North Carolina Newspapers

Otr jtfnutldnt ^rrss aiti? ? ? - * .? JA vlltr T-*inlti;p - its jlirtrmtirtu Entered at Po<r Office. Franklin. Jf C., as second class matter Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press Franklin. N C. Telephone 24 IAR JONES . . Edltoi BOB Sr SLOAN .... Business Manner J.P BR'OY ... News Mttflf ?OSS BETTY LOU TOUTS . ........ Ottice ManaRei OA FT P ' A3F .1 . . Mechanical Superintendent FRANK A. STARRETTE . Shop Superintendent OA VIP H SUTTON Stereotypy CHARLES E WHITT I NGTON Pressman SUBSCRIPTION RATES Outside Macon Coitnty Inside Macon Countt One Year $3.00 One Year $2.50 Six Months 1.73 I Six Month? 1.75 Three Months 1 00 Three Months 1.00 I MARCH 4, 1954 Farfetched Elsewhere on this page appear opposing edit orial views <m the situation ihat developed in Bun combe superior court last week when The Ashe ville Citizen, reporting a rape trial, published a witness's answer to a question, after the judge had ruled the question might not he answered in the jury's presence, and had excused the jurors. Judge R. Lee W'hitinire, presiding, declared a' mistrial. He said members of the jury may have read the answer in the newspaper. In other words, said the judge, when the newspaper published the answer of the witi.e-is.' the effect was the same as if the judge had pe.-init ted the question to be an swered in ih ? jr. ? . ' presence. Judge Whitmire then proceede<J i) ca-'.i;. ate newspapers and to de fend the 1V53 iegislnt \ secrecy law. Since the case w a . apital one. and since it al read-, had had to !? ' VI tv.-'ce,- the layman might cor-'l r i pev : .1 ' ask ;'ic ?|ti'.-:!'ion : Why did not tl* nidge the' in :x U I ' up at night, inn 1( * ?- 1 ; i ? ; i he issue unite sunpV:, 1 lie 'ge ? :.>?! -bar lie en. ' - ai.- 1 ' ' re c<," t 1 b ' ; mi' ???<: pr< ' abb v ? re ? wive4 or re'-. ? i'r'-'i; or a. a !!<???? < ... the jurors ii hi sv ? m'td have sec ip . the ? .v when the jurors v\\eni to iheir ho1 night. The could have, human nature being what it is. and qifite pr^bablv did. tell some of the jurors how the witness answered- the ques tioii. In short, the situation could have been, and quote prohabh was. ex'actl. the same as if the newspaper had not published the witness's answer. To sav that public business, done in public, may be heard and discussed and reported bv word of month by individuals, but that a newspaper must remain silent, will impress most reasonable peo c as farfetched, to say the least. Freedom Is Risky This busines-. of "contending for freedom" i,s a verv confusing one. That is pointed out in an interesting letter from J. \. Vinson, of Rabun (iap, (Ja. It is confusing. Mr. Vinson remarks, because, freedom "can lie so \ ri< d rts !(.i lose all protection -of ri.yht and de ce He cites several examples: . there - no i'reedoni "in a cot it ?? ' ? a 1 tn ( : 1 1 1 * i ; take and sell li(|iior to (? a ' ?- . until v the argument that a mat ' i ? ? >??? ; i/ and' strike and hold m - <>? ?" the 5ob : t the point of a .yipi" : the thru rear lYfedoni is in I'u.-sia ho CJi", 1 1- ? ? ihv ? rio restraint c.n r.i\ impulses" Then M v ??>;'!: "T'lia ve been vvondcr'M^f \vh ? wS i ?' in I'''- McCarthy and a v.r<mp liki th !' . ? are continually either. .Irving to > ! o p tl ? ? - or force t hem contrary to their . TJie <|tt( it a raises, it seems to us, are: Where e o draw the line between free dom ami ,'ii m 1 bow are we to restrain the freedom. of a n . i (rt- represent Pd by the '.ov ert incut ) 'from bc'iminy r.ranm. over a minority? Those are old questions. Ami they are. not easy questions. They, have been troubling men's minds for cen turies. ? Probably the best way at least to approach an answer, in today's confusing world, is to ask our selves: What is it we want? If what we want is a government that, first of all, is efficient, a society that, first of all, always is well ordered and consistent in the direction it takes, and individual lives that, first of all, are un ... . l' confused ? if these are what we want, then our an cestors had the right answer. Before the Reformation, the Roman Catholic church decided virtually every question for the in dividual. and most major ones for society; iu the aye of absolute, monarchy, the king made the de cisions: in the time of Hitler and Mussolini, it was the state thai decided ; ui,id today, in Russia and her satellites, it still is the state. 1 Generally speaking, things are more efficiently handled and life is better ordered under a dictator ship; there is far lessi confusion when there is no need for people, either individually or as a group, to debate decisions ? when the decisions are made for them; and life under such an order is far easier and simpler for the average man ? for he can enjoy freedom from responsibility. But this single freedom, from responsibility, fails to satisfy something within man's spirit. He hung ers for the freedom to decide for himself, he insists upon being the captain of his own souL I This determination to be our own masters car ries with it great dangers ? great dangers and rare ly any material benefits. The benefits are the in tangible ones of the spirit. Thus our democratic freedom is basicallyi spiritual ; that is to say, it is basically religious. As a rule, we must pay for everything we get, and usually .the price is in proportion to the value of the thing bought. Because freedom is precious, the price -often is high. And whether it be the free dom to govern "ourselves in a democratic society or the rt'ligous concept ?' the free will of the individ ual. .< pari of the pri<'e .:1\vays i* thy risk we must lake, that we mav n a' e i intakes. \y? ai i 'u' it l !?)?.' I A ? n ?iVlV"!' >'!1 ' !l, !??: i'A , / ' ' ?' !>"< '? ; tic '!'!? ?? ?. ' i 1 ' , 1, . ... I ^ , 1 ! >!H S . 1 i'Miiy itrto ' '? i . ii and -i ! . Ji ii1" !:???:> .\I.-Canhy. your I;'/ >i ivs f-r ?? ?jo. aif! !?'< i i a rlli ; ! rrintfincr mi fiw>' ?; ? 1 " ? i ] " / 1 ' i - ? cyr ' ? ?>-? <; 1,. V ips f'lirs ? sr.- 1-o lb ? "N'o matter ?'vlv U".is.iar ir 'i V" v.-?n ? ?m] i !v noin?- \"f?u ':????? :n ' N. A. A. W. P. Whether Mr. Bryant W. Howies has a sense of humor we cannot say. But whether he has his tongue in his cheek or not, Mr. Bowles undoubted ly has provided a lot of chuckles for others, all over the countrv. Mr. Bowles. '.Vyear old ck Marine, the o'lu ' dav opeped headquarters in Washington. I >. C.. for the Association for the Advancement of WHIT I'" peo 1 > 1 e! This d< velopr.'ent k -a 05; tin- <1 or'-.' o'l -ih ? v ro college presiden. \ ho s!w?rt of in mcJ ? r ?When another Xegro I'or <u*:- ? -I ? ? ?' plov some U'hi i 1 '? ?' ; M h ? th-hiY 1 that would Iv '-1 . . ? \", 'he1*. 'Upon 'h!> ? ? i - ??1 demanded : "Are ?? ?; ;? vn't ' -ttiii pr' "'.tfl'ce ? i' ? : ? ? 1 1 -? a si rair ?? 1 ?; n iv " 1 1 he ' m to . \ v it, h'O ??nia" an ' ill Ik- 11 ;ide tha : ? ? ? ?? -i .? <1 . ?; : ???? : ???"?; 1 - of " hil e p.Mple l1" ; ' ?? : 'a i 1!;.!, in mam areas. I , idaA . in i ? 1 ' 1 \ ? . ? ? ? "id ' > * 5 i ' ! ' : 1 rrco'/m ion n?r ach .* > ? . l>? ?lucr nai ioti no loir er 's a/ain-.i 1 ? ' ?? ' ?? a. in hi favor. ! - does nit r ???? !?;. ? '.he 'w :'<> lias i>< ?( i '.'ii the vH'liiu <?! h'ii" ?ticc; or that tile iiiiustiee should 'no have luvn ; mo-- .1. Ii *1< >( suv-; e-! that, sooner or later, everv pressure yroitp no matter how ' inst i i - canse, lieeories a selli-h p roYip; ;i roup that is ?>? inter, sted in its n obi';'i\ , it completely h> Hv.ht ? > I the ;,lood of the led ion as a whole. \, In our ooinion. every pressure irrottp isv had. And if the pfv-ent trend continues, the miiiorit' pre* sure "roup Negroes, labor, capital, etc. ? ?- will ??rah the count rv and the m>\ eminent. ? 'V, Tlie r"iuedy. it seems to us, is to recognize (ires sure groups tor what they a re ? enemies of the American way of conducting the government Afor the 'neatest good' to the greatest numher. \ Because I place my trust in reason ,1 place it in the indi vidual. There is a madness in crowds from which the wisest, caught up in their ranks, are not immune. Stupidity and cruel ty are the attributes of the mob. not wisdom and compassion. ?Bernard M. Baruch. OPPOSING VIEWS Courts And Newspapers Wrong Premise (Raleigh News and Observer) Judge R. Lee Whitmire pick ed an odd platform and a strange setting for a defense of the secrecy law he helped pass in the 1953 General Assembly. It is apparent that he mistak enly assigned a newspaper to the role of recording secretary for a jury. The judge spoke up for sec recy after the Asheville news paper reported the answer of a witness, given after the jury had been excused, in a rape trial. In Judge Whltmire's view, publication of the answer had the same effect as an answer in the presence of the jury. Maybe so. But the fact that the jurors ih a capital case had access to newspapers was because the judge permitted such access in his discretion. The jurors were not locked up, as is the usual custom in such a case, but were permitted to go home each night with instructions from Judge Whitmire that if they read about the case in the newspapers they were to disre gard what they read. The basic question here, how ever, is not whether Judge Whitmire exercised his discre tionary powers wisely. The real question concerns the obliga tions of a newspaper in report ing a news event. When the Asheville witness testified out side earshot o; the jury but within earshot of a courtroom fu!i oi spectators, what h? said became public property. No question of ethics, and most emphatically no question of se< . . was involved. Judi-re VThitm.re, a veteran' it : ney ' bcior? he was r .:nV r, to .ac tench, i- ware that nn?s . ? ' . iv .'ir d .? ? ( ?? :: ill ' - ' ;>: ,!Vl t l a. Scrre '? t i . ; Hi a Witne s ,-le: . <?'. nitids n open court. 'IT. a A<: 1 ?:)?;. news ,iat h< >apors have . . : an1 i"port(d ti.e ?s ,/? i f Wnil mire e.ciom ihc pre:~s car.rif 't rrsp u. ity. In this i at. resj. . sibility was ? uliii The Press And The Law (Greensboro Daily News) Superior Court Judge R. Lee Whitmire declared a mistrial in a case at Asheville (he other day and delivered a lecture to the press at the same time. The case was one in which a man was indicted for rape. The defendant's lawyer asl?ed the doctor who examined the prosecuting witness whether in his opinion force was used against the woman. The State objected to his answering. The judge upheld the objection and then, in order to get the reply in the record in case of appeal, allowe'd the doctor to answer it in the absence of the jury. The doctor answered that in his opinion no force was used. The reporter who covered the trial included this answer in his story and it was published in the Asheville Citizen. The jury was not kept to gether night and day; they could go home and read news papers, and they presumably did. Thus the jurors could "have been influenced by the evidence which was ruled inadmissible but which nevertheless appear ed in the morning paper. The judge declared a mistrial and ordered a new trial (there had been one mistrial before because of a judge's sickness, and the North Carolina Su preme Court had sent the case hi.i-fc on another occasion for errors^. We think Judge Whitmire was right in deelarirjs a rais ? u 1 and criticizing the press, 'in ? nn.vv ?? which he ri'rd out went to the heart ol tin* ca^e. Opinion evidence io a s a rule i'ot n'lowfibia in court; the law U.t. -fed in ?? 1 Ti ere are . M .. I ,, . : . ? I -8S / h.. u ;vi i-re hvj, ' . . i-.it - . ' JlKi I h' IU ' ? sh'.UU: . -r . 0, a .11 . , tcc. ? .i i$ t..? .as Ion .V (JVC ? !. O : vio-JS i . t-ra is . a ? . ng ou: ... i ? jii' court it ;t ary ca.i t.i ; pv. >. - vi ..'.ioviu; t have p. j, she I. I .. . ,it:.on. . pie.; une, .? '-i.e. 't is l.arc!!;. it. vvoci.i . jv. wi ' -i - ? i ! ?; Int-V'j had ? ". sli * wan i - ? ? :~m th' ' t tiukr h;|Ve : - ' til'.' r-.i: 'niiit i-.iuon * o; ?> from ihr ubiicatiiu:. .v 'ioiess ii. harm wa.) ^o.ie, 1 . the tr . id to b.' alicci <. The whole thin; ? lv ates the need lor iu and , otter Continued i . jven PERSONAL By U KIM Alt JONES If yon wpnt something, and k.'rp on wanting it, and never stop iookin ; for an opportun ity to :,et it. sooner or later, I believe, that opportunity will ooms along. At least, I that experi cn, ? lie oih"r \ A 1 .? hie, I Iw'.C .'opi'cl ti'.:tf 1 t ime x ou'd at ' . .i. u : pre .5 confer to K'o ! ' ii. tapUul, much o:i a Fic-.d ntial pi" ? contVreiH \ And when I 'cut my tu ? with daiiy n-nvs i api . ;hl years ago, to go to iian m, appeared that this i piof. i .1;ij ambition - '. ciUng, in.-?tvad ol get tin i i'.-.' r. i ir. iho i'ref ident <>:' . B it, until i* .c . t never had I : i t the o', -e Wlv n I ..i.- -I ,;i-cv to ",o to Wi?hln:.ic:; tf* .acler fart o| la -:t x orith. us the representa tive ul the north Carolina Plesj A; <otfh't.'>n .at the White House Ct.iu'w lice on H'-ihway Gaiety, tlio.r U, [ immediately began to taiuh . v gvttiiv.; In on on;' oi it Kisenhovver's press Conferences. it . looked like all the od.te were against me Tin I . iiri 'lit usually lipid s only ore nfcr enc 1 a week, and he w. . ;n; d nU'd e> leave oi. vac, n.n on the Wednesday that ni.s press conference was scheduled for. Would lie cance' the confer ence? Ever an optimist, f asked a friend in the Associated tress to get in touch with the Wash ington bureau of the AP and see if it could be arranged for me to attend the conference ? if one was held. Immediately on arriving in Washington that Wednesday morning, I tele phoned the Asspciated Press and learned that a conference was to be held,- and that I had been "cleared " ? the AP had vouched for me as a security risk. I was delighted ? but my troubles weren't over. I almost didn't get in! I was told to be at a par ticular ^ate to the White T7ouse grounds at 1:30, and was there .. iittle a!1 ad of that time. The two ? yircis at the "ate cm? o:'!t oi the tiny ),.? : -e that r>ro I : t tli - ? - j'r >::i Hie weather i 1 ' ) : (i them wh i i* v.-;: , and ?a : i it x .want ... ' ? of them ;? ".1 t pe lit : ;r. iin'd ??rfouf.h...(| e ?.?* my iiiuie. ? "You < ?!. -i.h : . ? i i ' ; ' - p'etise '. .'.id (vie. " in'o, f dnn'5 drive. ' . '.in" in ?'o:tvW! : that ' ? '?d <' -it y you." '?:<(>. I have .several bilKc'sU .t I i. ver carry one." "Haven't you some Jet', 'ts? ' Yes- Snek in my liotel room. " At that moment I noticed the Vr>il with m; name oi it, ?rirK'.i' h i n'. v e .at V.ijwi he.i 1 1 1- ? < ' ?. < r tlif '. ty ir. v v ,, and j< -hi'.ed to Tlr two guards v. re tnlin-' ;.re- ed. They seemed to thin; I r ulel have picked tlia up on the ; tr ? or stolen it from ?meone. JIow ? r. they went into a huddfe, looked me o'c- eare ; i.y. shook ttieir heads, but re marked thut tt wa.; highly ir regular", but they were j;oing to pass me.! on more tlinn one occasion wnile I was in Washington, I met with discourtesy, but I ?n ust say for these guards, re sponsible for the safety of the President, that they could not have been more courteous. * * * In the days of Roosevelt, and I believe during part or the Truman administration, the press conferences were held in the Fresident's study, all the reporters standing, and the room so crowded there was Continued On P*je Eleven ? News Making As It Looks To A Maconite ? By BOB SLOAN I can not recall a more sin gular example of what x think is one of the basic differences between the Democratic and Republican parties than their attitude as to what type of tax policy should be used to count eract today's business condi tions. Leaders in the Republican party are advocating a tax change which would give a re duction in corporation taxes and a reduction from earnings on dividends. The substance of their argument is that if given proper encouragement those who have extra capital above their living expense will place this capital in use to build fac tories to produce more goods to be purchased by the American public. Democratic leaders -led by Senator Walter George, of Geor gia, propose to raise the tax exemptions for all persons from six to eight hundred dollars. They contend that this extra two hundred dollars exemption would be used to purchase con sumer goods thereby creating more demand. It seems to me that a glance at the used car stocks and electrical appliance warehouses would show that we tod-iy need to stimulate con sumption rather than produc .10,1. Our bi^ problem seems to . Le that already we produce more than we have the purch r.siti power to consume. This i proposed merely as a sm , >stion, bat I wonder if it woulc'n't b'- a ,;ood. idea ior the County Commissioners to tabu late th ; various needs oi the cf nr.. ... increased school <? r. v -.'junti home, new ?jouii ... . I : it including ??ay ??ho 1 i; ' !g needs in : ?? v-.e I hope that th.*y. in ? * I -um 1 10 >tuto xl ..' id . a 4 a "ire . iuii i, c ;.:naie the ' aa i i _-j a v ou Lov much ...... revenue ill.; would . . :1( a V!f J . M .id ?; !' )W ti ' . ? . . . alike. - j ,'ote i; , s . j wfeetlwr they ... j a vaiu&ion or tax ? -- ?> . j i . iii this . ili ui q. 1 1. til coun . I it! matter ..ild not b-'ixmc a partisan . .tic u issue. ?jc * * I irabably ?now about as much about basketball as Andy t on! ;.a;U O;. ;.?c Eleven ? 1 Do i on Kem-smbor? (Looking uai'kwaid through the files of The Pr^ss) -o YEARS AGO THIS WEEK Some persons from Walnut Crook 'jri.u! ht a live wild-eat to town Saturday ,and sold it to Jack Can. !er for t'-'o dollars. It rtpuearcd' to be a vicious irea ?. not pie . ;d with captivity. Mr R. furma i Barrett, insur ?' broker. has moved his ot.r i..:i F;vn&in to Waynes ..h . V.. pre to Inva a long dis i.'u ' telephone ric^ht away. T'ti w'V. to of great advantage ? > oy. ! eople and d grand ad r ? t i our summer* business: ; : 1 >?' . . i-'-'c u.-.rnard, o Char iott ". former resident of , is 'in 'town for , few v-4 i," ^ S . 2." YEARS AGO Who told that A heville eather prouhet that Tuesday w. ; gonna v fit ? We admit it. We made a mis t. ?. ... i, week when this paper ann.'-.m. ed that r .ring ' had ar iv. 'd west of the h; lsams. Rain, snow, and i eet were on the bill of fair .or, i ronklin Tuesday. Mr Kat- bniith, who leaves soon for Ne.v York to reside, v.as tendered . a .are well . cour te. y on Thursday afternoon of last week in a miscellaneous shower given at the home of Mrs. J. A. Porter by Mrs. John C Wright and Miss Ida Leach. 10 YEARS AGO Mrs. William C. Nail, of Highlands, has accepted the po sition qI assistant to Mrs. Flor ence S. Sheirill, county home demonstration agent. The Rev. Jackson Huneycutt arrived to take over the pastor ate of the Franklin Methodist Church on March 1. The troop charter fo.r Negro Scout Troop, No. 11, of Frank lin, was presented at a recent meeting in a special investiture ceremony at Chapel School.