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Entered at Post Office. Franklin. N. C.. as second class matter
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
Franklin. N. C. Telephone 24
IMAR JONES Editor
MB 8. SLOAN Business Manager
J. P. BRADY News Edltcr
MRS EDWARD CRAWFORD . Office Manager
CARL P. CABE Mechanical Superintendent
FRANK A. 8TARRETTE ^ Shop Superintendent
DAVID H. 8UTTON 8t?reotyper
CHARLES E. WH1TTINGTON Pressman
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Outbids Macon County
One Tear $3.00
?to Months 1.75
Three Months 1.00
iMui Macon County
One Year $2.50
Six Months 1.75
Three Months 1.00
Frightening
Tf you or I should hire a man to run a business
for us. we'd expect our manager to keep in mind
that the business belonged to us. We'd insist on
walking into our establishment at any time we
wished, to see how things were going; we'd de
mand the right, as a matter course, to sit in on
conferences about how our business should be run:
we'd want to know not only what our manager was
doing, but whv he was doing it. Whether we avail
ed ourselves of these rights, we certainly would
not tolerate our manager's operating our business
behind doors closed to us.
The issue of secrecy about the conduct of the
public's business is as simple as that.
Not one of the members of the North Carolina
General Assembly would permit secrecy in the op
eration of a business he owned. But most of them
insist upon the "inherent right" of legislative com
mittees to conduct the public's business behind
doors closed to the public.
In 1953, the Legislature gave legal authority to
its appropriations committee and sub-committees
to meet in secret. The 1955 Legislature has author
ized all its committees to close their doors to the
public.
Because the vote was overwhelming, the legis
lators may think they have buried the issue. They
are wrong. No issue involving a fundamental ques
tion of right and wrong is ever buried by mere
force.
The most significant thing about the situation,
though, is not that the legislators have voted them
selves license to legislate in secrel, bad as that is.
The most significant thing is how this was accom
plished. and the public reaction to the methods em
ployed.
A large proportion of the legislators ? probably
a majority ? had publiclv committed, themselves,
before their elections, to repeal of the 1953 secrecy
law. And thev have repealed that law.
But before doing so, thev were careful to amend
their rules to permit not just one committee, but
all committees, to hold closed sessions. In short,
they kept the letter of their promises: they violated
the spirit. ,
Such unvarnished hypocrisy normally would cre
ate a storm of criticism. In this case, there has
been almost none!
The conclusion is obvious: Deceit and trickery
by legislators have come to be taken for granted.
That is a tragic thing. Because popular govern
ment in America depends on a balance between ad
ministrative, judicial, and legislative branches. With
out a strong legislative branch, we would have
tyranny by one or both of the other two. And the
legislative branch cannot stay strong without the
confidence of the public.
It is a danger signal when public confidence in
legislators sinks as low as it appears to be today.
A Wasm
Nearly a year a^o this newspaper predicted that
Senator McCarthy's days of power were numbered.
Fn its issue of last March 25, The Press re
marked:
It is our guess that Senator Joseph R. McCarthy is on
the way to oblivion. It would not surprise us if his name
disappeared from the front pages within the next year
. . . The reason is simple: A few persons have at last
summoned the courage to challenge McCarthy . . . and
have kept their heads. Others will take courage ... A
bally can continue bullying only so long as his bullying
tactics create fear.
The fact<; appear to bear out that prediction.
Perhaps even more significant, the wisecracks
do. The latest wisecrack in Washington is;
"McCarthy is no longer an ism. He's a wasm.'*
Party Liability, Too
Before the North Carolina General Assembly is
a proposal to give local school boards "complete
authority" over assignment and enrollment of pub
lic school pupils. Final authority now rests with
the State Board of Education.
Whether that proposal makes sense, we don't
pretend to know.
But we do know it would make sense to give the
people of the counties "complete authority" over
their school boards ? by permitting the voters to
elect the board members.
Under the present system, members of most
county school board? are "nominated" in the Dem
ocratic primary. (North Carolina Republicans are
supposed to have no interest in the schools their
children attend.) Then the General Assembly, in
Raleigh, "appoints" the board members.
The law says the General Assembly "shall" ap
point those nominated. Tn practice, it often appoints
whomever the local legislator (if, of course, he is a
Democrat!) asks it to appoint.
To say that that system is archaic is to put it
mildly. To say it is undemocratic is understate
ment. To sav that it is a liability to the Democratic
party itself is to state what is obvious ? so obvious
we are hopeful even Democratic political leaders
will see it one of these days.
? Letters
WHATS WRONG WITH U. M. T.?
Editor, The Press:
Just what is wrong with Universal .Military Training, or the
new ready reserve program? Your editorial (Smells No Better,
Issue of Jan. 27) never went Into any of the merits or demerits
of either. How else maintain an army? General Hershey, a
man respected by friend and foe and a man who has been
closer to the problem than perhaps any other, has endorsed
the plan. It seems equitable, necessary and good to me. We
could possibly bribe men into military service but the idea that
such a thing Is necessary in our country is revolting to those
of us who considered our military service a privilege and a
duty.
Sincerely,
Dahlonega, Ga.
JACK CARPENTER.
ABOUT U. M. T.
Dear Weimar:
I was very pleased to learn from an item in this week's
Press that you have again won a first place award for excel
lence of your editorial page, in competition with weekly papers
throughout the state. Allow me to congratulate you and to say
that I, too, am proud of your accomplishment.
I must confess, however, that my pleasure was considerably
lessened when I opened to the editorial page and read what
you said about universal military training. May I tell you brief
ly why I think you were wide of the mark in that editorial?
I am not going to discuss the merits and demerits of U. M. T.
I am sure you already know that I believe military training to
be about the most valuable training that a young tnan gets;
and I know that, for some reason I have never been able to
understand, you consider such training degrading and other
wise harmful. What I wish to discuss is your appraisal of the
situation regarding the positions or attitudes of "the military",
the Congress, and the people, .respectively.
You say, in effect, that "the military" has long attempted
to foist upon the American people unwanted universal military
training; that the Congress, representing the will of the peo
ple, has firmly resisted all such effort; and that now "the
military", represented by our President, is trying to slip over
such training under another name. It seems to me that each
of the above statements is at variance with the facts. Let's
look at each in turn.
To blame the people in our military establishment for Uni
versal Military Training is just as foolish and wide of the
mark as It would be, far Instance, to blame the North Caro
lina Educational Association, our teachers and educational ad
ministrators for our compulsory school attendance law and the
various other laws Intended to make effective our efforts at
education. These laws express the will of the people, although
their details are largely worked out by the professionals in that
line, the teachers. Our defense situation is an exact parallel.
Defense of our country against all and sundry aggressors is
the universal wish of the people, and not many of the people
are sure that they know better how it can be done than the
professionals.
Next, let's look at the attitude of Congress. Since June, 1951,
we have been operating under a law which the Congress des
ignated "A Universal Military Training and Service Act". And
it is universal all right. The only persons exempt are veterans
who have already given service in the country's defense, or
dained ministers, sole surviving sons of parents who have lost
a son in the country's defense, certain officers, such as gov
ernors of states and similar officials, and possibly one or two
other very small categories. The induction of certain men is
deferred when such deferment is believed to be in the inter
est of the country, but .the law. makes it plain that it is only
a deferment, and every man is expected to serve. The original
law, passed in 1948, provided for the induction of men be
tween the ages of 19 and 26, but in 1951 Congressmen, evi
dently fearing that some men might extend their deferments
Fronts'
TO
KNOW
The Raieigh Masked Man
? i
to the age of 26 and so escape service, extended the liability
of all men deferred to age 35. So we are now operating under
a law which requires every man to register wherf he is 18
years of age and, unless he gets in his service earlier, to re
main liable for service until he is 35.
It seems to me that President Eisenhower is attempting to
give young men a somewhat easier choice when he suggests
that they be given the choice between either taking six months
training at 18 years of age and remaining in the reserve for
nine years or, as at present, remaining liable for service for
17 years unless they get in their two years service earlier.
Of course, when I state that the people of the country are
not opposed to U. M. T. I am expressing my opinion, but the
action of the Congress years ago seems to support such opin
ion. The rest of my statements are facts.
Sincerely,
Franklin.
NEVILLE SLOAN, Sr.
Others' Opinions
ANOTHER NEED
(Bristol Herald Courier)
Another thing this sad old world needs is an easily con
vertible plowshare and sword.
NECESSARY
(Washington, D. C., Surveyor)
It takes three people to make a really good conversation:
two of them here and the other one far enough away so that
she can't hear what is being said.
RUSSIAN STORY
(C. A. Pnul in Elkin Tribune)
Three Russian farmers were hailed before an inspector from
Moscow. He asked th? first farmer what he fed his chickens.
"Corn, sir," was the reply.
"Corn!" shouted the inspector. "Corn is used to feed people.
Take him away to the salt mines."
/'
As the first was being hauled away the second farmer was
asked the same question. Trying to keep from falling into the
trap, he said he fed his chickens corn shucks.
He, too, was ordered to Siberia. The Russians, it seems, make
cloth from corn shucks.
Turning to the third man, the inspector said, "And you?"
"Oh," said the farmer, "I just give the chickens the money
and let them buy whatever they want."
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
"What Is it in the fabric of
our society today that keeps us
under such pressure ? financial
and otherwise?" asks a doctor
friend of mine, in a personal let
ter.
"Doctors know", he continues,
"what it does to people, and
more important, we all know the
important things it deprives us
of!
"And yet I know few or no people
who do not suffer from this ma
lady."
In those words, he expresses
well a thought, a question, that
has puzzled most of us.
And. to make it even more
puzzling, oldsters point out how.
in another period, people had*
none of the labor-saving and time
saving devices of today ? yet
they seemed to have more leisure!
Actually, of course, they worked
much longer hours than most of
us today; but they never wor!:e:;
under today's pressure.
Perhaps a part of the explana
tion lies in the fact that people,
in the old days, had little choice
about how they should use thei:
time. Everything, except time, was
In short supply. Most of us had
few books; automobiles were un
dreamed of; there were no movies,
no radio and television; a trip
(outside the immediate neighbor
hood) was a rare event. Today
the problem has ceased to be:
How shall I pass the time? It has
become. Instead: Which of the
many things that call upon my
limited time shall I choose? It
has become a matter of discrim
ination ? which of many books
shall I read? which movie see?
which television program watch?
which friends cultivate? etc.
And, to a considerable extent,
the situation applies to money
as well as to time.
I suspect the younger genera
tion. reared in today's atmosphere,
is learning this art of discrimi
nation. i Lacking the patience and
philosophy of older persons, youne
people would go crazy if they
dicn't learn it.)
I suspect, too. that persons over,
spy', 30 find it a hard lesson tr>
learn because they still are try
ing to adjust to the swift charge
from scarcity ? of everything
but time ? to abundance ? of
everything but time.
News Making
As It Looks
To A Maconite
?^By BOB SLOAN
The action of President Els
enhower in telling the world
that the United States will help
the Chinese Nationalists to de
fend Formosa is correct, we
think. Also It was politically
smart to obtain the support ol
Congress in this matter. Cer
tainly, If we plan to prevent
the spread of Communism we
must draw a line and plainly
state that we will allow no na
tion to advance by aggression
beyond that point. However,
there are unpleasant results
produced by this action.
In making it plain, to the
American people and the world
in general, that our action is
defensive and that we will not
help the Chinese Nationalists
to return to the mainland of
China, the President, has in ef
fect, recognized the existing
government there. In short, we
have accepted the proprietor
ship of the mainland of China
by the Red Chinese. This, how
ever, has probably been inevit
able since the day that Chiang
Kai-shek fled to Formosa.
America is the only power which
could have then or could now
restore him to power, and we
are not willing to spill the blood
necessary of our young men to
do the job. In the first place,
many feel that Chiang Is not a
dependable enough character,
or that the cause of Democracy
would gain much in the restor
ation of his administration.
A second effect of the recent
actions in the Far East Is that,
unless some unforseeable event
brings about the downfall of
the Red government, eventually
the Communists will take For
mosa. This will probably occur
at the death of Chiang Kai
shek. As it stands today, his
name is such a symbol of the
cause of Democracy in Asia that
we cannot let him fall. But
when the symbol Is gone and
time has made us coimplacent
and we have become more used
to a totalitarian government in
that area will we fight to save
Formosa? I think not.
There is the possibility that
in the time gained by recent
actions, the United Nations will
become accepted as the court
before which the sovereignty
of nations is settled and this
body will have a police force
which can enforce its decision.
President Eisenhower faced
the facts and took the most
logical course, but, I fear, we
have not heard the last of the
advance of the Reds toward the
Continued on Page Three ?
Do You
Remember?
'Looking backward through
the file*; of The Pre^s)
50 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Snow commenced falling pret
ty briskly about 2 o'clock Sun
day afternoon and before night
the ground was covered, and
Monday the earth was covered
to a depth of seven inches.
Postmaster Jarrett has re
ceived instructions from the
Post Office Department to
commence service on Routes 2
and 3, as laid out by Rural
Agent Dawson in December.
The service will commence
Wednesday, February 15, 1905,
with carriers at a salary of
$720 per annum each, Including
horse hire.
25 YEARS AGO
Mr. Wilton Cobb, cashier ot
the Highlands Bank, spent the
week-end In Westminster, S. C.,
and Union Point, Ga. ? High
lands.
Dr. Edgar Angel, interne at
Jefferson Hospital in Philadel
phia, came home last week to
spend several days. ' He will re
turn to Philadelphia this week.
Mr. S. R. Crockett, superin
tendent of the Maxwell Train
ing School, of Route 1, was in
Franklin last Monday on busi
ness.
10 YEARS AGO
Sgt. W. L. Shope, who Is sta
tioned at Camp Fannin, Texas,
is spending a 15-day furlough
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Zeb V. Shope, at their home at
Prentiss, ?nd other relatives in
Macon County.
S/2c Ma garet Virginia Slagle,
stationed at Stillwater, Okla.,
is here for a visit with her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. A. B.
Slagle, at their home on West
Main Street. Following her visit,
she will report to Washington,
D. C.
Mrs. J. E. Root is expected
home th!s week from a visit
with relatives in Charlotte and
Charleston, S. C. ? Highlands.