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LlVDl Number
Published every Thuraday by The Ftanklln
At Franklin, North CamMna
Telephone M
WIDUR JOMB Bdttor
BOB & SLOAN B?lilim Manager
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"?** tke poau] reqtirSwV" ootlCM k
JULY 9, 1953
Encouraging News
The most encouraging news in years is that that
has been coming out of East Europe.
When men stand up and fight tanks with sticks
and stones and their bare hands, it is a sure sign
that the love of liberty still burns.
There is encouragement, too, in the news out of
Korea. While Singman Rhee's daring release of
non-Communist prisoners of war and his stubborn
insistence on a free and united Korea make dif
ficult the task of our State Department, it is ex
actly the type of thing most Americans would be
likely to do ? a sure sign that the American doctrine
of freedom is winning, even in the Fax East, over
the Communist doctrine of slavery.
And there is even greater cause for encourage
ment in the reaction of the Kremlin to the rebel
lions and riots in Eastern Europe. Its answer to
revolt appears to be appeasement, and yet more
appeasement, of the rebels.
The strong do not appease.
Revelation of this attitude of the Kremlin has
given our government as clear a picture of what
. is going on in Russia as would the sudden drawing
of a curtain from over a window.
The question now is, how will our government
and the United Nations react to the new situation?
Will we boldly encourage and aid the rebels, at
this psychological moment in history, or will we
take the timid course of wait-and-see ? meanwhile
debating in Congress whether to withdraw all mil
itary aid?
...EastUt Macon uounty
Our hat is off to three young Macon County
men. Members of the Future Farmers of America,
they have gone so far in the present as to make the
"future" part of the organization's name almost
superfluous.
Jerry Sutton has been named one of five "star
farmers" in the state ; one of five "star dairy farm
ers" in the state; and the recipient of the "Caro
lina farmer" degree.
And Paul Killian and James (Pete) Setser also
have been given the "Carolina farmer" degree, high
F. F. A. honor. ,
The way recognition is coming to this county,
the people down the state are going to have to
wake up and realize that Macon County is some
thing more important than just "some place west
of Asheville". In fact, if these youngsters, and
others like them, keep up the ,pgce of the past few
years, one of these days we'll reverse the phrase
and have the down easterners locating Asheville
as "some place east of Macon County"!
Worth-While Project
A North Carolina motorist who recently crossed
the continent was impressed, almost as soon as he
crossed the state line into Tennessee, by the number
of roadside picnic tables. In state after state, he
noted them every few miles. In the Southwest,
where it is miles between trees, wherever he saw a
tree he saw, under it, a picnic table.
Then, on the return trip, he was a little shocked
to have them almost disappear ? as soon as he en
tered North Carolina.
For an area, and a state, that invites tourists ?
and reaps a golden harvest of dollars from tour
ists ? that looks like missing a bet.
The Forest Service has done an excellent job, in
this section, in providing picnic and recreation
areas, but that agency cannot be expected to carry
the whole load ; obviously,, it cannot provide picnic
tables outside the forests.
This, it seems to us, would be an excellent State
Highway Department project. We commend its
earnest consideration to the commission, and speci
fically to this division's commissioner, Mr. Harry
E. Buchanan.
A Community Loss
This newspaper is but voicing the feeling of al
most every person in Franklin and Macon County
when it expresses regret at the departure of the
fine folk who are leaving Franklin as a result of the
merger of the Nantahala National Forest head
quarters with the Pisgah's office at Asheville. The
Forest Service officials and employes and their
families, through the years, have enriched the cul
tural and civic life of this community. They will be
sorely missed. As we bid them good-bye and good
luck, we hope they will return, soon and often, for
visits: and that many of them, when the time comes
for them to retire, will come back to Macon County
to live.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to George B. Patton on his re
appointment by Governor Umstead as a special
superior court judge.
Congratulations, too, to the Governor on his
good judgment in picking Mr. Patton as one of
the two (out of eight) special judges for reappoint
ment.
As Governor Umstead so well said, Judge Patton
"has a fine record and is recognized as one of the
best judges on the bench".
For years we've been upbraiding the Russians for
holding on to prisoners of war too long ; now we're
upbraiding the Koreans for freeing their prisoners
too soon.
It takes the French 37 days to get a premier ?
and usually about 37 minutes to get rid of one.
Now if you and I co^d just apply that formula to
debts. . . .
Editor
EDITH DEADERICK ERSKENE
Weavervllle, North Carolina
SEVEN YEAR OLD
Small fry, I walk along with you,
And tell you things that you should do.
How many times do I repeat,
"Hang up your hat, don't shout, be neat.
Be just and kind, be fair and clean,
Hold truth and honor in esteem."
And then once more I must implore
"Please do not sock that boy next door."
It really is astonishing
You stand for such admonishing.
I know quite well that it is true
You've taught me more than I've taught you.
Poetry
MARIE HALBERT KING
Th# Trovtkn SoMy Strvrn
Thra* out of four occidontt in 1952 happ*n?d in
doar woctsiei on dry roodi. Only YOU con prevent
traffic accidents!
Others' Opinions
DEFINITION OF A GOOD LAW
(Ellaville, Ga., Sun)
A good law is one that keepe the other fellow from doing
something you either don't do or cant.
TREAT, DONT KILL
(Elgin, HI., Courier-News)
Overseas propaganda authorities in the United States have
decided to discontinue the Voice of America programs beamed
at 18 Latin-American countries. The move is being made for
economy purposes and it is estimated that approximately
$250,000 will be saved. ...
There has been -sharp criticism of the Voice of America in
recent months. It may very well be that improvements and
not abandonment of the Voice might be the answer. Our en
emies in Latin -America have unleashed propaganda poison
against us. Is it economical to refuse to buy an antidote
against poison?
MAKING NEWSPAPERS 'SAFE'
(Stone County, Ark., Leader)
We treat each copy of the Leader with Pentachlerbentex
aphyllizeriamin (a newly discovered beneficial, gerjrn-killing
substance) which virtually guarantees that it will not spread
any germs, and is therefore safe for family readership. How
ever, when it passes to more than one family, we cannot guar
antee that it will not carry virus with it.
So when anyone asks to borrow your copy, kindly tell him
that you are merely refusing for his own good, in the inter
ests of preventing the spread of any epidemics. Tell him he
can subscribe and get his own copy, which will carry no danger
with it. The proper thing to do is to let every member of your
family read the paper at once, and then hide or burn it, after
clipping desired items.
IPhat Is The Uoice Saving?
(EDITOR'S NOTE: What do
the people behind the Iran
Curtain hear when they get
the Voice of America broad
casts The Voice, and its
Wit, hare been the subject
of long and bitter Congres
sional debate, but ten Amer
icans tune in on the pro
grams, and so know little
what they contain. The ex
cerpts below (selected by the
Shelby Cleveland Times) gtre
an idea.)
Communist China contain
between 80,000 and 100,000 Rus
sian army officers and advisers
The Russian advisers are al
over China ordering the Chin
ese to build a railway here In
stead of there; a road ther
instead of here; to train a hun
dred propagandists this weel
instead of next month.
One of these Russian advls
ers once asked a Chinese Com
munist how long he had beet
a member of the Communis
Party. The Chinese replied tha
he had been a party membe
for many years.
The Russian asked if hi
father had been a member
And the Chinese replied, "Oh
yes, commissar. And my grand
father and great grandfather
The Russian interrupted, "Hej
wait a minute; there wasn'
any Communist Party that lon|
ago." But the Chinese answer
ed, "What difference? My grea
grandfather faced the same
two conditions ? war and hung
er."
No, all the 80,000 Russian ad
visers have not Improved con
ditions in Communist China.
But, while Communist China
has been invaded by eighty
thousand Russians, including
many Russian soldiers and of
ficers, most of the rest of Asia
has been getting rid of foreign
troops. The withdrawal of for
eign soldiers was an Asian ob
jective for many years. In most
J non -Communist countries of
' Asia, the objective has been
? realized.
i The Communist Way
The Communist regime of
; Czechoslovakia has worked out
; a strange new way of solving
t the food shortage now plaguing
that country. The scheme Is
simply to deprive the people of
? their money. With less money,
- they can't buy as much food
i So there Isn't as much drain on
1 the food markets. Supply and
t demand get closer in balance.
r The Communists call It "cur
rency reform." But whatever It
b is called, one thing about It Is
'? all too apparent ? the Czecho
i. slovaklan people will now have
? even less to eat.
The new currency measures
were made public May 30, when
t the regime announced that
S there would be a drastic revalu
- atlon of the crown. The new
t rate will range from 5 to 50 old
crowns for 1 new crown. The 5
to 1 rate applies to pensioners;
the 50 to 1 rate applies to
money the people have on
hand.
In addition, all state loans
and securities issued since 1945
are now declared worthless.
This sort of Communist fi
nancial manipulation is not en
tirely new Similar measures
were instituted under the name
of "monetary reforms" in the
Soviet Union in 1947, and fol
lowed by other "reforms" in
Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland.
But never has this open robbery
been carried out to the degree
now taking place in Czechoslo
vakia.
As commonly happens when
the Communists go in for
schemes of this sort, the farm
people are the hardest hit.
Farmers always tend to keep
their money in their own pos
session. This is particularly true
in Czechoslovakia, where the
fanners have no confidence at
all in the regime. Now these
farmers find that the crowns
they have on hand are worth
just one-fifteenth of what they
were two weeks ago.
Battle of the Borden
Since 1948, over 100,000 peo
ple have crashed through the
Iron Curtain that shuts off the
six Communist countries of
Eastern Europe ? Poland, Czecho
slovakia, Hungary, Romania,
Bulgaria, and Albania ? from the
rest of the world. Hundreds
more every month are crash
ing through right now.
But, unfortunately, that is
not all of the story For many
more try and fail. Their fate
can only be guessed at. They
are the fallen in the battle of
the borders.
What kind of grim, primitive
battle is this ? in this modern
mid-20th cenury? Let us look
in on it.
First, the battlefield. It is a
2,500-mile-long narrow, twist
ing no-man's-land rimming all
Eastern Europe. It is barren ?
barren of trees, bushes, and
even tree stumps that have
been rooted us so as to pre
vent undetected crossings. It is
criss-crossed by barbed wire . . .
dotted with land mines, signal
rockets, and searchlights. Arm
ed men and dogs patrol It.
Riflemen with field glasses and
telescopic gunslghts scan It
form observation towers.
MaatcryiecM of Evil
Some of its booby-traps are
masterpieces of evil genius.
Dummy border markers, guard
posts, and wire entanglements
have been placed several kilo
meters within the Czechoslovak
borders to delude escapers into
believing they have reached
freedom. Some discover only too
late that they are still behind
the Iron Curtain. . . .
Newt Making
As ft Looks
To A Maconite
? % BOB SLOAN
Dwlght D. Elsenhower was
elected President of the United
State* by a large majority of
those voting. There Is no ques
tion that at the time of his
election he represented over
whelmingly the choice of the
people of this country.
Many people who cast their
ballot for this popular military
hero have said that they did
so because that they felt that
here was a man who would give
them Strong Forthright Lead
ership. Instead doesn't the new
president seem to be running
the government by pursuing a
policy of "Follow the Leader?"
He seems to be trying to cater
to the various crys of the peo
ple .rather than offer them a
well thought out plan and stick
ing to It. The president will
have trouble if he continues to
follow rather than lead. There
are too many groups with dif
ferent pleas and the public as
a group changes too quickly.
To analyze Mr. Eisenhower's
lack of leadership let's look at
his views on the farm problems
and their relation to seeming
public sentiment.
To begin with the farmer has
shown a change. Last fall when
the farmer was questioned by
correspondents of "Country
Gentleman" magazine there was
considerable opposition to any
type of price support and 56%
of the farmers said they favor
ed a flexible pMce support
which could be varied in ac
cordance with market condi
tions and the forces of supply
and demand. The arguments
they advanced then were: 1.
Fixed price supports would lead
to surpluses, which In turn
would bring on price ceilings,
acreage allotments and other
controls. They said then they
did not want controls. 2. Farm
ers could share the burden and
responsibility of overproduction.
This they would do under the
flexible plan since parity would
be lowered when the supply in
creased. Proponents of fixed
parity said that they wanted to
know what the score was be
fore they planted. In short they
wanted protection against spec
ulative planting and supply and
demand failures in which the
farmer tak?s t.he first rap.
Since last fall the man who
Continued on Page Three ?
Do You
Remember?
(Looking backward through
the flies of The Press)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEKJ
The Bank of Franklin open
ed on the 1st Inst, and the
business transacted since that
time has been fairly good and
gives promise that the institu
tion will be a popular one.
Miss Blanche Clark left Mon
day morning for her home in
Tennessee. She came here last
October and has spent the time
since with her sister, Mrs. M.
D. Billings.
Don't miss "Trip Around the
World" Thursday evening July
9, 1903. Wagons will leave Ma
sonic Hall every 25 minutes and
will visit Milwaukee, Wis., where
you will be served with fruit
punch; thence to Tokyo, Japan,
where you will be served with
tea and wafers by Japanese
girls as waitresses; thence to
New York City for chicken
salad and crackers. All for 25
cents each. Thence to the li
brary building where you can
buy all the ice cream, lemon
ade, and cake you want.
25 YEARS AGO
July 23 will see the opening of
a branch of the Athens Busi
ness College in the Masonic Hall
at Franklin.
According to an announce
ment made here the Western
Carolina Telephone Company,
with headquarters at Franklin,
has successfully negotiated for
the purchase of the Highlands
Telephone Company.
The many friends of Mr.
"Slim" Hollifield, of Sylva, were
glad to see him again. He was
with the State Highway here a
few years.
1* YEARS AGO
At the regular meeting of the
Board of Aldermen last Mon
day night it was voted to re
duce the tax rate of Franklin
from 90 cents to 70 cents per
$100 tax valuation.
Mr. and Mrs. H. H. Hlrsch
have sold the Franklin Terrace
Hotel, which they have owned
and operated for five years, to
Edgar E. Watkins, of Albany,
Ga., Mr. Hlrsch announced last
... './II