North Carolina Newspapers

Cii* JflnmJcliti nab ?J?e ^tgblaaitg JHarxntinn ? eopd class m?U prlfUaf* kuUuxlud at Praofclln. M. O. Puollabad vrtry Tburadftf by Ths Prank lia Proas Telephone M , Established <n iff* at The Franklin Press Member: N C. Press Association. National Editorial Association, Carolinas Press Photographers Association, Charter member, National Conference of Weekly Newspaper Editors. BOB S. SLOAN WEIMAR JONES J P BRADY ICRS ROBERT BR Y SON ICRS BOB SLOAN CARL P. CABE CHARLES WHTTTINGTON PRANK A. STARRETTE O. E CRAWFORD HOWARD JOHNSON B. CLEVE KINOSBERRY DAVID SUTTON i. Publisher and Advertising Manager Editorial Editor News Editor Office Manager Society Editor Operator Machinist Operator Compositor Pressman Sterotjrper Salesman Commercial Printer SUBSCRIPTION RATES Inside Macon County One Year $3.00 81x Months Three Months Two Years Three Years Outside Macon County One Year ? $3.50 2.00 1.25 525 7.50 Six Months Three Months Two Years Three Years 2.25 1.50 8 25 9 00 THURSDAY. OCTOBER .Z 1958 PoliticsAnd School Boards Except in a few counties, school boards in North Carolina are named in a curious way. They are nominated in the primary, but must be appointed by the General Assembly. I Designed for the Reconstruction period, the pur pose of this arrangement was to wrest control of the schools from a corrupt carpetbag government. Since that condition no longer exists, the plan is obsolete ? and has been for nearly a hundred years. In an editorial, reprinted on this page, the Greensboro Daily News calls this method of nam ing school boards "indefensible and asinine". It lists these reasons why: ?\ The people of each county hare a right to make rare their county board of education is accountable to them and that it is so constituted it can work with the board of commissioners, the agency that appropriates the money for schools. The plan is undemocratic, "a subterfuge and sham, aimed at assuring Democratic boards in the few counties where Republicans are in the majority'', thus enabling the Legislature to "override majority rule." Since it centers control in Raleigh, it may Jeopardize the Pearsall plan, the heart of which Is the assumption that the schools are operated on the local level. Exfcept for the last one, all these objections have been voiced over a long period of years ? without result. There is another argument, though, to which the Legislature sometime is going to listen. The present undemocratic and high-handed method of naming school boards is bad politics. It is, for the very reason it is undemocratic and high-handed. This and similar tactics that betray a Democrat ic party attitude of "maybe it is wrong, but what are you going to do about it?" is creating resent ment among those who believe in fair play and democratic methods. And that resentment is showing up where it hurts worst ? in the ballot box. l'or it is no accident that North Carolina has a Republican in its Con gressional delegation, the first since the Hoover sweep of 1928. It is no accident that there was a 'record number of Republicans in the 1957 General Assembly. And it | is no accident that the North Carolina Republican vote for President is steadily growing; it climbed from 26 per cent in 1940 to 49 per cent in 1956. All this, despite the fact that the Democratic party in this state has, on the whole, given the state good government ! The smartest politics the Democratic party in North Carolina could play would be to give more than lip service to the principles of democracy and fair play. And there could be no better place to start than turning back to the people of the coun ties the right to elect the officials who run their schools. It'll Cost You More The cost of automobile liability insurance is go ing up. If you paid, say, $20 for liability insurance on your car or truck this year, next year it will cost you $22.20 ? 11 per cent more. The increase probably was inevitable, under North Carolina's new cotrfpulsory liability law. Because that law requires every vehicle on the road to be insured, and it leaves the insurance companies no choice about whom they insure; they must ac cept the bad risks as well as the good ones. The result has been more claims against the in surance companies ? so many more claims that the state has granted them an 1 1 per cent rate increase. They had asked for an increase of 19 per cent, and if the wrecks ? particularly the fatal ones ? con tinue, they probably will get it year after next, or the year after that. What's the answer? repeal the law? That would be the simplest way out, but it would leave the very problem the law seeks to solve: No T I - : "You'll Just Have T'Do More Than Just Smoking 1 And Chewing The Rag, Friend" ^ automobile should be permitted on the road unless its owner is in position to pay damages if it wrecks Another car or injures or kills some person. The difficulty is that the good drivers are paying for the accidents of the poor drivers. Every time a person drives drunk or exceeds the speed limit or drives on the wrong side of the road or ignores a yellow line, he not only is taking chances with his own and the other fellow's life ? he's probably head ed toward an accident that will increase your in surance rate. The solution would seem to be to force these fellows to obey the law ? or get them off the highways. Congratulations! The fine new highway across the Balsam Moun tains is almost as great a boon to the people of Macon County as it is to those of Jackson and Haywood. Congratulations from us on its comple tion, therefore, would be something in the nature of self-felicitation. Hearty congratulations are in order, though, to President J. A. Cray and the Sylva Chamber of Commerce for having the imagination to see the formal opening of the road as the occasion for cel ebration. And Monday's program, featuring both area figures and officials of the State Highway Commission, showed as great care for the details of planning by our neighbors across the Cowees as boldness of imagination in conceiving the event. And Long Ones (Boston Transcript) The only steps remaining that pedestrians may take to pro tect their rights are fast ones. Southern Families (Savannah Morning News) If you are an average Southern family, then your family numbers exactly 3.74 members, according to the Census Bu reau. And, your average is highest for the nation, which averages 3.61 members per family. The census people also made a discovery which refutes the old Idea that the poor people always have big families. Fam ilies with low incomes were smaller than those with high In comes. Those with incomes of less than $2,600 average 3.2 members for Instance, while families with incomes of $7,000 or more average 3.8 members. The South, therefore, is the place to come to enjoy larger families and incidentally, to malce more money. Synthetic Washington (Henry Belk in Golds boro News-Argus) This poor country boy in the few times he visits in Wash ington gets a strange feeling. He feels he has left these United States, or that part which he knows from Tar Heel moorings and Is in some strange, unreal and frantic place. Do you get such a feeling? You get in touch with your congressman. He Is run ragged with meetings, conferences, committees, people wanting some thing for themselves or their group. The atmosphere is one of haste, haste. There must be places where quiet contemplation and deliberate discussion abide, but where are they? The tone of the place is so out of keeping with the little towns and small villages and crossroads back home. Where is the heart of the nation, anyway? Would you not agree that it is on the plain and in the mountains and by our lakes and rivers? It is where men rear their families in the fear and admonition of the Lord; where they live by the sweat of their brows; where they are strong in their faith in their nation; where sputnik and Red China and Red Russia and Algiers and the crises of the hour are faint and far away. Out there is where the nation does its thinking. Out there is where it draws its strength. It is blessed Indeed that Congress quits work occasionally and lets Its captives get back where they can feel the heart beat of the nation. Indeed, wouldn't it be a good plan to put Congress on the move? Let the lawmakers meet hither and yon up and down the nation. That way they could escape from the synthetic, over-stlmnlated Washington scene. But have we come to such a bigness that in so doing we would recreate immediately the very strangeness and weariness this poor country boy finds in Washington? DO YOU REMEMBER? Looking Backward Through the Files of The Press 65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1893) ' Some iron bridge men are here looking after our county commissioners and the Iotla Ford bridge. The annual Slier family meeting was held at Mr. C. W. Slagle's last Thursday, with an attendance of one hundred and twenty. Mr. Dan Lyle has been duly installed as Assistant Postmaster in the post office, since the departure of Mr. Wiley Rogers. He handles the dating stamp like mauling rails. 25 YEARS AGO ? (1933) More than 900 persons have been listed as applicants for jobs at the local office of the federal reemployment service, ac cording to John W. Edwards, manager. The town council, at Its monthly meeting Monday night, decided to put an end to the use of gambling machines in Franklin. 1* YEARS AGO Enrollment In Macon County's 21 public schools totaled 3,844 at the end of the first ten days of school. Theo Slier, who Is retiring from the Forest Service, was hon ored with a surprise picnic supper Sunday night by a large group of Forest Service personnel and their families. ELECTING SCHOOL BOARDS If It's Good In Some Counties, Why Not Make It State- Wide? From Durham cornea word that forthright Rep. George Watts Hill, Jr., favors direct election ol members of the eounty board of education and that he will offer legislation to that effect, applying to his county, In the IBM General Assembly. We are all for Representative Hill's proposal. The only trouble Is that It does not go far enough. It should be state-wide In Its re peal of the presently unfair, partisan method of naming county school boards and make It so that the people of every county could be sure that Its board of educa tion was accountable to them and so constituted as to work In close co-operation with the board of county commissioners, from whom school money ts forthcoming. The present plan, under which members of county boards of education are nominated but have to be formally named by the gen eral Assembly. Is a subterfuge and a sham, aimed at assuring Demo cratic boards In the few oountles where Republicans are In the ma jority and choose the boards of county commissioners. There have been too many examples of what happens to the school system where this clash of partisan Inter est occurs. There should be noth ing In the democratic (and please note the lower case d) process which enables the Legislature or anybody else to override majority rule In any subdivision of govern ment. The mere fact that Representa tive Hill intends to asl^'iat his county of Durham be taken out from under the existing state law raises another fundamental ques tion. The best that may be hoped for under prevailing conditions is to get this or that county exempted from the state-wide re quirement for final legislative se lection ot/county school board members in an Intolerable omni bus bill. But that does not answer questions of what is state -wide legislation and on what ground any obviously state-wide law can be shot through with exemptions for various and sundry counties whose legislators do not want them under it. Who ever heard of Congress I jreennboro Daily Newt passing a law <Jh the national level and then letting any state that wished get out from under that law's provision? What happens In Instance after Instance In North Carolina's Gen eral Assembly U not only Inde fensible but downright asinine vlM-vls the state's alleged sov ereignty. So, Representative Hill, how about making your county school board election proposal state-wide In its application? Actually, so long as the Oeneral Assembly names county school board mem bers doesn't that contravene and leopardlze the Pearsall Plan and Its assurance that schools are operated on the local, or district, and not the state level? STRICTLY PERSONAL wmui ,0? Newspapermen are a (trance lot. Week in and week out, they publicise everything and every body worth publicizing ? friend and (oe alike. But when they themseives make news, -when it comes time to put their names la the paper, they are likely to be come shy and even self-conscious. (Maybe it's a little like a doctor's not wanting to treat members of his own family.) That probably accounts for the fact that an Interesting sidelight on last week's "Pilots Ruby Rendezvous" went unreported in the news columns of The Press ? it had to do with the news editor of The Press. It was the presenta tion, by a small group of Macon County persons, of a gift to J. P. Brady, in recognition of his un tiring efforts on this unique pro motional project. Mr. Brady, of course. Is not the only person who worked hard to make the fly-In the success It was; there are many .others to whom the community owes ap preciation. And so I suspect that what happened was in the nature of a build-up; the donors must have had in mind not the fly -In alone, but the long serfes of community projects to which John Brady has given his enthusiasm, his energy, and his ability and will ingness to be everywhere and do everything that needed doing. The Franklin Centennial celebration in 1955 and the annual Folk Festi val are only two of the more notable of such projects. Speaking in a strictly personal way. I'd say that John Brady has his full share of the short comings that beset all of us humans ? and that I know them all. He'd probably tell you, in fact, that I have been his severest critic. But because I know of nobody who has worked harder and longer and more enthusiastically for a better Macon County, and because I am sure no fourth generation native son is more loyal to this community. I con sider that I never did a better day's work for this community than when I brought John Brady to Franklin. And that recalls a typical ? and I think hitherto unpublished ? Brady story. When we decided to hire a reporter for The Press, we wrote the School of Journalism at Chapel Hill. The word was passed ?long to students about to be graduated, and among those who applied was J. P. Brady. And this. In substance, was what his letter ? of application said: "You have no way of knowing. Mr. Jones, whether I would be any good as a newspaper man. but maybe you'll remember, and take Into consideration, that, when I was a small boy living near you In Weaverville, I did a pretty good job cleaning out your chicken house." That letter got him the job. A STATEMENT OF PRINCIPLE Adopted unanimously by the North Carolina Press Association at its JOth Annual Institute in Chapel Hill N. C\, on January 22, 1955 . (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Is National Newspaper Week. Oc tober 1 to 8. It Is a proper time for newspapers to remind them selves of their obligations, as well as to remind the public of the service newspapers perform. Hence it seems appropriate to re-print the "code" by which North Carolina newspapers and newspapermen try to live.) The newspapers of North Car olina. conscious of their obliga tions. and mindfal of their own human imperfections, rededicate themselves to these principles which guide- a responsible press in a free society. I Freedom of the press exists in a democracy, not for the power or profit or pleasure of any In dividual. but for the common good. The right of the people to know cannot be denied or dimin ished without endangering de mocracy itself. It is the obliga tion of the press to provide ac curate, timely and complete in formation about all developments which affect the people's polit ical. economic or social well-being. Given the facts, the people usual ly 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 necessary money and space for adequate coverage of the essential news and employs personnel of integ rity. ability and sound judgment. He exalts accuracy above every other consideration, and insists upon prompt, full and even gen erous correction when errors oc cur. III Every citizen deserves the stim ulus of a strong editorial page, on which the editor voices his own well-informed opinion, clear ly and forcefully; yet willingly TV PROGRAMS COME, GO; WHAT NEXT? So many television programs come and go these days that the fellow looking at that screen must feel like he's in a revolving door. They wore out the comedians and the situation comedies. Live, serious drama has bitten the dust in most places. A good many va riety shows have tumbled. About all that's left now are the crime shows, the westerns, ana quizzes, and the ratings which so impress the trade. Who knows how long the viewer will cock an ear to the sound of gunfire, horses' hooves, and the quizmaster's cash register? And when those things go, what will the ratings have left to rate? ? Salisbury Evening Post. provides space lor contrary opin ion. The good editor often takes i sides, but without arrogance or intolerance. He champions boldly the rights of the people, some times against government itself. He provides leadership, particu larly In his own community. He has a special responsibility to de fend the weak, to prod the public conscience, 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. To be true, a story, together with its headlines, must be hon est. To be honest, it must be fair. To be fair, it must be accurate and complete. Honesty demands objectivity, the submergence of prejudice and personal conviction. Fairness demands regard for the rights of others. Accuracy demands cour age. painstaking care, and per spective to assure a total picture as true as its 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 can more frequently answer these questions in the affirmative, the news papers of North Carolina adopt this statement of principle. UNCLE ALEX'S SAYIN'S Folks keep a-teilin' me, "bet ter fit to work, or you'll be be hind". Shucks! the only thine that'll make most of us {it to work is bein' behind. What a lot o' folks that talk about bein' "realistic" really mean is acceptin' something: they know ain't right but that they're either too lazy or too cowardly to buck. Somebody's always thinkin' up new words to confuse a fel ler. Take, f'rinstance, all this talk about white and colored people. First, the word evir'body was usin' was "segregation". Then we started hearin' about "desegregation". Next it was "in tegration". T'other day I heard a new un, "nonihtegration". Next thing you know, like as not, we'll all be talkin' about "antideiqtegration" ? and won derin* what the heck it is. t Science For You By BOB BROWN PROBLEM: How are dew and frost made? NEEDED: A tall metal can of crushed Ice, some salt. DO THIS: Pour half a cupful of salt Into the can of Ice, stir well several Inches down, and watch. Water will form on the can, and this will freeze Into frost near the top, opposite the salt-Ice mixture. HERE'S WHY: Dew Is formed on objects, such as grass, when their temperature drops below that of the surrounding air. If the temperature of the droplets goes below their freez ing point, they become frost. Droplets on the can condense from the moisture In the air, and while the salt Is mixed with the Ice the temperature Is lowered below the freezing point of the purer water on the outside of the can. Oopr. '58 Oen'l Features Corp. TM-World Rights Rsvd. '