureaucratic government"
in North Carolina, opposing the
sales tax and pledging the party to
the support of prohibition.
INSULL HELD
Samuel Insull, onetime head of a
huge American utilities empire, was
under a police guard in an Istanbul
hospital Wednesday, awaiting exe
, cution of a government order that
he be turned over to United States
officials to be brought to this coun
try for trial on charges of fraud
and embezzlement. The Turkish
cabinet Sunday ruled that the of
fenses with which the aged utilities
magnate were charged constituted
a "common crime" and he would
have to be extradited, as requested
by the United States. Insull, how
ever, employed attorneys with a
faint' hope that something might be
done to prevent his return to this
country.
DAVIDSONS BEGIN TERMS
E. A. Davidson, former president
of the defunct Cherokee Bank of
Murphy, and his. son, J. W. David
son, a director of the bank, entered
state's prison at Raleigh Tuesday
to begin serving sentences of from
five to eight years each for con-
spiracy and abstraction of batfk
funds. J. B. Storey, of Jefferson,
Ga., cashier of the bank, was in
the Cherokee county jail awaiting
transfer to Raleigh to serve a sen
tence of three to five years on the
same charges.
HUGE "STEAL" CHARGED
Charges that the Chase National
Bank of New York and the First
National Bank of New York, va
rious other large financial institu
tions and the International Paper
and Power company manipulated a
$70,d00,000 bankers' "steal" through
throwing the Minnesota and Onta
rio Paper company into receiver
ship, with the approval of a fed
eral judge, were laid before the
senate's special bankruptcy commit-
. tee Tuesday by Edward L. Backus,
a former president of the bankrupt
paper company. Backus alleged the
receivership was handled so the
.bankers could acquire the paper
-company for $5,000,000, whereas un
ider normal conditions he said it
--warworth $75,000,000.
POU DIES
Edward W. Pou, 70, representa
tive of the Fourth N. C. District
ior 34 years and dean of the House,
died in Washington early Easter
morning. He was buried at Smith
field, N. C, Tuesday.
BYRD ALONE i
Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd
has been left alone far out on
the Ross ice barrier since last
Wednesday, starting seven months'
absolute isolation in a snow-covered
hut with books., a gramophone,
writing materials and scientific in
struments for company.
MRS. LINDY HONORED
The National Geographic Society
on Saturday presented to Mrs.
Charles A. Lindbergh its highest
honor, the Hubbard medal, for her
share in her husband's aerial sur
veys. The presentation ceremony
took place in Washington. The
medal previously had been award
ed only to Col. Lindbergh and
Admiral Richard Byrd.
"KILLER" ESCAPES
John "The Killer" Ditlingcr, with
a submachine gun in his hands and
a big green sedan awaiting him,
shot his way out of a police trap
Saturday at St. Paul, Minn., and
once more foiled the law. Finger
prints left behind as he fled with a
woman, believed wounded, and a
man, presumably one of the mem-
v bers of his old gang, John Hamil
definitely established, authori
ties said, that one of the trio was
the widely hunted desperado who
broke out of jail at Crown Point,
Tnd., last month,
EXPLAINS NEW
CONSTITUTION
A. J. Maxwell Urges Adop
tion or Revised N. C.
Code by Voters
OLD ONE IS ARCHAIC
New Constitution Would
Place Limit on Debt,
Not On Taxes
RALEIGH, April 4.-The many
advantages which the proposed new
state constitution as worked put by
the 1933 general assembly and the
stare constitutional commission,
which will be submitted to a vote
of the people for adoption or re
jection in the November election
this fall, were pointed out by Com
missioner of Revenue A. J. Max
well, in a talk before the University
of North Carolina Lawr School in
Chapel Hill Monday night. 'Mr.
Maxwell was a member of the con
stitutional commission which, drew
up the original draft -of the new
constitution which it submitted to
the 1933 general essembly and which
was not changed materially by that
body.
Interest Increasing
For some weeks now there has
been an increasing interest in the
new constitution and the opponents
of its adoption, regarded as be
longing to the reactionary and ultra-conservative
wing of the Demo
cratic party, under the leadership
of Attorney General Dennis G
Brummitt and former Lieutenant
Governor R. T. Fountain, have been
carrying on a more and more in
tensive campaign against it. While
Mr. Maxwell did not refer to any
one by name or to the campaign
against the new document, his ad
dress is regarded as a reply to
some of the charges that have been
madejeoncerning it.
"It is . true that the proposed
constitution does not rely upon ar
bitrary constitutional provisions to
fix tax rates. This method of tax
protection has- been found in our
own experience to be wholly unre
liable t and unworkable, Mr. . Max
well said.
Old Plan Unworkable
"First we tried a constitutional
limitation of the composite rate of
tax for state and counties of 66 2-3
cents. This became so unworkable
that it was thrown out by amend
ment in 1919, and limitation of 15
cents for county levies for general
expenses substituted for it, leaving
no limitation for schools, roads and
debt service.
"To illustrate the worthless char
acter of this limitation, levies were
made for general expenses last year
in 93 of the 100, counties that ex
ceeded 15 cents. These levies va
(Continued on Page Four)
Burns Fatal
Shepherd Child Dies after
Tragic Accident
Margaret Shepherd, two-and-one-
half year old daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Garland Shepherd, died at her
home on Franklin Route 4, Friday
night about 9 o'clock as the re-,
suit of severe burns she received
Monday, when her clothing caught i
fire while she was standing before!
an open fire,
Funeral services were held at
the Shepherd cemetery on Cowee
Saturday afternoon at 2 o'clock
with the Rev. James Vinson in
charge. I
Surviving arc her parents and
one small sister, Barbara.
3-Year-Old Boy's Memory
Cited in Ripley Cartoon
The amazing precocity of Billy
Abcrcronibie, three-year-old son of
Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Abcrcronibie,
of Daytona Beach, Fla., who have
a number of relatives and friends
in Macon county, has already start
ed him on the road to fame.
On Friday, March 30. little. Billy
received- nationwide publicity
through Ripley's "Believe It or
Not" cartoon. A pen sketch of the
youngster was printed in hundreds
of newspapers throughout the coun
try with this accompanying state
ment : "Billy Abcrcronibie, of
Daytona Beach, Fla., age 3, recited
a 53-page book from memory after
hearing it read a few times."
Billy's mother is a daughter of
W. N. Gray, who lives about five
miles south of Franklin near the
Morrison school. His father op-
Design for New
ri
- if if .
(7
V
ft
u iff SfeS-,
This Is the architect's drawing of .the proposed capitol buildin"
recently accepted by the central executive committee of the U. S. S r"
construction on which is scheduled to commence soon. The structure
when completed will be the highest In the world.
POTTS WON'T
ENTER PRIMARY
Highlands Man Says He
Can't Consider Running
For Legislature
J. E. Potts, Highlands town man
ager, informed The Press-Maconian
this week that he could not con
sider seeking the Democratic nomi-
nation for representative from this
countv. .
A number of Mr. Potts' friends
had suggested thauhe was well fit
ted for the post and would be sure
to poll a 4arge vote. Publication
of a story to this effect in last
week's issue" of this ' newspaper
evoked favorable comment from al
most everybody but Mr. I'otts him
self.
"It's out of the question," he told
the editor over the telephone. "I
feel honored to have been mention
ed as a possible candidate, but I
am not in position to run.'.'
Thus far no one has openly de
clared himself a candidate for rep
resentative. Nor has anyone de
clared for county commissioner.
The slowness of candidates .in ' an
nouncing for those offices stirred
conversation this -week -as- tothe
possibility of -naming candidates -at
the Democratic county convention
instead of in the primary - to - be
held in June. Many Democrats in
the county think this Would be-a
happy development; but it is
thought. more than likely that there
will be plenty of candidates in the
field before the deadline for filing
arrives.
SEEK DIVORCE
Mrs. Cornelia Vandcrbilt Cecil,
Ashcville millionairess, only daugh
ter of the late George Vandcrbilt,
and her English husband, John
Francis Amherst Cecil, are seek
ing, by mutual consent, Associated
Press reports say, a divorce in the
French courts.
ciales a line of sight-seeing busses
at Davtona Beach.
"At - the age when most children
are, juslJbcginnmg to talk . clearly,
Billy can recite all the lines in
Eugene Field's Book of Child Verse,"
says an account in the Daytona
Beach Sun Record. "And he has
been doing it for nearly a year
XXX
"The parents do not build Billy
up as a child wonder but they are
iverv proud of. his ability to memo
iiizc v.erses. The child is shy but
speaks good clean-clipped Knglish
He refused to recite for a reporter,
explaining that he was too busy
forms in front of strangers, but
several friends served as witnesses
I in the statement sent to Ripley."
Soviet Capitol
4
TEACHERS TO
GET FULL PAY
No Further Salary Cuts
Seen As Likely by
School Official
RALEIGH, April 4. There is no
danger of any further cut in the
pay of the school teachers in North
Carolina or that they may not re
ceive theirfull salaries for the last
month of the school year, LeRoy
Martin, executive secretary of the
state school commission, said Tues
day. For expenditures for all. oth
er services have been reduced so
that the teachers may be paid in
full. He was quoted in a Raleigh
newspaper as indicating the state
might be able to pay the full
amount due the teachers for the
last .month.
Secretary Martin agrees, however,
that if the school commission
should expend the amount of mon
ey it should for transportation and
for the replacement of school bus
es, for school supplies and other
incidentals, that it then would not
have enough left to pay all the
teachers in full. But it is not go
ing to make any of these other ex
penditures until it is sure that
either the state has enough money
on hand to' pay the teachers or
!har7rir dors not liave "the-ire"
quired amount of money, the Unit
ed "States government will make up
the balance.
Federal Aid Unlikely
Under present regulations put in
to effect by the emergency relief
administration, it is regarded as vir-j
tually certain that North Carolina
will not be able n get anv of the
$50,000,000 that has been set aside
by the relief, administration to help
public schools in the various states.
For under these rules, no federal
money can be given to states that
have made adequate provision for
keeping their schools open and
even then it can be used onlv to
pay teachers' salaries.
But if it becomes certain that
the relief administration will make
up the difference, should North
Carolina over-spend its" appropria
tion and not have enough to pay
the teachers their salaries for the
last month, the school commission
may decide to spend a million dol
lars or so that it had been saving
back for salaries for new school
buses, tires and supplies needed for
next year. But the comrn:ssion is
not going to do this until it be
comes absolutely: certain . that if it
does, the relief administration will
make up the difference, Martin
said. For it, does not intend to let
any of the teachers bo without the
fulli amount of pay due them.
YOUNG DEMOCRATS
More than a thousand Demo
crats, representing every section of
North Carolina, attended the Jack
son Day Dinner in Raleigh Satur
day night. The affair was sponsor
ed by the Young Democratic Clubs
of North Carolina. Senator Ben
nett C. Clark, of Missouri, was the
principal speaker.
CVA PROGRAM
IS CONCLUDED
Instructions Conce rning
New Relief Program
Awaited
TO HELP FARM FOLK
Uncompleted CWA Pro
jects Expected To Be
Finished
The last of the CWA workers
having been mustered out Friday
and Saturday, those in charge ot
the recovery program in Macon
county this week were awaiting in
structions from Raleigh and Wash
ington as to the set-up of the pro
posed new relief program. y
.Many projects in this -county, as
well as" throughout the state and
nation, were left unfinished, includ
ing ' the construction of a swim
ming pool at the Franklin, golf
course, a new auditorium for the
Highlands school and a gymnas
ium for the Franklin school. . "
Likely To Be Finished
It is thought likely, however, that
provision for the completion of
these projects will be made under
the new relief program. Materials
for all of these projects already
have been obtained and all that is
needed now. is labor.
Information has .not been re
ceived as to the exact details of
the new relief program, which is
expected to get under way, within
about a week, but it is known that
special provisions will be made to
assist needy farm families.
Meetings Called '
Miss Rachel Davis, county wel
fare officer and director of relief,
sent out notices this week calling
for meetings in various sections of
the county of individuals in need of
assistance.
According to figures released at
CWA headquarters in Raleigh, ap
proximately $12,500,000 "was spent
on approximately 5,000 CWA pro
jects in this state It was estimat
ed that about $10,000,000 of this was
paid out in wages, while the rest
went to purchase materials.
A - total of $1,100,000 has been
alloted to this state for relief work
in April, but Mrs. Thomas O'Berry,
state director of relief, said she
expected another grant.
Home Burned
J. C. Robinson Narrowly
Escapes from Fire v
J. C. Robinson narrowly escaped
to safety early last Thursday morn
ing when fire destroyed Ins home
near Louisa church in the Cartooge
chaye community.
The fire, thought possibly to have
started from a back log rolling out
of the fire place, was beyond con
trol when Mr. Robinson was awak
ened by " smoker- He hastily gather
ed up a few clothes, knocked out a
window and climbed through to
safety. Mrs. Robinson was in
Ashevillc visiting, at the time and
Mr. Robinson was alone in the
house.
Five 'hundred dollars' insurance
was carried on the dwelling.
Mr. Robin'fon lost another home
by fire about three years ago.
Young Democrats
To Meet In Highlands
A meeting of the Young Demo
cratic club of Highlands has beer
called for 7:30 o clock luesday
night, April 10, by John W. Ed
wards, countv president of the or
ganization, for the purpose of re
organizing the club. The mcetin
will be held in the Highlands schoo
auditorium. A program of short
talks and string music has been
i n
arra: . Mnong the speaKers win
be C. Tom . yson and James Hans
en Stewards of Franklin
Circuit To Meet Saturday
A special meeting of the stew
ards of the Franklin circuit -of -the
Methodist church, has been called
for 4 o'clock Saturday afternoon of
this week in the Bank of Franklin.
Dr. J. L. West, chairman of the
board of stewards of the circuit,
said very important business was
to be discussed, and urged that all
stewards on the circuit attend the
meeting.
OWN I.IFF.
i John T. Nelson, 28-ycar-old North
Carolina State college history pro-
', fessor, was found dead Sunday af
ternoon of asphyxiation from car
bon monoxide gas in his automobile
parked in a wood near Raleigh.
a
Job Open
Applications for Prentiss
Postoffice Asked
The United States Civil Ser
vice commission has announced
that applications for the po
sition of fourth class postmaster
at Prentiss, N. C, will be re
ceived until April 13. Applicants
are to be notified later of the
date of examination, which will
be held at Franklin.
Compensation of the post
master at Prentiss for the last
fiscal year was $526, it was
stated. The examination is op
en to applicants between the
ages of 21 and 65 residing in
the area served by the Pren
tiss postoffice. Application
blanks and full information con
cerning the requirements of the
examination can be secured from ,
the postmaster at Prentiss or
from the U. S. Civil Service,
commission. Washington, D. C.
Miss Beatrice Gribble, a Re--pritiGcan,
held this position for
sirx or seven years, but resigned
recently. Mrs. Clara Rogers is
Silling the vacancy under a tcm
jicwary appointment.
Meeting Called
Library Association To
Elect Officers Friday
The annual meeting of the mem
bers of the Franklin Library asso
ciation has been called for 8 o'clock
Friday night of this week by Mrs.
Lassie Kelly Cuiinnnsharn, vice presi
dent of the organization.
Mrs. Cunningham urged that all
members of the library and all per
sons who wish to join be present
at this meeting, as an election of
officers for the ensuing year wH
be held. Reports on the library
for the past year will be submitted
by Mrs. J. A. Ordway, the librarian.
The meeting will be held in the
library room in the Masonic hall.
Prizes Offered for
Sales Tax Cartoons
' GREENSBORO, April 4.-For the
nine best cartoons illustrating how
the North Carolina sales tax. has
helped to keep open the public
schools and pay the teachers, the
Nojth Carolina Association of Real
Estate Boards is offering $105 m
prizes to "public school students.
There are three first prizes of
$20 each; three second prizes of
$10; anu. three third prizes of $5.
A firstsecond and third prize arc
to be awarded in each of the three
federal court districts in the state.
Any public school pupil is eligible
to contest. Awards will be made
more for originality and .cleverness,
than for technical excellence. They
may be either in ink or pencil but
must be by hand and without me
chanical aids. The name of the
contestant, his address, his school,
and the name of his superintendent
should be placed on the bottom of
each drawing.
All entries must reach the . asso
ciation at its Greensboro office, 502
Piedmont Building, by noon, May
1. The judges, representative citi
zens selected by the president of
the association, will announce the
winners on May 15.
Mica Code Agent
Coming Here Saturday -
Dr. E. E. Pratt, supervisory agent
of the mica code, is expected to
come to Franklin Saturday to dis
cuss the code with mica miners
and arrange for compliance with
provisions of hte code. He plans,
it is understood, to assist the min
ers in stabilizing the prices of un
processed mica.
Mr. and Mrs. C. W. Dowdle
Celebrate 50th Anniversary
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Welling
ton Dowdle' Celebrated their golden
wedding anniversary at their home
at Prentiss Easter Sunday. Present
for the occasion were all of their
sons and daughters, together with
their wives and husbands, and all
except two of Mr. and Mrs. Dow
dle's eleven grandchildren.
The family partook of a boun
teous dinner spread upon a table
beautifully decorated in yellow and
white flowers, the same colors
which were used fifty years before
when Mr. Dowdle brought his bride
to his home. Before her marriage
Mrs. Dowdle was Miss Ida Patton
of Cartoogechaye.
The dinner was topped off with
a handsome wedding cake, a huge
golden pound cake, covered with
white frosting, upon which was
G. 0. P. ELECTS
DEAN CHAIRP'AN
Cowee Man Named To
Succeed West at
Convention
MEEKINS SUPPORTED
Resolution Pledges Party
To Back only Teetotal
ers For Office
. Holding their pre-primary . con
vention in- the courthouse Saturday
afternoon, Macon county Republic
ans elected Walt" Dean, of Cowee,
chairman of their executive com- .
mittee, succeeding W. J. West, and
made a bid for the dry vote f
the -county in next fall's election.
Dean was elected county chair
man after Mr. West, old time G.
O.. P. war horse, asked the con
tention .not to consider bim as a
candidate for ' reelection. Dean re
ceived 20 votes, while Don Henry
received 10 and Paul Swafford 3.
In an address accepting the post
Dean urged the party to nominate
candidates for office who are known
to be tvtal abstainers and express
ed the hope the Republicans w.
put a strong county ticket in the
field.
Raps Tax Situation
"You all know the deplorable sit
uation of our tax matters," he said,
"and we must nominate a ticket
that can be elected and clean up
things in the courthouse and give ,
our people an honest, . economical
government."
M rs. Theo. Kiser, of Franklin,
was elected vice chairman of the
county committee, and Don Henry
was elected secretary. The meeting
Saturday vas presided over by Ed
Carpenter and Jess Sanders acted
as secretary.
Back Mekins
The convention swung into line
with the progressive insurgent fac-
tion of North Carolina" Republicans"-"""
seeking to out the old line of old ,
guards from the party's lejTershijP"
in the state. Although it endorsed
in. a resolution the leadershin of
the party under James S. Duncan,
of Greensboro, it instructed its del
egates to the state convention in
Charlotte to -support W. 'CrMeck-""r"
ins, of J .Henderson ville, ... for - state
chairman. The resolution also
commended the guidance of the
party in, tins county under the
chairmanship of Mr. West.
Other resolutions pledged the par
ty to oppose any candidate for
county office who indulges in in
toxicating liquors, advocated "vigo
rous and impartial enforcement of
the prohibition laws;" condemned:
"Democratic machine control of
state and county". governments; and
advocated repeal of .the primary
and absentee ballot laws.
The resolutions contained no at
tack on the policies of the Demo
craticnational administration -"anr!
failed -to-Txprcss-antlitudf")!!-
President Roosevelt's recovery pro
gram, but contained "a paragraph
condemning "the practice of some
politicians of manipulating the jobs
and funds that have been appro
priated through this great relief
program for their personal gain at
the expense of suffering humanity."
Delegates Elected ,
The following delegates were
elected to attend the state conven
tion, which was held at Charlotte
Wednesday: K. D. Srsk, Miss Ina
Henry, George Dean, Walter Dean,
U! F. Henry, John E. Rickman,
Kcv. A. S. Solesbee, Henry G. Rob
ertson. '
The following were elected dele
gates to the Uth congressional dis
(Contira'd on Page Four)
placed a miniature bride and groom
under a golden archway, from
which a tiny - golden wedding bell
was suspended, . The ... cake was
made by Mrs. R. G. Beshears, of
Franklin, one of Mr. and Mrs.
Dowdle's daughters.
Just before the dinner was serv
ed white gold lings were presented
to Mr. and Mrs. Dowdle in behalf
of their children by Mrs. Pearl
Hunter, of Sylva.
After the sumptuous dinner was
I served and enjoyed by old and
young, the party gathered for the
making of photographs.
Only the immediate family, in-',
eluding Mrs. Flora VanHook, Mr.
Dowdle's only living sister, attended
the dinner.