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TOt umn ' Number 19 ~
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
At Franklin. North Caroline
Telephone M
WCMAR JONES Sdltor
a. SLOAN Bualnea
SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
Ont-of -County ? One Tear 1 $3.00
m Macon County ? One Tear ? $U0
Six Months . $1.75
Three Months $1.00
Single Copy ? ? ? ? 10
Legislative Decree
In the course of its deliberations, the '1953 Gen
eral Assembly decreed that the people of Macon
County should not elect the members of this coun
ty's board of education.
The legislators likewise turned thumbs down on
similar bills for other counties.
For the General Assembly to arbitrarily deny to
the people of this and other counties the right to
elect their school board members is bad.
The reasons for that denial are even worse.
It was obvious that these bills never were con
sidered on their merits. Rep. Walter Dean's bill,
for Macon County, in fact was killed in committee
with almost no discussion.
The reasons for the defeat of these bills, provid
ing for a right so fundamental as this, appear to
have been three: * >
1. The measures were introduced by Republicans.
2. The bills would have permitted some Repub
licans to serve on county boards of education.
3. They would have robbed the legislators of
their present power to override the expressed will
even of the Democrats in their counties and to ap
point persons other than those nominated. (The
law requires the Legislature to appoint those nom
inated in the Democratic primary, but provides no
penalty for failure to comply with that provision.)
None of these, however, was the reason assigned.
The reason assigned was that county boards of ed
ucation should be named throughout the state in a
uniform manner.
That argument is an insult to the intelligence of
the voters. Because virtually no county matters
handled by the Legislature are handled in a uniform
manner ? and least of all, the appointment of coun
ty boards of education. In every Legislature in re
cent years, the "uniform method" has been modi
fied and twisted to meet the political situations
in specific counties.
* m
It seems a little strange that the members of the
Legislature should think that an issue like this one
can be settled by legislative decree. It can't ? and it
won't.
It seems even stranger that the leaders of the
majority party should delude themselves into think
ing that this is even good politics.
If it were deliberately seeking a sure way to com
mit suicide, the Democratic party could not find a
surer way than by indefinitely continuing such
roughshod methods of overriding a state minority
? and often a county majority, and such contempt
uous disregard of a fundamental right of the voters.
Good Sense
About the most sensible comment we have seen
during the entire controversy over the new Revised
Standard Version of the Bible is contained in a let
ter published on this page :
"If the Revised Standard Version is inspired of
God, it will stand ; if it is of man, it soon will be a
forgotten book."
In short, a lot of people have been wasting a lot
of time and energy worrying about something that
will take care of itself.
t
To that, we believe one further suggestion might
be added :
. t
In view of how little most people know about
the Bible, it might be worth while to concentrate on
getting the Bible read, rather than on preventing
people from reading a particular Bible.
Splitting Franklin Precinct
The General Assembly killed Rep. Dean's bill re
quiring the Macon County Board of Elections to
cut the Franklin voting precinct up into four pre
cincts.
The bill probably should have been killed, be
cause it always is doubtful wisdom for the General
Assembly to order a strictly local board to do or
not to do something.
That, however, doesn't change the need for divid
ing the Franklin precinct into two, three, or four
precincts; nor need the defeat of Mr. Dean's bill
doom the proposal.
The board of elections, as we understand it, al
ready has the authority to divide precincts.
And, to date, we have heard no good reason why
it should not proceed to make the change.
Bouquet
It has become so customary for Macon County
young people, particularly young people engaged in
farm projects, to win district and even state honors
that it has almost ceased to be news when young
folk here bring another honor to the county.
It would almost be news if a Macon group did
NOT win!
Nonetheless, hearty congratulations to the F.F.A.
livestock judging teams that won first place last
week, in a competition with teams for 13 other
Western North Carolina schools. Flowers, too, to
their adult advisers.
? Letters
THANKS MR. DEAN
Dear Mr. Jones:
I am sending you a copy of a letter which I have mailed to
Mr. Walter Dean. Will you please publish it in The Press.
Sincerely yours,
MRS. NED TEAGUE
Prentiss, N. C.
Inc.
Mr. Walter Dean,
Franklin, N. C.
Dear Mr. Dean:
As acting president of the local N.C.E.A., I wash to express
our appreciation for the stand you took on the education pro
gram acted upon by the House of Representatives. We feel that
during your stay in Raleigh as our representative you made
sincere efforts to push forward those bills which would be to
the advancement of both teachers and pupils. For all these ef
forts, we thank you.
Sincerely,
MRS. NED TEAGUE
CLARIFY POSITION
Editor, The Press:
We, the people of the Ellijay Missionary Baptist Church wish
to clarify the wild rumors that are circulating concerning our
services.
We do not use the new Revised Standard Version of the
Bible. There has never been one in our church, except one
taken there Sunday, January 11, by persons no longer mem
bers of this church. No member of our church owns a revised
version of the Bible.
Our pastor, the Rev. F*rank Reid, does not own a Revised
Standard Version of the Bible, nor does he preach from one.
Mr. Reid neither condemns nor justifies the Revised Bible. He
takes the position that the average Christian does, tha^ God is
still capable of taking care of His Ward. If the Revised Stan
dard Version of the Bible is inspired of God, it will stand; and
if it is of man, it soon will be a forgotten book.
Ellijay Missionary Baptist Church,
By Fred Mlncey, Superintendent.
Dan Bishop, Clerk.
Ellijay, N. C.
Others' Opinions
RETIREMENT AGE
(New York Times)
As one sidelight on the old question: What is the proper age
for retirement? We now have the finding of a study conducted
at Columbia University's Teachers College that the younger
industrial worker often looks forward to retiring from his job,
while the older worker generally tries to put It off as long as
possible. Undoubtedly the younger worker, with years of toll
stretched out before him, looks wistfully ahead to the "long
vacation" of retirement, while the older worker, with retirement
near, regretfully sees it as almost the end of the road.
The Prisoner Story
1 (Jowpti C. Hancti hi Chistiw Sd??c? Monitot ) ? ? ?
The record told by prisoners returning from Communist cap
tlvlty through the truce camp at Panmunjom tells an evil story,
but not a story which should come to anyone as a surprise or
unexpectedly. What we are told Is what anyone reasonably In
formed about Asiatic manners and customs and practices In
warfare would have anticipated.
The stories record. In fact, that western peoples have been
engaged In war with Asiatics. They also record that Asiatics
differ In degree, and that their armies do not possess facilities
for the succor of the injured remotely as adequate as facilities
evolved for such humanitarian purpose in western countries.
The record is not yet complete, but already enough has ac
cumulated to permit a reconstruction of the general proportions
of what happened to prisoners during its course.
? * ? i
Allied interrogators noted that up to April 22 no one had
come through Panmunjom who was taken prisoner by the Com
munists up to the time of the battle around the Pusan peri
meter in the summer of 1950. Perhaps there will be some Allied
survivors from that first phase, but this was apparently the
phase of greatest brutality to prisoners. Koreans had had no
practice or tradition of showing mercy or granting quarter to
prisoners. Western forces serving in Korea in that period were
horrified by South Korean treatment of their prisoners. Amer
ican and British officers conducted a long and strenuous cam
paign to teach western standards . to their own South Korean
allies. Only gradually did they succeed in mitigating Korean
custom. The evidence Is conclusive that the North Koreans had
no higher standards in this respect than the South Koreans.
Fortunately, few Allied soldiers were lost as prisoners to
the enemy from then until the retreat from the Yalu in the
late autumn of 1950. Interrogators at Panmumjom have noted
that under the Chinese the treatment of prisoners improved a
little. That is to say, the Chinese are less primitive in their
practices toward prisoners than are the Koreans, although they
are still Asiatic. Also, the reported improvement after Chinese
intervention would be explained partly by the fact that by that
time the Allies held large numbers of Communist prisoners
captured after the Inchon landing.
However, the 1950-51 winter was a bitterly cold one. The
Chinese themselves were not equipped for its rigors. -It is
known that thousands of Chinese troops perished that winter
from insufficient clothing, insufficient food and hospital facil
ities totally incapable of handling their own combination of
battle casualties and victims of plagues which swept North
Korea. Under these conditions western troops captured in the
United Nations retreat from the Yai'i suffered high propor
tional losses when they were marched from the front back to
prison compounds. It is, of course, obvious also that the Chin
ese showed little compassion for the more seriously injured.
Under these circumstances only the "walking wounded" had
any real chance for survival.
? ? ?
Although the front was relatively stabilized by the following
winter (1951-52), conditions were still bad behind the enemy
lines. There were more epidemics (which the Communists at
tributed to Allied "germ warfare" to cover up their own. in
adequate sanitary and hospital services), and again prisoners
marched to th? north were victims of the familiar combination
of primitive Asiatic concepts and of just plain inadequate facil
ities for the effective handling of prisoners.
It is merely another contributing fact in the situation that
the Chinese Communists are not signatories of The Hague con
ventions under which prisoners of war are granted quarters. It
is to be doubted that Koreans ever heard of The Hague con
ventions until recent times, and our own record of teaching
these concepts to South Koreans would indicate that the level
of Asiatic receptivity is not high.
The remarkable thing is that a substantial number of pris
oners survive. Figures are not complete, but American figures
(the most complete available) indicate possible proportions.
Official United States figures list 9,156 United States personnel
in the category of "current missing." The Communists have
used a figure of United States prisoners in their hands higher
by a thousand than the official United States figure of 2,365
"current captured." This would reduce to about 8,000 the true
number of "missing." But the "missing" include losses on bat
tlefields inaccessible to Allied forces. The United States Army
never lists a man as killed unless it obtains positive identifi
cation.
If one assumes, as the Pentagon does, that at least half of
the "current missing," and probably more, were battle casual
ties, then it would follow that the number of American victims
of Asiatic primitiveness would run to about 4,000. This com
pares with an expectable ultimate return of about 3,000 United
States personnel.
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
REMEMBER . ? ?
When the railroad came only
to Prentiss? and later stopped
about two miles from town ?
and people wondered If It ever
would come all the way to
Franklin? and how, when the
last rail finally was laid, people
went up the line to get aboard
and triumphantly ride the first
train ever to come here?
When Franklin had two pas
senger trains dally, one arriv
ing in the early afternoon, the
other In the evening?
And how grandly people rode
from the depot up town In a
hired "conveyance"? and how
lucky they were if they got
from the train to the convey
ance without getting Into knee
deep mud?
(One of my earliest recollec
tions is hearing my elders dis
cuss the probable dire effects,
on Franklin's morals and cul
ture, ojf having a railroad.)
? ? ?
When the Jarrett Hotel (now
the McCoy building) was one
of Franklin's chief hostelrles?
(Ah! how beautiful to a small
boy were the ladles who sat on
that above-the-sldewalk porch
and gaily chatted, with appar
ently never a care or a duty In
the world!)
And when "Uncle Dee" Cun
ninghajn ran another hotel, re
Contlnnnd en Fife Three ?
News Making
As It Looks
To A MaconRe
? Bf BOB now
1
The recent industrial com
mittee set up here In Franklin
can serve two Important func
tion* ? furnish Information to
Industries which are desirous of
locating In this section concern
ing Franklin, and furnish
Franklin Information about the
plants which want to come.
' The survey to raise capital or
pledged capital for a prospec
tive plant here was certainly
very successful and a fine In
dication of the fact that busi
nessmen here are willing to do
their part. At the first sign of
something they could do to
really show their faith in
Franklin, most of them came
out swinging. It should be
pointed out to any of our read
ers who are away from here or
who maybe missed a copy of
The Press that the money be
ing raised by Franklin business
men is to construct a suitable
building for a selected company
and that the building will eith
er be bought ox rented from
them. So that it is not a dona
tion, but rather an investment.
? ? *
There has been some business
growth this Spring which is
also a healthy sign and an In
dication that local people have
faith in Franklin. J. Wiley
Clark and Son have started a
ready-mix concrete plant here.
They mix the concrete In a
specially built truck and br^ng
It right to your door. This
saves the individual having to
buy sand, stone, and cement
which generally doesn't come
out even. Mr. Clark, a builder,
said he got the idea after leav
ing little piles of stone and
sand all over Macon County.
Roy Sanders has built a nice
garage and Installed gas pumps
for a new kind of gas here,
Richlleu gas. Both of these busi
nesses are located in Loganville.
I believe that a bakery will
open here soon. It probably will
be located on Main street.
The value of grassing school
yard grounds was plainly shown,
at Franklin High school this
week-end. Since Friday we have
had some very heavy rains, but
thanks to an excellent seeding
job done by Wayne Proffltt and
Max Parrish there was very lit
,tle wash. A little gully did
start at the lower end. I hope
that the school officials in
charge there will catch this be
fore it grows bigger. Again I
would like to thank Mr. Mc
Swain and Mr. Proffitt for step
ping In and seeing that this
area got its present coat of
grass.
Do You
Remember?
(Looking backward through
the files of The Press)
5* TEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Mr. Robert Porter and wife,
of Russellville, Ala., are in the
city visiting relatives and
friends. They have been at
Andrews during the past week
visiting his father's family.
Mrs. W. E. McDowell and
daughter, Miss May, and Miss
Annie Ashe left last Thursday
on an extended visit to relatives
and friends In Walhalla, S. C.
Mrs. A. E. Stewart, of Wash
ington, D. C., Is visiting her
sister, Mrs. John C. Wright, of
our town.
25 TEARS AGO
Once again the grand Jury
recommends a new Jail, but no
body pays any attention to a
grand jury report.
The light over on Brown
Mountain has been 'explained"
again. Some of these days
somebody will run that thing
to its lair.
Mr. and Mrs. Oliver Hall have
leased the Pirte Tree Inn from
S. A. Munday and will utilize
this building as a boarding
. house.
10 YEARS AGO
Miss Elizabeth Jerry Love, of
the U. 8. Motor Transport, has
been home on furlough.
Mrs. Ben BcColium has ac
cepted a position at St. Joseph's
Hospital In Ashevllle.
Homer Collier, who lives near
the Twin Churches, brought a
rat to town last week measur
ing 17 Inches from nose to tail.
The rat was light brown and
white In color. He said he had
killed 61 like lt>