PAGE FOUR
THE FRANKLIN PRESS
and the highlands MACONIAN
^Ktxtnmn
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone No. 24
VOL. LI Number 44
BLACKBURN W. JOHNSON EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Entered at the Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter
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Politics and Neutrality
As Boake Carter pointed out several nights ago
in his radio news broadcast, one of the most
important problems likely to come before the next
President of the United States will be the preserva
tion of our neutrality in the face of the most un
settled conditions in Europe since the Armistice was
signed.
With the clarity that has won for him the reputa
tion of being the country’s No. 1 radio news com
mentator, Mr. Carter analized Mr. Landbn’s atti
tude regarding the foreign situation, exposing a
professed policy as dangerous as a cocked gun.
Clearing away the generalities of a Landon state
ment, which of course did Mp service to the cause
of neutrality and peace, Mr. Carter interpreted it
as meaning that the Republican nominee still ad
hered to the outmoded belief that freedom of the
seas for American ships should be maintained at
any cost.
Unless the war clouds over Europe and the Ori
ent are suddenly cleared away, such a policy exer
cised by this country might easily precipitate us
into another international conflagration.
Peace-loving Americans have long since abandon
ed the idea that it is the duty of their government
to protect American ships trading with belligerent
nations or to defend foolhardy citizens who persist
in subjecting themselves to the dangers of foreign
wars.
The Roosevelt policy, as manifested by neutrality
legislation enacted by the last Congress, falls far
short of insuring our peace; but, again' as Mr.
Carter points out, it is a step in the right direction.
Furthermore, under Mr. Roosevelt we may expect
the next congress to strengthen the present neu
trality legislation.
Should Mr. Landon be elected, we could look
forward—if we judge him by his words—to a pol
icy that would wipe out what progress we have
already made toward surrounding our shores with
a wall of neutrality offering far more protection
than the biggest navy we could build.
The Proposed Amendments
A^^E recommend to our readers a careful study
of the proposed amendments to the state con
stitution as outlined in an impartial summary pre
pared by the Institute of Government and reprinted
on Page Two of this newspaper.
The questions raised by these amendments are of
vital importance to the people of the state; but, due
to the lack of interest of the general public in such
abstract matters as constitutional problems, it is
somewhat doubtful that any of them will be
adopted. There seems to be a tendency on the part
of many voters to disregard ballots calling for de
cision on constitutional amendments. Many others
make a policy of voting against any and all changes
in the constitution without giving them due con
sideration.
It is to be hoped, however, that this apathy in
constitutional matters will be overcome in next
Tuesday’s election. There are urgent reasons why
the first four amendments should be adopted and
why the fifth should be killed. Let us take a look
at these reasons:
L Enlarging the Supreme Court. The present
court is overburdened, and with an ever-increasing
stream of litigation coming before it, the court
faces the necessity of giving hasty decisions or im
peding the dispatch of justice.
2. Permitting an ad valorem tax exemption up to
$1,000 on the value of homes occupied by the own
ers. The man who holds stocks and bonds and notes
mrkoooooo ^om of iw cm
sun w£u ium
ACCOUNTS B.C.
we Allow
* NO, NO / rtu. you—NOT fl TAX eXBMntON
you ON Youn home! no, hot mn if ym '
ON n AN» HAMt ONU UO £?«/rV
-—intangibles'—is allowed an exemption equal to the
amount of his debts; but the home owner gets no
exemption, although the mortgage against his prop
erty may amount to as much as its value. This state
needs above all to encourage home ownership, and
this amendment will accomplish that end.
'3. Classification of property for taxation. Much
intangible property now escapes taxation, simply
because the owners refuse to Hst it. It is argued
that by segregation of intangibles, with a lower
tax rate, the state would actually derive more reve
nue from this source than it does at present. It
seems to be a rear-door approach to the problem,
but it is worth trying. Furthermore, this amend
ment would make it possible to levy different rates,
within limitations, upon revenue-producing and
non-revenue-producing land. Such a policy might be
used to great advantage in encouraging soil con
servation and reforestation.
4. Raising the maxiihium income tax rate from
6 per cent to 10 per cent. This would greatly in
crease the state’s revenue-raising ability in a quar
ter most able to pay more taxes. There are many
individuals and corporations in North Carolina with
incomes running into thousands and even hundreds
of thousands of dollars who, in all justice, should
pay greater taxes. Our principle of taxation is bas
ed on ability to pay,” and those drawing big in
comes are most able to pay. This amendment, by
all means, should be adopted.
5. Placing new restrictions on public debt. That
sounds good at the present moixient when many
counties and towns are struggling to pay off heavy
bonded indebtedness; but a close study of this pro
posal reveals that it might work great hardships on
many communities or upon the state as a whole.
It might put a stumbling block in. the path of pro
gress. Had we had such an amendment in the past,'
It IS safe to say that we would not now have our
splendid system of hard-surfaced Iiighways and we
^ 1 t ^ problem in housing our
school children. This amendment would handicap
because it would
1 ir. / 7 capacity In the future. We
meZ LiTn safeguards in the require-
of the neonl. submitted to a vote
be voted downT
It should be remembered in the cases of the first
“ssLv ’ '"SislatTOe action will be nec-
essary to put these provisions into effect as and
when they are needed.
THURSDAY. OCT.j,
ginning and end of^T^
If a copy of this n
to fall into the handflf'
president, I should lik, , "
to him the establishment”/"
ture course on The TU
The first lecture
professor of physics u ''!
doubtless start by droppj;’'"
weight on the desk si;
is something which ’ no
ing understands. We call f"
tation,’ but no man in .i
knows what ‘gravitation’ '’
The second lecturer mis
be a professor of •
would ^ have to say sometW
THUR'
know why g
this : We do,not
come or why they kave %
of gold supply- and ‘co„,
prices and ‘speculation'
show that history has awa,„ ,
peating itself. But why it ,
itself, we really do not W-*
The third lecturer, ?
should be a philosopher or a ti
logian. He would say;
knows how the universe stattdi
what IS Its object. Some men
themselves philosophical pe
and pretend to know that it
no meaning. Some of us pre(«.
believe that it has a Maker '
meaning. We feel that this p„.
faith gives life more signife
more cheer.”
Such a lecture course wouM
the colleges of afflicting the
with wise young men. They
understand why no man nee
be ashamed to say; “I d,
know, but I believe.”
THOSE PETTICOATS
AND THINGS
In Mary Robert Rinehart’s*
biography, “My Story,” ocwi;
reference to petticoats; “The;
to be made, two or three, veryl
. . . and generally a short
one to the knees. . . .
“Not long ago a young
my acquaintance was going throi|
an old trunk of her mother’s j?
came across a brief bit of eniW
ered flannel.
“ ‘What on earth is this?’ski
manded.
‘“That? That wa's'my lU
petticoat for my wedding.’
“Whereupon the girl burst ii
shrieks of delighted laughter,”
Julia Ward Howe, when a
girl, grew weary from a long
in the family coach, and'all
her knees to drop apart cliilil«]
Instantly her father reproved
“My daughter, if you cannot si
like a lady we will stop at the »ei
tailors and have you measureiHJ
a pair of pantaloons.” ... ^
The characteristics which diil?
uish a “lady” and comprise ,te
moral code have differed widtljc
different generations,
I remember the first girl ‘
saw who 'had cut off her hair,
worked in my office. The preiil
I of the company called me on ^
carpet and wanted me to fw ^
young lady, which I declined
To his way of blinking,
hair was a sure sign of an
oned woman.
Only recently I ran acrosi j
old copy of the “Book o ^
iss,tied by a coeducational co e
quarter of a centcry^-«gO' j
sisted of thirty pages ot ‘ t
shalt ,nots.” ,
“In addition to the tor,
rules, students are expected '
frain from card playing,
and theatre-attendance,
(Copyright, K.
DT'S
Br
BARTO
LET’S TEACH
CURIOSITY
Buried in the middle of the sec
ond volume of Lincoln Steffens’
autobiography are som.e paragraphs
could see that one trouble with out
education was txiat it did not teach
us wbat was not known, not enough
of^ the .unsolved problems of the
sciences, of the arts, and of life It
gave us positive knowledge where
here was no certain knowledge,
did not
particularly want it. We were .not
fv! ^’^'^de'its. It seemed to
V . . p that curiosity was the be-
USE
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