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Entered at Post Office, Franklin, N. C., as second class matter
Published every Thursday by The Franklin Press
Franklin, N. O. Telephone 24
WEIMAR JONES
BOB 8. SLOAN
J. P. BRADY
ICRS ALLEN 8ILER
MRS MARION BRYSON . . . .
CARL P CABE .
FRANK A. STARRETTE
O. E. CRAWFORD
CHARLES E. WH1TT1NOTON . .
DAVID H. SUTTON . . . . . ?
Editor
Advertising Manager
. . News Editor-Photographer
Society Editor Office Manager
Proofreader
. . . . Operator-Machinist
Compositor
Stereotyper
Pressman
Commercial Printer
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Outbid* Mai
One Year
Six Months .
Throe Months
Two Years
Three Years
n County
. . . $3.00
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Inside Macon Couktt
One Year . . . . ? $2.50
Six Months 1-75
Three Months .... 1-00
Two Years 4-23
Three Years 6 00
'Let Us Reason Together'
Should we North Carolinians amend our state
constitution, as proposed in the Pearsall plan? are
changes necessary in order to meet the crisis pre
cipitated by the U. S. Supreme Court's segrega
tion decisions? are the proposed changes the right
ones for the purpose, and are they otherwise de
sirable?
Those questions must be answered by the voters
of Macon and the state's other "99 counties at an
election called for September 8. The changes were
approved at a special session of the General As
sembly last week, and now it is up to the voters
to ratify or refuse to ratify them
Two specific changes are proposed.
The first would permit the state to make edu
cational grants toward paying the tuition of chil
dren in private schools, where they were assigned
to racially mixed schools against the wishes of their
parents.
The second would permit the people of a school
'district, by majority vote, to close a school when
ihey considered conditions "intolerable".
Last week's legislative session in Raleigh was
?surely one of the shortest ones in American his
tory. The legislators assembled on Monday night
and adjourned Friday afternoon ; they were in ses
sion just a little more than four days. This news
paper feels that wasn't sufficient time for careful
consideration of so important a problem.
That fact, though, does not necessarily reflect
on the plan itself; it has been under sUidy for a
year by a special committee. The plan deserves to
be considered on its own merits.
But the fact that the legislators acted so swiftly
is all the more reason for the issue to be considered
carefully by every voter.
Between now and the election, The Press will
discuss the Pearsall plan editorially. Not that the
people of Macon County need someone to tell them
how to vote ; they are quite capable of doing their
own thinking.
The editorials, instead, will seek to fulfill the first 1
function of a newspaper ? to inform the people
about what is proposed, so they can vote more in
telligently.
Meanwhile, we hope there will be more debate
in Macon County than there was in Raleigh. For
such debate, the "Letters" column of this news
paper is wide open. We hope there will be many
letters on the issue. But because we hope many
Macon County citizens will express themselves in
letters to the editor, we make one request of cor
respondents : Please keep your letters within a
reasonable length ? about 500 words is desirable ;
300 or 400 would be even better.
Ain't That Nice!
If a woman keeps an old dress long enough, after
a while she finds it back in the height of style
again. Many of the household remedies for aches
and pains that were laughed at 30 years ago today
are recognized by doctors as good medication. And
now even the simple language that once was frown
ed on by the pedants is becoming quite proper
English.
There's that word "ain't", for instance. Even
that has been given the blessing of an authority
on English, reports Miss Beatrice Cobb in her
Morganton News-Herald :
I have long thought that "Ain't" should be considered
a perfectly ro?<l English ward. At long last Prof. Thomas
Dunn, bead of the English Department at Drake Univer
sity. Des Moines, Iowa, and therefore an authority on the
"King's English", has had courage enough to defend the
word.
He says: "'Am I not' is a very awkward phrase. 'Ain't'
would be much better."
He defends his position further by saying that awkward
as it is, "am I not" isn't as bad as the contraction which
some popular writers seem to think is cut*? that is, "aren't
I." They know that "aren't I", a contraction of "are I
not," is bad grammar.
"Isn't" and "Aren't" are merely telescoping* of "is not"
and "are not." They are correct English by authority of
language arbiters of a century or so ago. "Ain't" does pre
cisely the same thing to "am I not"; it merely eliminates
"m" and "a." "Why, then", Prof. Dunn asks, "shouldn't
"ain't' be as good a substitute for 'am I not?"'
Now ain't that nice! We've long felt there was
a certain dignity and strength about "ain't" ; now
we can use it without that guilty feeling ? without
the embarrassment of quickly correcting ourselves,
just to make sure people realize we know better.
But, as always, there's "a fly in the ointment";
two, in fact. First off, we wonder just how Prof.
Dunn would justify "hain't", which probably is
older than "ain't". .For surely even the most cock
ney Englishman never would have put an "h" in
front of "am"; never would have said "ham I
not?"
And we regret to have the Iowa English profes
sor cast "aren't I" into outer darkness. Matter of
fact, it has been our impression that it has long
been in use, especially in England, by many of the
very people who speak the purest English.
Just between us, Miss Cobb, oughtn't we and
other newspaper editors to defend "aren't I"? For
if it is ruled out as bad grammar, what is likely to
happen to our newspaper "editorial we". You
know: One person writes an editorial, but always
says "we"; "we believe", "we think", etc., never "I".
It happens on the tiniest papers ; even if one per
son makes up the entire staff, is editor, typesetter,
printer, and general flunky, he always savs "we".
Could be, come to think of it, "aren't I" stems from
the "editorial we".
Of course, though, whatever our doubts about
his verdicts, we wouldn't think of saying to such
an authority as Professor Dunn :
"It hain't so !"
Others' Opinions
(Opinions expressed In this space are not necessarily those
' of The Press. Editorials selected for reprinting here. In fact, _ _ ,
are chosen with a view to presenting a variety of viewpoints.
They are, that Is, Just what the caption says ? OTHERS*
Opinions.)
How Much Taxes Do We Pay?
(Bulletin Free Press, of Colo.)
.? ????
The best way to judge the scope of the tax burden Is by how
much of your working time goes to pay for it. In 1929, one
day's labor out of ten went to support the government. Now
the average is one day in four.
? Letters
The Mess We're In
Editor, The Press:
It seems as though our officials in Washington can't give
any federal aid to schools. But they can appropriate billions
to keep a standing army all over the world, and for more
money to buy more airplanes. They appropriate millions for
foreign aid; then those nations shoot it back at us. I think
I
that is the most uncalled for thing yet.
And this farm mess! We have the deed for our farm, pay
the taxes. But we don't have any control over it. They tell us
what to plant and how much, and what not to plant. They
give surplus to foreign people; why not give It to the poor
people In the U. 8.?
Five men rented 100 surplus army buildings from the gov
ernment for $1,000 a month at Camp Crowder, Mo. Then they
rented the space back to the government for $19,000 a month
to store spoiling surplus grain In (April '56 Digest).
The people are taxed to death ? Income tax, real estate
tax, personal tax, luxury tax, sales tax, blind tax, and even
dog tax. As long as the people stand for all that kind of
business and elect such people In office, I suppose we will
have to put up with it.
The government is In debt so much now we won't get out
In the next 300 years. Still they don't seem to try to balance
the budget. I don't know what else they can tax, but I know
they could cut expenses. (Tax, tax; give me, and we will
give it to foreign countries, and blow It in on other unneces
sary things.) That is just what it amounts to. We didn't used
to be in debt. But, oh boy! the mess they have got It In now
Is awful.
WILLIAM S. JOHNSQN
Concrete, Wash.
(Formerly of Macon County.)
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
Did you ever feel like you
were walking on air? If not, I
can tell you how it feels. I
know, for that's just what I'm
doing these days.
I'm walking on air because
I'm not walking at all; I'm
ridin' ? and under a steering
wheel!
Well, what's so wonderful
about that? For most people,
nothing. But for me, it's an
epochal event. Because It's the
first time I've driven a car In
fifteen years.
The first five of those fifteen,
the Weimar Jones family
couldn't pay for an automobile;
then came a series of eye oper
ations, and I found myself so
near-sighted I took it for grant
ed I couldn't get a driver's li
cense. I took It so much for
granted, I never even tried.
In this day of two cars In
every chicken coop, not to be
able to drive Is more than Just
a nuisance; it's embarrassing.
You try to make it matter-of
fact when you say "I dont
drive, you know"; try to make
it sound like it was the most
natural thing in the world not
to be able to drive. But when
you say it, there's always a
question mark on the face of
the person addressed. Even If
he's too polite to put It In
words, the question mark says
all too plainly: "Well, why don't
you learn". For ten long years
I had to explain, "I don't drive".
Then, last spring, came a lit
tle flicker of the ticker. "You
mustn't climb any more hills",
the doctor said; "well, not for
a while, any way."
Now to tell a man who doesn't
drive an automobile that he
mustn't climb hills ? to tell a
man that, in Franklin, is to im
mobilize him. And a newspaper
man, Immobilized, is only a lit
tle less useful than a ton of
coal at the equator.
I did the best I could. Mrs.
Jones chauffered to and from
the office as though she had
nothing else to do. No mem
ber of The Press staff could
ever go anywhere without hav
ing me tag along. And when a
potential customer came Into
the office, I wasn't half as In
terested in whether he was go
ing to buy some advertising or
order some printing or sub
scribe for the paper or give us
a news story as I was in wheth
er he was a possible bet for a
ride uptown!
At last, I decided it was time
for necessity to become the
mother of effort.. So I applied
for a driver's license.
I got a learner's permit and
practiced ? though it took some
thing like a bribe to get any
body Into the car when I was
under the wheel! ? and I mem
orized the Driver's Manual.
That, Incidentally, was a little
like going back to college and
taking a course in physics:
"When a car going 50 miles per
hour strikes a brick wall, the
impact is the same as if the
car had fallen off the top of a
building how many stories
high?" Yes, sir, there's a lot in
that manual I couldn't see any
reason for a man to know In
order to drive an automobile;
but IH say this for It: It gets
across to prospective drivers
something that badly needs be
ing put across ? the terrible
danger of speed.
At last came the day for the
road test. I tried to be casual
about it. I reminded myself I
had nothing to lose; conditions
couldn't be worse. I reassured
myself that I could do It. But
was I nervous! It was a cool
day; yet when I finished, I
was as wet with sweat as if I'd
been hoeing corn, and was
physically and nervously ex
hausted. I made mistakes I had
never made in practice. Mr.
Hooper (Robert Hooper, the
local examiner), however, was
both patient and encouraging,
and I thought I had done all
right.
Then came the bad news:
"Sorry, Mr. Jones, but I can't
pass on you; I'll have to let
my supervisor test you." More
mental anguish ahead!
Well, to _ make a too-long
story no longer, Mr. Moore (W.
W. Moore, of Canton, examin
ing supervisor for this district)
also was patient and encourag
ing. And I made it!
And no just-licensed 16-year
old was ever prouder. Fact is, I
think I'll have my license pho
tostated, and frame the photo
stat to hang over my desk ?
just to remind me that you
never know what you can do
till you try!
THE REAL DANGER
Raleigh Hearing Reveals Depth Of Feeling Against Integration
William D. Snider in Greensboro Daily News
(EDITOR'S NOTE: In the de
scription below of legislative pro
ceedings in Raleigh Wednesday
of last week, Mr. Snider de
scribes what he says is the most
serious threat to the public
schools.)
RALEIGH? As the curtain fell
late Wednesday afternoon, (July
25) on the Pearsall Plan public
hearings in this Capital City's Me
morial Auditorium, the real nature
of the threat to the public schools
flashed through the hot, humid at
mosphere like July lightning.
It erupted in a perspiring legis
lative audience's hard-to-suppress
Democratic applause for Republi
can John Wilkinson's down-home
castigation of his own fellow
G.O.P. "integrationists" (the only
applause of the day in a hearing
sternly gaveled against demon
strations!. It peeped through the
mannerly, exquisitely disciplined
Pearsall rebuttal of Raleigh's Will
iam T. Joyner, aimed occasionally
at the Blue Devil from Duke, Dr.
Douglas Maggs, (who had declared
the plan unconstitutional), but
most forcefully and persuasively
at the more extreme segregation
proposal of the Satterfield-Lake
coalition of the right ? a cloud
no larger than a man's fist on the
horizon, but growing.
It re-echoed in the startling in
telligence relayed to the Gov
ernor's far around breakfast time
V
that the Lake-Satterfield forces
had caucused in some air-con
ditioned Sir Walter rendezvous,
rallying forces for a "massive re
sistance," stand. Its aim: To un
ravel with crippling amendments
the Pearsall Committee's carefully
spun design to save the schools.
And that, in turn, brought on a
Governor's emergency press con
ference In which the white-maned
captain of of the Pearsall forces
rapped trie Lake plan, declaring :
"When you study the situation a
full year you have to give con
sideration to a lot of ideas. The
Lake idea was considered ... a
hundred times."
Whence came tne threat to the
public schools? Any casual observ
er of these shifting tides of an
"extraordinary special session"
needed no further evidence: It
came from the deeply-felt mores
of the serious, mostly shirt-sleeved
legislators assembled, unsegre
gated, in Raleigh's Memorial Audi
torium.
Only one of a long procession
of integratlonists (comprising min
isters, educators and PTA ideal
ists) stirred a spark of retaliation
or rebuttal. He was the Immacu
late Dr. Maggs, high priest of
Duke University's law school, and
college-day instructor of a hand
ful of legislators comprising his
audience.
Maggs struck fire. His sweeping
denunciation of the Pearsall Plan
on constitutional grounds left his
audience quivering with questions,
voiced even against the whispered
advice of one former Maggs stu
dent: "Don't tangle with him;
he'll trip you up."
The Maggs barrage on Tuesday
brought forth the Pearsall forces'
heavy artillery on Wednesday: It
came in the person of the de
ceptively mild-mannered son of Ay
cock's long-time superintendent of
public Instruction, Colonel Will
lam T. Joyner.
Colonel Joyner's late-afternoon
rebuttal, a brilliant exhibition of
courtroom logic and extemporan
eous debate, demolished segments
of the Maggs thesis with atomic
fissured assurance, but in the ex
perienced barrister's manner, it
skirted skillfully, around other
segments. Colonel Joyner swept
away charges that the Pearsall
Committee was intent on "subter
fuge" and "evasion" ? but he by
passed the same counter-assertive
ness displayed by Maggs the day
before on the main issue: What
would the U. S. Supreme Court
do If confronted. In lawsuit, by
the Pearsall Plan? "Assuming
there is a fair court." Colonel
Joyner declared as a preface, and
there indeed was the rub.
But the far-distant future when
the Pearsall Plan might wind up
in the hushed halls of the high
court In Washington was no
threat at all compared with the
deep racial emotions running
through the hall. The nature of
that threat: To go further in clos
ing all (ioors to integration than
the Governor proposed. To meet
that attack Colonel Joyner fired
his most persuasive volleys: for
here indeed was the real danger
to the Pearsall Plan.
"So far as I am concerned."
the suave personification of Tar
Heel moderate conservatism de
clared, "I don't want to go further
than the vote of the people in
the local communities ... at this
time? this is what Is needed."
Colonel Joyner's eloquent rebut
tal, defending a kind of conserva
tive moderation, ended the his
toric hearings. In quiet but strik
ing language he outlined the
nature of the dilemma facing
North Carolina ? the threats from
left and right, but the larger
danger from the satterfleld-Lake
forces, super-charged with racial
emotion, and awaiting a spark.
If ever it seemed that the
Horiges-Pearsall plan inculcated a
Tar Heel middle way (neither all
good nor all bad. but the best
available), that seemed evident in
Raleigh Wednesday. The real ob
stacle might come, if at all. from
an unwitting coalition of well
meaning liberals on the left, blind
to the strong emotional tides run
ning beneath the surface, and hot
eyed super-conservatives on the
right.
VIEWS j
BOB SLOAN
There are inherent dangers
In the Pearsall plan for the
school system which many peo
ple are not stopping to consid
er, with thought, before they
adopt any constitutional amend
ments which might have seri
ous effects on our public school
system. I would like to men
tion some of them.
1. Before we place in the
hands of the people in each
district the right to close their
public schools by a simple ma
jority vote shouldn't we stop
and consider? Under this sys
tem it will be a not too dif
ficult task for some unscrupul
ous person or persons to in
flame the people with an emo
tional issue entirely unrelated
to the subject of segregation,
and gain control of the school
system for personal benefit. As
protection against a small
group gaining control of the
schools for monetary or politic
al gain would it not be better
to at least require a two-thirds
majority vote of the registered
voters on the elimination of
the schools?
2. Before anyone votes to
eliminate the public schools, re
member that the tuition ex
pense grant plan is deceiving.
Cost on private school operation
show that In all probability
state grants will not meet the
cost. This will likely mean a
lowering of the educational
standards and in all likelihood
the elimination of educational
opportunities for tin children
of many people in the lower
Income bracket.
3. The career of a school
teacher In North Carolina will
be less Inviting, because the
pay may be lower and certain
ly there will be less security.
Even with the statue as it is
now written on the books, a
thoughtful person will think
twice before starting out to
making teaching a career in our
public schools. Long years of
seniority and retirement bene
fits may be wiped out over
night.
North Carolina can solve Its
segregation-integration problem
without so endangering its pub
lic school systepi.
Do You
Remember?
(Looking: backward through
the files of The Press)
50 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK
Material is being placed on the
ground near the Baptist Church
to erect a new building for the
Macon High School.
E. D. Pranks is building a two
story dwelling on South Street,
with stone basement below. The
building will contain 10 rooms.
Mr. J. C. Wright and family
vacated the house they recently
sold to A. P. Munday, yesterday,
and went to board with Mrs.
Leach on West Main Street. Mrs.
Munday moved in and took pos
session of the premises yesterday.
25 YEARS AGO
The annual Macon County Flow
er Show will be held Saturday
In the building formerly occupied
by Angel's Drug Store.
Miss Marian Leveritch, of New
Orleans, La., is the house guest of
Miss Jane Cary George, at the
summer home of her parents.
Chestnut Lodge. ? Highlands item.
Mr. and Mrs. Fred Moore, of
Sylva, are visiting Mrs. Moore's
parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Mat
lock.
10 YEARS AGO
Miss Peggy Thompson, of Char
lotte, spent the week-end here
?with her mother, Mrs. H. P. P.
Thompson, and family. ? High
lands item.
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Meyrs,
of Franklin, Route 3, will mark
their Golden Wedding anniversary
Friday. They will hold open house
at their home Sunday afternoon
from 2 to 6 o'clock.
T/Sgt. C. R. Cabe, who has been
stationed in Japan for several
months, has received his dis
charge from the service and is
now at his home on Franklin,
Route 2.