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VOL. LXVm Number S3
Published every Thur?daj by The Franklin Preaa
At Franklin, North Carolina
Telephone 34
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JUNE 4, 1953
A Remarkable Story
Out of Korea comes this remarkable story :
Robert W. Toth, 21, of Pittsburgh, was honorably dis
charged from the Air Force last December. But the other
day Toth, now a civilian, was arrested by military police.
Aid within fhre days he was back in Korea to face court
martial on a charge of the murder of a Korean!
Flown to Korea with him, to face trial on the same
charge, was A 1C Thomas L. Kinder, of Cleveland, Team.
Bat Kinder is still in service.
According to an alleged confession by Kinder, he and
Toth shot the Korean on orders, direct or indirect, of aa
Air Force officer. No charges have been preferred against
the officer, nor has he bee? arrested, the dispatch from
Korea said.
Toth, remember, is a civilian; he has been out of
service half a year.
But, under a 1951 federal law, he is still subject
to arrest by military police; still subject to trial by
court martial ; still subject to being whisked half
way round the world, to face a murder charge in a
military court, without time to prepare a defense.
Why the great rush? The most plausible expla
nation is that the Air Force wanted to get him out
of the country before the question of the law's con
stitutionality could be raised.
It is bad enough, but probably necessary, to take
men into the service against their will. It is bad
enough, but probably necessary, to give tVe mili
tary almost unlimited authority over them (in ac
tual practice, if not in theory) while they are in
service.
But now the trend is to go a step farther ? to so
fix it that a man, once in the military service, never
again can get completely out from under its
shadow.
That trend, plus such high-handed actions as
this, raise the question of whether American free
doms are in greater danger from Russian Commun
ists or from our own military.
Pertinent Question
Thanks to the so-callfed secrecy law enacted by
the 1953 General Assembly, North Carolina is the
first and only state with specific authority, writ
ten into statutory law, for secret sessions of legis
lative committees.
The law was enacted at the behest of the appro
priations committees; and it was those committees,
after a hearing, that refused to recommend repeal
of the secrecy act.
Heading, and encouraging, the senate committee
was Senator John D. Latfkins, Jr., of Jones County.
Now Senator Larkins is being boosted for ap
pointment as state treasurer, to succeed Brandon
Hodges, resigned.
Would that mean secrecy about the public's
money in the treasurer's office, too?
In view of the record,' the question seems perti
nent.
The Reason Why
It has been explained several times, but people
still ask
"Why is a subscription to The Franklin Press
more outside the county than inside?"
The reason is that it costs more to deliver papers
outside the county. And one of the several ways in
which it costs more is the item of postage.
The Post Office Department makes no charge
for handling papers delivered within the county of
publication. But the moment a paper goes outside*
the county, the newspaper must pay postage on it.
And the rate of postage charged for handling
newspapers is being almost doubled ; it is being in
creased 30 per cent a year for three years.
? Letters
NEWS FROM 'PEACEFUL VALLEY'
Dear Mr. Jones:
111 have to take back all I said about us here in Patton
Valley last winter, I guess; because no place could be any more
peaceful than this valley is at present. All feuds seem to be
settled and everybody grinning again.
I noticed some time ago you handed a bouquet to a man in
your "Strictly Personal". I like that because I still say, "Give
the flowers while people are alive and can know."
Everybody is working real hard on our community project.
Especially the directors, namely Messrs. General Jones, Harley
Stewart, and Jim Emory. They have been faithful. In fact all
the folks seem to be more interested than I've ever seen them
in my long stay here. We're hoping for better things in every
way in the future.
Recently Mr. General Jones had a birthday dinner for his
mother, who was 86. I was invited and will say I've never
been to a nicer dinner where you were really welocmed. We
are so proud to have people like the General Jones family to
settle in our community. I didn't count the folks attending,
but I'd guess it to be 20Q, mostly relatives from other counties
and states.
It is good to see children so kind and good to their mother
as all could see they are in that happy family.
(MRS.) LEONA D. EMORY.
Others' Opinions
HONEYSUCKLE
(Chapel Hill Weekly)
Amid all the stir In the world ? wars, airplane crashes, ship
wrecks, murders and robberies, floods and earthquakes, alter
cations in the seats of government ? there is this to rejoice
about in Chapel Hill: the fragrance of the honeysuckle.
THE DIFFERENCE
(Ashland, Ky., Independent)
The optimist sees the budding trees as one of the beauties
of nature. The pessimist sees the same buds and worries about
the leaves he will have to rake up next fall.
KEEP 'ER COOL
(Jacksonville Daily News and Views)
When he was speaking to the Kiwanis Club, Lt. Tom Brown
told of the time that Cpl. Ernest Guthrie, now in charge of
the patrol unit here ,was stationed down in Currituck.
He saw one day a car going across the sound bridge, and it
was weaving from one side to the other. He followed it on
across the bridge and then stopped it.
When he went up to the driver, Cpl. Guthrie asked, "Are
you drinking? You're driving from one side of the road to the
other."
"Nope," replied the sounder, "I was just keeping her headed
into the wind to cool her off."
WAR AND WEALTH
(Chester, Penna., Times)
Most sincere Americans are awakening to the fact that they
have been cultivating a Jekyll and Hyde morality since the
first evidences of World War II were apparent.
And we are shocked at our moral duplicity. For as peace
becomes a near possibility, we have found ourselves predicting
and expecting a depression, born of cut-backs in Government
spending for defense.
It is a stern indictment, and perhaps unfair, but actually we
give signs of being a people who fear peace because it will cut
down high earnings and flush, false prosperity.
We may be acting in this realistic (but far from idealistic)
frame of mind, but deep down, we do not wish such a condi
tion, and the many editorials on this point, and the letters
from readers refuting it, indicate a sense of realization and
guilt that we have waxed fat on strife.
It was to this purpose that Secretary of Treasury Humph
rey flatly declared recently that "We are not headed for a de
pression." Certainly the huge expenditures that have been
spent on armament and defense could be put to a much great
er use If spent to heal the world's economic and social wounds
and aged ailments.
Eisenhower approached the greatness of the best occupants
of the White House when he promised to turn American's de
fense production and potential into a peace offering to all the
world.
Those few who fear "peace" because of a possible depress
ion may take unenviable comfort in the fact that we will spend
just as heavily for peace as for war. For the great majority,
we can appreciate that this nation is ready to assume a world
wide obligation that is unprecedented In human history.
All of us were taught by our parents to tell the
truth. We were told that truth-telling is an un
mixed virtue.
THEN
NOW ? ? GRASS * LEGUMES
\ ^
| NATURE SHOWED US THE WAY/
TAKEN FOR GRANTED
(Heron Lake, Minn., News)
Once let the heavy hand of censorship blight the freedom
of American newspapers and the general public will begin to
appreciate what the editors mean when they refer to the free
dom of the press.
Of course, newspapers make mistakes. No product of human
beings is perfect. When one considers the immense amount of
detail work connected with the publication of a newspaper, the
wonder Is that the mistakes are so few. That this is true is
easily observed In the general acceptance by the public of
whatever is published in the local newspaper as correct.
NOT REALLY!
(The State Magazine)
A man now in New Jersey, who married a woman from North
Carolina and so fell into the habit of reading this little maga
zine, is puzzled and, we gather, a little hurt. He writes: "In
my opinion, no other state Excels North Carolina; yet, during
the years I worked in and out of North Carolina I noticed
that I was classified as a 'foreigner." In the North we classify
a foreigner as a person who comes from another country, and
not one from another state. I guess the use of the word is
misunderstood."
It is not always this easy to clear up such a matter. We
hasten to assure the gentleman that the application of this
word to him probably was not deprecating. For a long time,
many North Carolina communities were so close-knit, and so
infrequently visited, that anyone beyond the scope of the area
was called a "foreigner." The term was applied in the Smokies,
for instance, to a man from nearby Asheville.
We never heard the word used in the Piedmont section, be
cause strangers were not rare enough to be conspicious.
The word now is often' used in a jocular sense by people
quite conscious of its misapplication.
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
For what they are worth,
here are my strictly personal
suggestions to the 141 young
men and women who were
graduated from Macop's three
high schools last week:
First of all, don't get that
word "graduation" wrong. Too
often it's used in the sense of
a finishing, A more accurate
definition would be "a begin
ning". Or take it in its literal
sense: Graduate to something a
little higher.
The point is you have not
finished your education; you
really have hardly begun it. Be
cause, at most, what you have
acquired is a few tools with
which, If you will, you can be
come somewhat educated. No
body, of course, ever is com
pletely educated; and the only
persons who become even rea
sonably well educated are those
who educate themselves ? in
school, and then, day by day,
?down through the years, after
they leave school.
All that, no doubt, sounds a
bit corny. But it has a recom
mendation that over-balances
the corn: It is true.
? ? ?
You've been told, directly or
by implication, a lot of things
that are NOT true.
You've been given the impres
sion, for example, that the
world is in an awful mess; such
a mess that there really Is not
much hope or reason to try.
Bologney! The world almost al
ways has been In a mess. And,
In spite of the messes, the gen
eral trend, from the beginning
of recorded history, has been
upward. Furthermore, the
messes usually proved to be
growing pains!
You've been told, too, no
doubt, that there are no op
portunities today. More bologn
ey! The people who say that
are thinking about the fact
that most of the geographical
frontiers are gone. But we have
only begun to push back the
really important frontiers ? the
frontiers of knowledge. And if
you think that doesn't mean
anything, just consider the
automobile. It had nothing
whatever to do with geograph
ical frontiers; in fact, it was
developed after most of the
geographical frontiers were
things of the past. But con
sider the vocational opportun
ities it has created.
Finally, you've been told that
there are no opportunities in
Macon County. . Still more bo
logney! The man who says that
doesn't deserve to be even lis
tened to. Because he has over
looked two important facts:
First, that opportunity no long
er is a geographical matter;
and, second, that, while there
may be more openings in a par
ticular field In one place than
In another, real opportunity,
whatever your field and what
ever your location, lies within
you.
The point was dramatically
illustrated, right here In North
Carolina, only the other day.
A few years ago a young man
left a good Job with the Colon
ial Press, in Chapel Hill, to be
come owner and editor of The
Tribune, a weekly newspaper in
Tabor City. (That's a town you
probably never even heard ofl)
His friends remonstrated with
him for "burying" himself in a
dead little town, where nothing
would ever happen, and pre
Con tinned on rare Threo ?
News
At h Looks
To A Maconite
I wu glad to see that a
Franklin citizen recently gain
ed recognition for hard and
non-rewarding work when e J.
Whltmlre was named to con
tinue on the board of trustees
for Western Carolina Teachers
college. In the last four years
Cullowhee, as the college Is
more familiarly known, has
made considerable progress. A
large building program Is under
way, Dr. Paul Reid, one of
North Carolina's coming men In
the field of education, has been
named president, and this
mountain college, long the step
child of the legislature, has
been obtaining better share of
the money spent for education
by the state colleges. As chair
man of the board, Mr. Whit
mire played a large part in
bringing these and many other
accomplishments, such as high
er standards for the faculty,
about. I said that the work was
unrewarding. Perhaps Mr. Whlt
mlre is finding the same re
ward here that he found as
Agriculture teacher when he
made the local department one
of the best In the state. This is
one appointment that Gov.
Umstead did well on.
I think that I will just make ,
this a sort of congratulatory
column this week. Congratula
tions to President Elsenhower
for standing up to the man who
is running the government ?
Robert Taft. It is all right to
work for harmony as long as
you don't have to sacrifice any
principals. I am glad to see that
when the president came to this
crossroad In regard to our for
eign policy he stuck with his
beliefs that we can not follow
the isolationist path. However,
before the battle Is over it will
take more than Just a state
ment to beat Mr. Taft. Lay
with it, "Ike".
? ? ?
Congratulations to the mer
chants of Franklin for being
willing to raise money so that
a thousand dollars in prise
money is available of the prize
winners in the local community
development contest. It shows
a lot of faith in the movement. <
However, I think, the faith ft
well founded. In fact, money
put up for prizes in this con
test is one of the best invest
ments ever made by local mer
chants. I don't believe that any
Continued Ob Page Three ?
i i
Do You
Remember?
(Looking backward through
the files of The Press)
56 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Several families that went
from here to Union, 8. C., a
few weeks ago, to work In fac
tories, have returned. They
complain of too much work, too
hot weather and bad water, and
too small wages.
Rev. E. Myers, of Webster,
came over Monday to remain
with relatives here till the lat
ter part of the week.
The Clayton Tribune of May
28th reachetj us yesterday. Just
five days old. We hope when
the railroad comes it will get
here before it grows whiskers,
and not look so tired.
25 YEARS" AGO
The atmosphere of old Rus
sia was in evidence at Asheville
last Tuesday night at the muni
cipal auditorium when the
Franklin people put on the Rus
sian episode of the giant Rho
dodendron Pageant at 8:30
o'clock.
The election here last Satur
day did not create nearly as
funeral.
All Indications point to the
fact that Franklin la getting up
in the world. Yes, Indeed! Last
week the cadies on the local
golf course went on strike for
higher wages.
10 YEARS AGO
Oscar Dills has been appoint
ed to the Franklin force as
night policeman, succeeding N.
W. Officer, who left several
weeks ago to work for Qeorgia
Power and Light Company at
Macon, Oa.
Dr. Oeorge Oallup, of Prlns
ton University, of Oallup Poll
fame, was a guest at King's
Inn in Highlands this week.
Mrs. Elolse O. Franks, county
superintendent of welfare, will
attend the regional meeting of
the American Public Welfare
Association In Ashevllle an Fri
day and Saturday.