Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Dec. 2, 1954, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
CJ it Jfitnnklixt # . aitft Cite Migitlaiiiis (Mntvnmi t Entered at Post Office. Franklin. N. C.. as sscond class matter Published every Thursday by The Franklin Pre? Prank lip. N C. Telephone 24 . - . . . . ! ! . Editor WDMAB JONES BOB 8. 3LOAN ..... _ _ J.P.BRADY News Editor MR8 EDWARD CRAWFORD Office 1 CARL P. CABE Mechanical Superintendent FRANK A 8TARRETTE Shop Superintendent DAVID H 8UTTON CHARLES E. WHI'ITINOTON SUBSCRIPTION RATES OUTSIBS MaCOM COUNTY One Tear *3 00 ?b Months 1-13 Three Months 1-00 Inside Macon uouwtt _ One Tear *2 JO Six Months '?'! Three Months Time To D*aw A Line i Last week the Chinese Communists announced that 13 Americans had been convicted of espionage and sentenced to prison terms ranging from four years to life. Two of the 13 have heen held hv the Communists for nearly three years, the others since 1953. The 13 are among more than five hundred Americans, missing and unaccounted for. that the U. S. gov ernment long has demanded be produced, dead or alive ? has demanded in vain. The government in Washington has filed "the strongest possible protest". Few persons expect the protest to have any effect. Because this is not the first time Americans have been imprisoned for al leged crimes against the Communists, nor the first time we have protested such imprisonments. This is, in fact, only one of a long series of incidents against which the United States has protested with out result. It follows by hardly more than a fortnight the .shooting down by Russian Communists of an Amer ican plane, with the loss of one life. And that was the third such recent plane incident in the Japanese area alone. All together, something like a dozen American planes have been shot down, in "peace time", by the Communists. r ii _ All these incidents nave iouoweu a paucm. The United States always protests. We assert our own innocence of wrongdoing. We demand an apology and, where there is damage, reparations. And always nothing happens. Surely, by this time, we should know that noth ing will happen : that protests alone are unavailing. How long are we going to he content to hurl nothing more deadly than words at the Commun ists? And, when finally the American people have he come sick of protests that are futile, what do we do next? War, in this age of atomic and hydrogen bombs, is unthinkable. Yet it remains true that the man who refuses to fight under any circumstances finds at last he must. Furthermore, the surest road to war is the road of ap.peasement. And what is it but appeasement when we abandon our citizens ? our young men who have been drafted into the armed forces ? to their fate, once (hey are captured by the Communists ? or permit them to be shot down without cause? It is said that the United States government has drawn a geographical line, and that if and when the Communists cross that line, the decision is "to fi^ht. When arc we sroing to draw line which we will not permit the Communists to cross in their contempt for American lives? To draw such a line and to make it clear we will fight ? whatever the consequences! ? when it is crossed almost surely would create a new respect for the United States among its Communist ene mies ? and thus possibly lessen the danger of war. Quite as important, it would tend to peg the fast sagging respect of Americans for their own govern - liient. Because, for several years now, it has ap peared that our government had little more respect for the lives and rights of American citizens than did the Communists. The time has come when words are not enough. The time has come to draw a line. The American people should demand that it be drawn. But first they should make another demand of their own government. For there is always the pos sibility that we are not blameless in these incidents. (If we were blameless, for example, in last month's plane incident, why the necessity for such tight mil itary security around it? And who can fail to recog nize the temptation the Pentagon must be under to get such things as photographs of important Com munist military installations at any cost? How many times have American planes been ordered to fly over Communist territory to get such photo graphs?) First of all, the American people should demand of their government that it lean over backward to avoid even the appearance of evil ? and that it keep itself in position to prove, beyond doubt, as these incidents arise, that it has engaged in neither ag gression nor provocation. That is to say, our own militarists should be held in careful check. If and when our government does that, then we can draw that line around Americans' lives and rights with comparative safety. Playing For Time? The hearing that had been scheduled this month by the U. S. Supreme Court on how and when to eliminate segregation in the public schools has been postponed. The official explanation is that the court wishes to wait until a successor to the late Justice Jack son has taken his seat, so that a full court of nine justices may pass on the question. That, of course, is a good reason. But we suspect it is not the only reason, perhaps not the real reason. Since the court decided, last May* that segrega tion is unconstitutional, there has been a growing feeling that the practical way to abolish segrega tion is at the local level, with the method varying from community to community, and with the time allowed likewise varying, according to circum stances. The idea has all the earmarks of common sense; so much so that state after state ? including Xorth Carolina ? has suggested that the when and the how be left to local school authorities and district federal courts: and now Attorney General Brownell has substantially indorsed that proposal. But if a thing is unconstitutional it is unconstitu tional. And can the Supreme Court of the United States permit itself to be put in the position of winking at violation of the constitution in one area, for a period of months or years, while ordering im mediate compliance in another area? It probably would make sense to do just that. But it also would make the highest court in the land look ridiculous. The truth probably is that the court is playing for time in an effort to find a way out of the almost impossible position in which it placed itself when it decided, last May, to go beyond its proper function of interpreting the Constitution, and to take on the further responsibility of enforcing what it has de cided the Constitution means. ? Letters THE OLD HIGDONVILLE SCHOOL Editor, The Press: With reference to the news item in this week's (November 24) issue of The Press concerning the razing of the old school building at Higdonville, please let me make what I believe to be a correction to a portion of the reporting. If my memory serves me correctly, the original building, known as the Carpenter School building, stood some two or three hundred yards above the present building. About 1911 the building that is now being torn down was erected as a three-room building, with library space. The auditorium was made by raising a partition separating two of the rooms. At the beginning of the school term of 1915, Professor R. L. Madison took over as principal, and soon thereafter launched a move ment to build a senior high school. In connection with this movement, the school district was enlarged and a new room added to the building. Thus it became both a four-teacher school and a four-year high school. Let me say that under the guidance and leadership of Pro fessor Madison, Higdonville High School became one of the foremost schools of the county during his stay. ? There will be some regret in the hearts of many to see this old landmark removed, but such is progress. It is good to know that in its place a church will be erected with steeple pointing toward Heaven whence comes its inspiration. May this flourish as a place where the gospel of Christ will be proclaimed to the people of a great community. Sincerely yours, Charlotte, N. C. R. M. PEEK. Others' Opinions THE W.P.P.A. (Greensboro Daily News i As any one who has ever served in the United States Army will be delighted to explain at the slightest provocation, th? initials at the head of this brief consideration do not stand for some governmental agency. Translated, they stand for The West Point Protective Association, a purely mythical bodj which, according to legend, sees to it that one West Point mar never lets another West Point man down. The association, we are led to believe, thrives. It flourishes even when the West Point men are no longer on active dutj but fading, fading, fading away. Thus the recently appointed general manager of the AtomU Energy Commission's various installations Is Maj. Oen. H. K Nichols. The recently appointed chairman or the Tennessee Valle; Authority Is Brig. Oen. Herbert D. Vogel, Corps of Engineers. The head of the security board which, despite the fact thai OUR DEMOCRACY-^ M*> THREE SCORE YEARS TEN Tmc 7b y CAM WtUtf MOUTMTM iuslc as tmc lONMvrrv mark rat INDftftOUALS, MAS JUST ASOUT MCOMI TMC LIFC EXPECTANCY AT OueTH FOU AMERICANS A NO SOME OTMCK PEOPLE*.'^ SINCE THC STAKTOF TWS CEN7UKY, / WE HAVE APOCD MOUE THAN 20 YEAXS , TO OU/t LIFE SPAN. Ill.flkl >?S2t: Consequently, we think more and more or retirement income, . EVEN WHILE WE INSURE OUR LIVES ANP PROTECT OUR LOVEO ONES, "in case..." We prepare for. THE DAY WHEM WE INDIVIDUALISM AM/ PASS "three scats YEARS and ten. " the subject of Its investigation had been cleared by seven other ^ boards previously, paved the way lor the firing of career diplo mat John Paton Davies, Jr., was Lt. Gen. Daniel Noce, in spector general of the Army. Of course, It may be just a charming old South American custom, this government by generals, but we like to think of it as simply the W.P.P.A. in action. THE GOVERNOR AND 'SECRECY' (The Asbevilte Citizen) Governor Hodges told his press conference the other day that "nobody could disagree in principle" with the idea of fun reporting of Legislative proceedings in the General Assembly. He added, however, that there would have to be "a mutual ' agreement" between reporters and legislative committees, in some instances, on what should be reported. We hope this means that Governor Hodges can be counted among those who favor repeal of the 1953 "secrecy" law. It was passed near the close of the session and it overturned 28 years of free reporting, notably on the decisions and votes of the all-powerful Joint Appropriations Committee. As The Citizen has often conceded, there was some provocation for this wrong-headed act. Yet the General Assembly, which had worked itself into a tizzy over an elementary matter of free dom of information, let go with both barrels. Bang! bang! and North Carolina's model anti-secrecy law was no more. A principle of course is useless without a procedure in its name. Back last May 111 House candidates polled by the As sociated Press favored doing away with the secrecy law and only four opposed outright repeal. In the Senate, 50 candidates advocated repeal and two were opposed. We do not know how many were elected in the ensuing primaries and the general election. Thus the problem belongs almost exclusively to the General Assembly. We hope that its first order of business in January will be the repeal of a law which effectively closes the door on full information about the spending of the people's money. Governor Hodges is a man of high principle. This is a lofty one. If he makes known his views at the time they will have a ponderable effect upon the decision of the 1955 General As sembly. STRICTLY PERSONAL By WEIMAR JONES A couple of stories that have come my way recently interest - ingly illustrate a common trait of human nature ? the way most of us take it for granted that, just because a field is dis - tant, it therefore is greener. Miss Lassie Kelly tells of the out-of-state couple who liked the grits served at Miss Kelly's tea room. At meal after meal, they found the grits delicious; , no doubt they had visions of its coming from a water-operated ' mill back in some mountain : cove. r At last, they expressed a de sire to take some back home ' with them, and asked Miss Kelly where she found this specially good kind of grits. She 5 told them she bought the item i at a local store, and gave them the brand name. They hurried to the store and : bought a package ? and found this grits they liked so much was manufactured in their own home town! 1 And Homer Mashburn tells of the young Franklin man who had been away working several 1 yean, and returned home lor a visit. The center of an admir ing sidewalk group, he proceed ed to give his opinion of Frank lin: "It hasn't changed a bit; it's just the same little hick town it was when I left." "Maybe it hasn't changed", in terposed Mr. Mashburn; "but just how much did you know about Franklin when you left?" The two incidents recall the book, popular a good many years ago, "Acres of Diamonds". It was the story of the man who, seeking his fortune, tramp ed the world over, looking for diamonds. At last, old and pov erty-stricken, he returned to the home he had left as a youth ? to find acres of dia monds in his own backyard. All of which suggests, of course, that opportunities are everywhere; that it isn't where we are that counts so much as what we see. And It occurs to me that per haps no community has suffer ed more from the old Illusion about the greenness of distant fields than our own Macon County. News As ft Looks To A Maconite ? B T BOB HOAH The proposal that North Car Una borrow 153 million dollars etween now and 1961 In order > bring our primary hlghwut^ p to modern day standing lould certainly be given the ireful consideration of every orth Carolina voter. There can be little doubt that lost of our highways need lm roving. Modern construction nd design of these arteries of rans porta tion would certainly ave two results. Transportation ar commercial as well as pleas re purposes could be accom llshed with more ease, safer nd possibly cheaper. The sal ly factor is one of the most emanding. Too many people re being killed on our high rays. Dual lane roads where here is heavy transportation .re rapidly becoming a must. Another phase, and one which ?ossibly won't be discussed as luch, of this program, is the ilacing on the general fund at sast part of the burden of the ost of maintaining the prison ystem plus the entire cost of he State Board of Paroles ,nd the State Probation Com aission. Nortn Carolina maae a int ake when they built 80 some >dd prison camps over the' state ind decided to keep the pris iners busy by working them in the roads. It is expensive ind non-productive. It works lardships on both the prison ;ystem officials and the state lighway officials. If prisoners were kept and vorked in either industrial ihops or on farms they could nore easily be guarded than while working on the roadsides )f North Carolina. Often times it is necessary to have as many guards as it is worker for the particular job that is to be lone under the present system. > When men escape it is expen- Jr sive to apprehend them. Under the present system not only is It more difficult to watch them but there is added temptation to make them try for freedom. As for the rehabilitation of these men, certainly a better job than this could be done either on a prison farjn or In an industrial workshop where they could learn a trade. As for the productive value to the state, many state high way officials have told me that only if they could get the mon ey that is taken from their funds to keep up the prison system they could get two or three times the results from It. Let's face it, the state made-"? a mistake when money was ap propriated to build these camps over the state. Let's not con tinue to operate an inefficient and non-productive system. If the camps can be made into workshop and farm centers where the prison labor could produce school equipment and food for the various state in stitutions and school lunch rooms, good. But If they cant let's scrap the camps and stop handicapping the state highway system in their maintenance ?job. Do You Remember? (Looking backward through the files of The Press) 50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK We regret to learn that Mr. Geo. H. Bidwell, his wife and child, and their nurse all have scarlet fever. Mr. T. J. Johnston left Mon day to attend the meeting of the county superintendents at Raleigh. 2f> YEARS AGO The town street forces are progressing rapidly on paving the squares adjoining the court house and parts of Iotla Street near the Baptist Church. Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Bascojn 1 lelt Highlands for New York Tuesday of this week to spend the winter with their son and daughter, Mr. and Mrs. George Barrett. Mr. Arthur Mashburn, who is teaching at the Ottfer Creek School, was in Franklin last Saturday for his first visit in six weeks. 10 YEARS AGO Wilburn Reid, son of Mr. and Mrs. A. W. Reid, who is attend ing Edwards Military Institute. Salemburg, N. C., spent Thanks giving with his parents here. Harry Corbln, s S/c, son of Mr. and Mrs. Fred Corbin of Culiasaja, who has been taking a four-months course In the signal corps, stationed at Great Lakes, 111., has been spending a 9-day leave with his parents.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Dec. 2, 1954, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75