Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Jan. 2, 1958, edition 1 / Page 2
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tp I T O R I A L ' Solution Over-Due Editor J inklin's mayor and aldermen are among the s best citizens. They work hard and unself? ; and for their services, they are paid little in iy, and often less in thanks. Furthermore, they antly face a series of nagging: problems, al complicated by lack of sufficient revenue to e kind of job they would like to do. The town als have both our appreciation and our sym r as they struggle with the problems of a ing community. that, though, doesn't change something else, people who pay town taxes are entitled to ces for their tax dollars ; and among the serv *hey have a right to expect, a primary one is abundance of good water ? water that not only i leasant to the taste and is pure, but water that "is'wean. Well, the water some citizens are getting isn't clean, in the sense of being clear. Some users are getting water that is so rusty or muddy (or pos sibly both) that it is useless for washing clothes, that it regularly stains sanitary facilities, and that it pften has a terrible taste. Nor is the problem a new one. Though it may have become more acute, it has been with us for years. A solution is long over-due. Now, obviously, those who.se water is discolored aren't getting what they pay for. If the water sup ply were handled by competitive private business, the company whose water was rusty either would hrtve to make financial adjustments with its custom ers or lose their business ; and if it were handled by a public service monopoly, any state utilities com mission worth its salt would require it to give good and equal service to all. Haven't we a right to expect as much from our own town officials? A Standard We Americans are inclined to take our freedoms j)r granted. But if we are to keep those freedoms, must remind ourselves, from time to time, that :re is' little freedom in most countries of the jrld; that we, ourselves, have not always been tee ; and that freedom is not an automatic grant ? Jot something we can be sure of. And what better ?me for such a reminder fhan the beginning of a dew year. j all know ? but we sometimes forget ? that can survive only so long as the citi tion are able and willing to govern b'cratic government is the only way Ive freedom. But if it is to serve lust function. ([ability and willingness is the free [ion and ideas ? unpleasant, as well >rmation, and distasteful ideas, as at are accepted. ^reason, of course, that the men who -.onstitutional amendments Americans pill of Rights put the guarantee of a the very first one. ) of the press is not intended as a license and publishers ? nor will it long last, fecomes that. Its sole purpose is to guar citizen the opportunity to inform himself Ints and to have access to new ideas. Pie right of the press to be free is a right tizen, and it is the citizen who has the stake in keeping it free. That being true, C. PRESS ASSOCIATION'S the citizen has an interest in how well the press serves as steward of this freedom. It is with that in mind that, in this very first issue of 1958, we re-publish on this page the State ment of Principle the press of North Carolina has set up as its standard. For the coming year, we re-dedicate ourselves to the task of trying to reach that standard. 'Homemade' Time was when the term "homemade" was one of reproach. If an article were made at home, we admitted the fact apologetically; "it's just home made". Happily, there is evidence that today we are de veloping a more wholesome attitude on the sub ject. The do-it-yourself programs are one evidence ; the growing popularity of handcrafts is another. Obviously, some things can be made both more cheaply and better in a factory ; but we are com ing to realize that some can't. The trend is illustrated in Christmas customs. Of all the gifts you received last week, which did ? you appreciate most? The chances are, it was something the giver made himself. Such a gift car ries with it the assurance that the giver really wanted to give; it brings along something of the personality of the giver; and, in some cases, the gift is of a quality not to be found in a factory made product. Where, for example, can you buy fabrics either as beautiful or as durable as the hand-woven things that many women in this area make and give? The Christmas card is another area in which there has been a welcome change. More and more people are composing the greetings that appear on their cards, and not a few enterprising young peo ple make their cards outright. Along with that has come a tendency to write a personal word of greet ing to the particular person to whom the card is sent. All of which boils down, it seems to us, to the fact that some of us, at least, are coming to recog nize that the warmth and individuality of person ality count for more than mere dollar value. Letters Enjoys Press Editor, The Press: We enjoy The Press so much. It gets better each year. I love the pictures you put In, too. C. B. WILLIAMS Mount Ollead, N. C. DO YOU REMEMBER? Locking Backward Through the Files *f The Pro *? 65 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK <1893) Knee pants at Wright's.? Advertisement. Hon. j. Frank Ray left Sunday for Raleigh to be present for the convening of the General Assembly today. Dr. W. H. Hlggins, who has been attending the Dental Col lege In Atlanta, came home last Friday for the holiday vaca tion. 25 TEARS AGO (1933) Federal Judge E. Marvin Underwood has called a hearing In Atlanta on the petition of J. F. Gray, receiver of the Tal lulah Falls railroad, for authority to file an application with the Interstate Commerce Commission to discontinue opera tion of the line. D. D. Rice and M L. Dowdle, members of a local committee formed several months ago to encourage con tinuance of service over the "T. F.", are planning to go to Atlanta to oppose the receiver's petition. Charles L. Ingram, Macon County representing In the Gen eral Assembly, and Robert A. Patton, the new senator of the 33rd district, left Sunday for Raleigh to be on hand for the opening of the 1933 session. 10 TEARS AGO The Tallulah Falls Railway company has bought two diesel engines to pull its freight trains. The movement to build a Highlands school gymnasium, chiefly from private funds, has already received considerable popular support. A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE Adopted In 1955 _ HE newspapers of North Carolina, conscious of their ob ligations, and mindful of their own human imperfections, re dedicate themselves to these principles which guide a respon i press in a free society. I of the press exists , not for the or pleasure of but for the com The right of the peo cannot be denied without endang ltself. It U the facts, the peopae usually will reach wise decisions. II The trusteeship of a free press is the final responsibility of the publisher. He may share it, but he cannot escape it. The good publisher provides the nec essary money and space for adequate coverage of the essen tial news and employs person nel of integrity, ability and sound Judgment. He exalts ac curacy above every other con sideration, and Insists upon prompt, full and even generous correction when errors occur. HI Every citizen deserve* the stimulus of a strong editorial page, on Which the editor v his own- well-informed opt! trary opinion. The good editor often takes sides, but without arrogance or intolerance. He champions boldly the rights of the people, sometimes against government Itself. He provides leadership, particularly in his own community. He has a spe cial responsibility to defend the weak, to prod the public con science, and to speak out against the Injustices of which a majority can sometimes be guilty. IV The primary function of a newspaper is to report the news. The good reporter strives con stantly to find and write the truth. This task, no matter how difficult, is his unescapable re sponsibility. true, a story, together leadlines, must be hon honest, It must be fair. To be fair, it must be ac curate and complete. Honesty demands objectivity the submergence of prejudlci and personal conviction. Fair ness demands regard for th< rights of others. Accuracy de mands courage, palnstaklni care, and perspective to assuri a total picture as true as It Individual facts. V The final test of every story every headline, every editorial every newspaper Is: Is It honest? Is It fair? Is It accurate? To the end that they cai more frequently answer thes questions In the affirmative, th newspapers of North Carollni adopt thla statement of prln clple. I "No, I Don't Trust Him Either?? But He Has A Point" Strictly Personal By WEIMAR JONES That trip Mrs. Jones and I took to Puerto Rico last month was a vacation ? the first long one we'd ever had. So we took it easy. I got so lazy, in fact, that after a few days, I found it exhausting to so much as raise my hand. (I did manage to get together enough energy, three times a day, to raise it to my mouth a few times.) And because It was a vacation, I for got newspapers and newspaperlng. So I gathered no startling statistics and arrived at no pro found philosophical conclusions about what I saw; in fact, I didn't once take a note. I did come back, though, with the memory of some interesting experiences, none of them new, perhaps, to the many people who have traveled to far places, but very new Indeed to mo. First, though, let me set the record straight on two or three points: Contrary to my own dire pre diction, we were not seasick ? not even once. We were "ship wrecked" ? but, contrary to malicious reports published in this newspaper during my absence, I was neither steering the boat nor wearing Bermuda shorts at the time. And I did wear those much advertised walking shorts. Well ... I wore them once! For, like all good wives, Mrs. Jones has the facility of seeing things exactly as they are. And when I climbed into my brand-new Ber mudas, she must have seen how I actually looked; for, after one look, she wouldn't consent to my even taking off the tags. "Maybe you can return them. Anyhow, one thing is certain: Youll never have any use for them in Franklin!" Well, I asserted my head-of-the house prerogative by angrily stalk ing cut on deck, tags and all, and lounging, self-consciously. In a deck chair for a little while. Then I sneaked back Inside, took 'em off and put 'em away. And that was that! ? ? * A series of mishaps made It look like we weren't Intended to take that trip ? and when we hit rough weather, we wondered if we wpre intended to get back. In most respects, though, we were extremely fortunate. First,' in a delightful visit with Dr. and ? Mrs. Cecil W. Mann, who went all out in taking us everywhere, to see everything, in the amazing e city of New Orleans. Next, in being - shown all over Puerto Rico by two e Haywood County persons, Mrs. - Kathryn Roblson, manager of a ? shoe factory there, and A/lc b Charles Leatherwood. Finally, the b very experiences that seemed un toward were the most interesting things that happened. r Besides, we hit a lot of luck. lj Just a little while after we'd start ed the 100 miles down the Miss issippi River from New Orleans, for instance, the ship's captain, bluff, hall-fellow-well-met, and young, called to us from the bridge: B "Come on up here and help a me get this ship out of the d k river". And so we had a grand - stand view of what was about to happen. i We knew nothing about the width or the Intricacies of the river channel at that point. But even landlubbers like us could see, just moments later, that the ship and a heavily-laden barge, being pushed upstream by a tug, were headed toward each other. We held our breaths. Then it came; we both saw and felt it. An Instant later, the barge, cut loose by the tug just before the collision, was moving out toward the middle of the river, turning end to end, like a child's swing when the ropes that hold It have been twisted and then released. "See whether there's any dam age", the captain ordered. A moment later came the an swer: "She's got a hole In her side big enough to throw a norse through . . . right at the water line." So we turned and went back up the river, to the dock we'd left a little while before. And there we sat, for seven days and nights! And while we sat there, the moonlit nights, we'd picked our sailing date for, passed. The moon rose, those nights, as usual, but not over the ocean, or even the Mississippi, but over the endless wharves and warehouses ana as sorted other grimy buildings on our side of the river. It was the one really serious disappointment of the trip. ? ? ? There were compensations, though. For one thing, I found It fascinating to watch them load the 10,000 tons of cargo (of every description) our freighter carried. And since they had to unload the holds where the damage occurred before they could start repairs, and then had to re-load them afterward, there was plenty of in teresting activity, day and night, lust below us. And, once the repairs were com plete, we saw something we'd never seen and probably never would have seen but for the ac cident ? a professional diver, with all his equipment, go down, time after time after time, to in spect every part of the ship below the water. ? ? * The second experience, said to be unusual in this area at this time of year, was what the ship's officers called a gale, but what to us was a storm; in any case, I don't ever want to see any worse storm. You'd look down at the water and see, Just beyond the nearest swell, what is properly called a "trough", but what looked to me more like a valley ? a little like Wayah Valley as seen from the top of the Bald. And if you managed to keep from rolling out of bed at night, it was be cause you were lucky ? and braced yourself: not because there wasn't abundant opportunity for such athletic feats. It was. though, the most mag nificent thing I've even been per mitted to witness. And as the water, picked up by the wind and thrown the 30 or 40 feet up to our, deck, burst into spume, the colotfL were Indescribably beautiful A mostly bluw and greens, but rationally a full rainbow. They I minded me of the colors In the soap bubbles I blew as a child. That weather experience, worth while In itself, was doubly wel come, because It gave contrast to the summery days and Incredibly smooth seas on the return trip. Incidentally, I had left home thinking water was water. Well, I learned better. There's the mud dy water of the Mississippi, the greenish water of the Gulf of Mexico, the blue-green of the At lantic, and the blue-blue of the Caribbean. And at one end of - 1 Puerto Rico, where the Atlantic 1 and Caribbean meet, not only is there a difference in the colors; the waves from one come one way, those from the other another. You actually can see the line where the two bodies of water come together. Then there waa our first night in Puerto Rico. It has been said that the Lord looks after children and drunk people. I think you might add an other group ? those who go off on vacations, as we did, without making elaborate plans. On our ship was a couple from Chicago who knew exactly what they were going to do, each day, and had made hotel and other reservations accordingly. When the delay came, they were miser* able; feverishly, they began radio ing for new reservations, trying 1 to salvage something from a trip they were sure was completely ruined. , Well, foolishly enough, we had^ n't given hotels a thought; didn't know even the names of any c them. (What we did know wa we weren't going to the swan. American hotel In San Juan all Chicago friends were headed 1 we were sure of that, because) rate was $25 a day!) We ended up at an place someone had recommer The outside was so unprep lng, we hesitated about g( but we decided to take a Once inside, It was a llttlJ being transported to a casl old Spain; the most ch^ place we'd ever seen. BeJ tiling, In many colors an terns; 12- or 14-foot celllij air of old but unmlstakql gance. When we were taker "room", it turned outj suite, even to Its on balcony. And just outsldL looking down the corrj floor-to<elllng arch, j picture of a sunlit lag^ yond that, the white ou breakers. (Our fashions wouldn't have been in such an un-modec we wouldn't have . them for any amou Just below our beautiful old wort] union Protestant. day night before j two Maconians. home, who had 1
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Jan. 2, 1958, edition 1
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