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WEIMAR ,7 ONES
Editorial rage Editor
WRONG WAY TO GOOD END?
That Salary Bill
This newspaper always has advocated good sal
aries for public officials. That, it seems to us, is
one way to attract competent men to public office.
Furthermore, if an official is well paid, the public
has a right to expect and demand first-rate service.
We favor adequate salaries, and, so far as we
know, the higher scale of .salaries for Macon Coun
ty officials, proposed by Rep. James M. Raby in a
bill introduced in the General Assembly, is not ex
cessive.
There are some rather pertinent questions,
though, about this whole matter, that ought to be
answered, it seems to us, before this bill becomes
law.
First of all, both federal and state constitutions
prohibit reducing an official's salary during a term
of office for which he has been elected. If the sal
ary of the office is to be cut, the cut must become
effective at the beginning of the next term. Does
it make any better .sense to raise an official's salary
during the term to which he has been elected?
After all, the elected officials who would be af
fected by this bill sotight office on a basis of the
present salary.
Then, there is the guest ion of whether a new law
011 this subject is necessary.. The present law, en
acted two years ago, fixed .salary floors and ceil
ings for the offices, and left it to the discretion of
the county commission whether the salaries should
he the bottom figures, or the top ones, or .some
where in between. All of the 'proposed raises al
ready are authorized by law; (lie board <>f county
commissioners already has the authority to grant
such raises, under the law now on the books.
That brings up the question of who should fix,
who should raise, the salaries of count v officials.
Should it be. the General Assembly in Kaleigh or
the local board ol county commissioners? If, as this
newspaper believes, we need more, not less, county
"home rule", the responsibility properly belongs to
the commissioners.
'And from a purely .practical viewpoint, aren't
the folks who have to raise the money the ones who
ought to decide how to spend it? Jt is the commis
sioners, not the legislators, who must levy the
taxes to pay public officials, along with other ex
penses of county government. Under this bill, the
legislators in Raleigh would be saying to the com
missioners, in effect : "You must either raise more
taxes or you must take money from some other
source and give it to these officials". 1 I
When the people elect commissioners, the> elect
them to levy taxes and determine bow the money
shall be spent. This bill would appear to raise sal
aries, regardless of what the people who pay the
taxes want or think is ri^ht. If the people want
their officials better paid, we .suspect they'll tell
the commissioners so. It they don't ? well, it's the
people's tax money.
The question, in short, is not whether our public
officials should be better paid. The question is: Is
this the right way to bring about that end?
We don't believe it is. We doubt if most Macon
County people believe it is.
Amateur Age
This is the age of the expert, the professional.
Yet, the fact is that it makes it the age, too,- of
the amateur. Our very specialization drives us to
seek release in a hobby, in something done just for
fun, in being an amateur? that is. one who does
something for reasons other than money.
How much pleasure the amateur can give others,
as well as himself, is illustrated by the amateur
production, "My Father's World ', that the Rev.
and Mrs. Robert M. Marly have been showing to
groups here.
Mrs. Marly is not a professional photographer.
Mr. Marly is not a professional reader, and. a> far
as we know, the singer whose voice is heard is not
a professional. Yet the amateur work of these
three ? nature pictures in /color, poetry, and song- ?
arc so skillfully woven together that the viewer
listener catcher his breath at the beauty of the
whofe;
The Marlys must have had fun, over a long
period of time, creating and putting together "My
THHT'S H FBtT
. , 1 "? " ' " ? ? M '"W"
THE 6REATAND SMALL TRAINS OP
EM -OR ANTS WHO CROSSED THE AM?R)CAM
CONTINENT COULD COVER NO MORS
> THAN 25 MILES ON 'GOOD DAY**
/\N0 FROM 5 TO IO MILES ON
Difficult terras
GENIUS
CeLBW/TCD AS a GREAT STATESMAN, THOM^fi
JEFFERSON WAS A MAM/ COED 6CMUS. HA
SPOKE 6 LAH&UAOX, HAD AH EXTENSIVE
KNOWLEDGE OF MATHEMATICS, -SURVEY /N6,
MECHANICS, MUSIC, ARCHITECTURE, LAW AND
GOVERNMENT/ HE DESIGNED HIS OWN
BEAUTIFUL MOMTICMUO AS WELL AS THE
HALLS OP THE UN/V?*t/TY OF Vme/NJA.'
4
I 001) Mm lltOI (ill I!
"THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE WHO PRERME FOR IT." SERIES E US SAVINGS
BONOS PtM 3 JV Pi ff CENT WHEN HELD TO MATURl TV. VOL) SET BACK ?H. FOR EVER*
*3. INVESTED. START BUYING REGULARLY- PL AN FOR YOUR OWN VEKY G000 FUTURE.
Father's World", and now it is giving- pleasure to
others. '
This still, thank goodness ! is the age of the
amateur.
Cheap At Any Price
People who go to the County Health Center oh
Riverview Street ? and most of them are children ?
have no place tp get out of a car except to step
? into the middle of the street. And it's a narrow
street, with two-way traffic. Why someone hasn't
already been killed there is something of a mystery.
The law of averages says somebody will be killed
there soon ? unless something is done about the
situation.
Providing space for parking at the rear of the
building would not prove expensive. Hut this simple
way of eliminating a major traffic hazard would
be cheap at any price, to save the life of a child.
Walter Gibson
It. was perhaps chiefly because of his honesty and
his devotion to whatever he believed was in the
.public interest that Walter Gibson repeatedly was
elected to public office by the people of Macon
County.
He was a man, though, of many other admirable
traits. Quiet but friendly, doggedly determined but
usually Open-minded, loyal almost to a fault, hq
had the respect of all who knew him. What was
.perhaps most extraordinary about him, though,
was a quality that "is rare? humility.
It's Not Just The Farmer
( Windsor. Colo.. Beacon)
Several big operators of farms have made the headlines be
cause they cleaned up around half-a-milllon apiece from pro
grams' planned to relieve the small farmer. In theory sub
sidies may sound all right ? actually, the taxpayer is always
the loser.
But the farmer isn't the only one with a hand in the pork
barrel. In the interest of "developing new fields", the oil in
dustry does a lot of its operation tax-free And Uncle Sam
pays the difference between the cost of ships built in the
U. S , and what their cost would have been had they been
built in Japan. The difference is some 48 per cent. Yet ac
cording to recent rumors Bethlehem Steel accepted an order
for four freighters, then ordered three of them built in Japan
anyway, pocketing the 48 per cent.
Blending Farming And Industry
(Greensboro Daily News)
A breakdown of North Carolina's Industrial growth last
year shows that 63 of the new Industrial projects started in
1958 process food or kindred products.
These new plants, widely scattered, over the state, repre
sent an investment of $21,000,000. They are expected to pay
2,346 employes $6,814,000 annually.
Thus their multiple Impact is obvious. They put more money
In state and local tax coffers. They provide Jobs for persons
who are victimized by Tarheelia's changing farm pattern, and
they stimulate growth of food and feed crops which will take
up at least part of the slack left by shrinking cotton and
tobacco acreage.
North Carolina is blessed with rich natural resources, in
cluding soil, normally adequate rainfall with increased re
course to irrigation serving as Insurance against drought, a
long growing season, and varied climate, which make possible
production of any number of crops. With assured markets
close at hand, Tar Heel farmers will feel more confidence in
raising foodstuffs and catering to the needs of processing
plants from the mountains to the sea.
Too long has North Carolina been dependent on one or
two major cash crops. Too long have we grown truck, vege
tables, fruit, et cetera, only to have them shipped elsewhere
to provide processing Jobs and Increased payrolls for residents
of distant states. The loss has been doubly hard when Tar
Heels have been forced to buy processed foods shipped right
back to them for distribution and consumption.
North Carolina's revolution is well under way, and its modua
operandi is happily a blending of industry and agriculture in
a manner meaningful to the state, its citizenry and the future.
Statesman Defined
(Ell&vllle, Ga., Sun)
A statesman Is a politician with a high fidelity record.
What About Bottom 40?
(Changing Times)
Every time we hear a disc jockey playing the top 40 tunes,
we shudder to think what the bottom 40 must be- like!
The rich man and his daughter are soon parted.
?Kin Hubbard.
DO YOU REMEMBER?
Looking Backward Through the Flies of The Press
65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK
(1894)
An Epworth League was organized at the Methodist Church
Sunday night with about 20 members.
Messrs. R. L. Porter, M. C. Alien, and H. C. Marshall went
over to Aquone yesterday to frighten the fishes In Nantahala
River.
Rev. Frank Siler preached to the colored people last night
in their church on Harrison Avenue.
Our young friend Leon Addington has commenced the study
of medicine under Dr. S. H. Lyle.
35 YEARS AGO
(1924)
Miss Martha Deal gave the Sunday School an egg hunt at
her home Sunday afternoon. There were eighty present.? Holly
Springs item.
The Iotla High School is fortunate in having as its com
mencement speaker this year Miss Elizabeth Kelly.
Mr. Henry Cunningham, of Durham, spent a few days here
last week, having been called to Franklin by the death of his
grandmother, Mrs. D. C. (Aunt Henrietta) Cunningham.
15 YEARS AGO
(1944)
Second Lt. Davis L. Dean, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman
Dean, has received an Oak Leaf Cluster to the Air Medal.
5 Years ago
(1954)
Work is about to start on the proposed Carson community
building, lt was announced at a meeting of the Carson Rural
Community Development Organization.
C. Jack Ragan is the new commander of the V. F. W. post
here, and Mrs. Elizabeth McCollum is the new president of
the Auxiliary.
KIDS NEED RULES
It's Time For Parents To Have The 'Guts' To Be Parents Again
Denied, Joy Of Achieving
(EDITOR S NOTE: This,
though written by a humorist,
for United Press International,
is in serious vein. Mr. Levenson
is a parent and a former teach
er.)
By SAM LEVENSON
I don't deny kids pleasure. God
bless them. I want them all to
have fun. But I also hate to see
them getting killed or seduced in
cars and getting into all kinds
of trouble. And the statistics are
that they do get into a lot of
trouble.
What to do about it? The par
ents have got to have the guts to
be parents. It takes a little courage
to face up to a kid when you.
know he is wrong. Our own par
ents had rules' and regulations
for us. I don't say they were al
ways right. But there were rules,
simple rules, and we knew what
they were and most of the time
we followed them ? or else.
You either went to school and
did a good job or you went to
work. If you went to college you
waited to get married at least till
you were out. If you wanted a
car or a raccoon coat or what
ever ? I'm not talking about rich
kids, but average kids of average
families ? you worked to get the
money for It. Sometimes you
couldn't.
Now. the kid starts with a car
which is given him for no good
reason except he wants it and "all
the other fellows have one." He
can't go out on a Saturday night
unless there's a car. There's a bus
tjiat passes his house a block or
two away, but he won't take it.
He must have the car.
The trouble with today's teen
agers is they expect everything
In life free. We've tried to make
our kids happy by giving them
everything that we didn't have
in life. It doesn't work 04t. You
do a kid no good by giving to him.
Because the only thing he gets
out of life that way is the habit
of receiving You've denied him
the Joy of uchieving.
Does anybody say to a kid any
more, "you're off Saturday You
have Rot nothing to do. How about
working for that extra five bucks
you want?" He never heard of it.
He gets panicky. That's when to
lay down some of the rules. One
of the biggest Is that a youngster
must be taught to be self-sufflci
ent. He has to start growing up.
And going steady ? at 15. First
thing you know ? they don't
know a thing yet except how to
neck or rock 'n' roll ? they walk
in with some idiot and say, "Ma.
we're going to get married." And
ma says yes because the kid'U
walk in next week with an even
worse idiot. Then the parents are
supporting the kids through the
first babies, or through college,
or both. In the old days, you re
member, mother and father made
the arrangements. They met the
girl ? or the boy. They met the
family. And they Investigated ?
practically the FBI. fingerprints,
everything.
The free icar, the early mar
riage. the unsupervised dates,
they're all symbols ? symbols of
kids' getting things they're not
ready for. all unearned increment.
It's spoiling their lives. They're
denied the wonder of anticipation,
of being able to say. "Look, when
I grow up. I'm going to work and
I'm going to earn money and I'm
going to do this and that and
the other thing; buy for myself
the things I want, earn them with
my own hands, brains."
That's a beautiful thing. It's in
the American tradition ? the
right and natural tradition. When
you give the kids everything before
they've achieved the right to them,
you're undermining that basic
American tradition ? and them.
It's up to the parents. Who else
is going to protect the young?
The tiger does it for his cubs.
We'd better find out where we
stand in this world, find out our
values in this society. The teen
agers need a reason for living,
too. They need a devotion. They
need an example. They need some
thing that's better and more im
portant than the car. The kids
are confused because the whole
code of values is upset. A child
must be raised with a sense of
responsibility to himself, to his
parents, to his country.
The parents of America are
frightened, they're more frightened
than the kids. Actually the ruling
class in America today are the
teenagers. They have laid the
rules out. It's time the parents
took the rules back in their own
hands.
STRICTLY
PERSONAL
By WEIMAR JONES
What Is a man supposed to do
when somebody tells him, flatly:
"You are wrong!" What is he
supposed to do. especially, when
he KNOWS he Is right?
Well, there are several ways to
try to meet that situation.
One way Is to assume a superior
air and answer the fellow, as you
would a child, "Do you think so?"
? and then change the subject.
That squelches him, all right.
But somehow, I've found, it isn't
very satisfactory to the squelcher.
First of all, you haven't convinced
him, you've only clobbered him.
And you haven't proved, even to
yourself, that you are right. Be
sides that, if you are a reasonably
decent human being, you're likely
to hate yourself, afterward, for
being a nasty snob.
Or you can argue with the
fellow. That's what most of us are
inclined to do; it's what I usually
do, anyhow. My blood pressure
rises along with my voic*. and
I try to tell him all the reasons
why I know I am right. When I
think about it afterward, though,
I realize I haven't done a very
good Job of reasoning; usually.
Instead, I've just kept on Insisting
I am right ? and trying to prove
he is wrong.
As something to get a man
stirred up. sometimes as a mental
stimulant even, a hard-fought
argument has it points. But my
guess is, it really settles just about
as many questions as war does.
And, in the case of individuals,
even if no blows are struck, it's
likely to end with one of the
arguers stalking away, slamming
the door behind him. Nobody's
convinced, because both of you
become so preoccupied with prov
ing you are right ? and with
thinking what a fool the other
is ? you are likely to forget what
it is you're arguing about. That's
my experience, at least.
Or you can try discussing the
question of who's right and who's
wrong. (You can, maybe; usually,
I can't.) Keeping your voice down,
you can carefully list all the
reasons why you think you're|
right. (You can, maybe; usually,
I can't. I'm so darned upset at
that nincompoop's telling me I
am wrong. I can't think of a
Single reason why I think I am
right) Discussing is better than
arguing; it's more polite, more
civilized. But, human nature be
lng what it Is, discussion generally
gets nowhere, either. Because each
Is Interested, primarily. In prov
ing he is right, and the other
fellow wrong. Again, nobody is
likely to be convinced. Incident
ally, you are lucky II you don't
convince him. If you do, you've
made an enemy for life; it's like
sticking a knife Into him, and
then twisting it.
Of course, there's one other
way . . .
But In our determination to be
right, are at least to appear right,
we almost never think of it ?
much less try it.
That way is to say: "Well, may
be I am wrong." Say it first to
yourself, so you'll mean It when
you say it out loud. Nine times out
of ten, it'll disarm the other fel
low on the spot.
(There are a f^w people, of
course, who'll rush into that
opening you've left, with an "of
course you're wrong" or an "any
body else would have known bet
ter" or ? and this is the tough
one to take ? a "so you admit
you're wrong". There are a few
people like that; but if you and
I are smart, we'll be able to keep
calm, because people who are like
that are people who don't mat
ter.)
I haven't had the sense to try
it often, but nine times out of
ten, I've found, if you reply. "Well,
maybe I am wrong", the other
fellow will first look surprised;
then he'll come back with "I be
lieve you are, but I'm not abso
lutely sure" or "I guess " I
shouldn't have spoken so positive
ly" or even "well, maybe it's me
that's wrong".
That way, both of you are
getting interested in what is
right, instead of who is; and are
starting to forget whether you
look silly in the other fellow's
eyes. Usually, you and the other
fellow will go together, wherever
you have to go to find out. to see
what is right.
And what do you find, when
you get there? As a rule, you
find either that you misunder
stood each other; or, more often,
that each of you is partly right,
partly wrong.
It's worrying about how we may
look to the other fellow that gets
us in most of the trouble you and
I (well; I, anyhow* seem to be
always getting into.
STEVENSON'S CHANCES
Is He A 'Born Loser'?
CHARLOTTE NEWS
Does Adlai E. Stevenson deserve
another crack at the Democratic
presidential nomination? We have
been assured that he does not by
a local political thinker who has
already pledged his allegiance to
one Stuart Symington.
"Oh, Adlai's okay," he allowed,
"but he has a black record."
"A black record?" we cried, in
credulously.
SEEING
IS BELIEVING
An Antrim farmer who com
plained that his wife did not
shoulder her full share of the
burden agreed to run the house
hold for one day. He kept a
minute record of his activities.
It read:
? Opened the door for children:
106 times.
Shouted, "Stop. Johnnie": 94.
Tied their shoes: 16.
Stopped quarrels: 19.
Answered phone: 11.
Provided glasses of water and
milk: 26.
Answered questions: 202.
Ran after children: About 4V2
miles.
Lost temper: 45 times.
Next day he bought his wife
the washing machine she coveted.
? Irish Digest. Dublin.
"I mean he has a kind of aura
of defeat about him." said our
friend. "He's a born loser. The
public just won't go for a loser
and, believe me, Adlai's a loser."
"Uh huh," we said, producing
a newspaper clipping from our
pocket and sharing it with Sym
ington's man.
This is what It said:
"Failed in business. '31.
"Defeated for Legislature, '32.
"Failed in business again. '33.
"Elected to Legislature, '34.
"Sweetheart died, '35.
"Suffered nervous breakdown.
'36.
"Defeated for speaker, '38.
"Defeated for elector, '40.
"Defeated for Congress. '43.
"Elected to Congress, '46.
"Defeated for Congress, '48.
"Defeated for Senate, '55.
"Defeated for vice president,
'56.
"Defeated for Senate, '58.
"A born loser, all right." mused
our friend.
Yes. But he was elected Prpsi:
dent of the United States in '80.
His name was Abraham Lincoln.
BUT IT WASN'T
FUNNY TO HER
The Hamlet woman who oould
not unlock her parked ear broke
a window to get In. Then (he dis
covered It wasn't her car. ? Rook
Ingham Poet Dl* patch.
TEEN-AGE TALK
Record Of A Phone Conservation
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER
Having found it impossible to
report what a teen-aged gal-chlld
talks about on the telephone, we
set up a tape recorder in a likely
bedroom the other night and pre
sent herewith a transcript.
(This is illegal ? also unsports
manlike ? but you've seen what
fiends we are. Besides, who's to
know?)
Switch to the taped record:
Hello?
You don't mean it?
You can't really mean it.
Well. I mean, if you really mean
it, it's? real mean.
What I mean is, I can't believe
you mean it, and if you do mean
it ? golly, that's mean.
i Pause > .
No.
i Pause'.
No .
i Pause'-.
Yes?
(Pause).
No.
I mean, really.
I'm not being mean. I just mean
no. You don't understand what I
mean.
(Pause).
Yes.
(Pause).
Yes?
(Pause).
No.
The trouble with you ? I don't
mean the "trouble'' with you, but
the ? aw, you know what I mean ?
I just don't mean what you think
I do. .
Something went wrong with the
current at that point and it's
probably just as well.
Serves us right for eaves
dropping. really.
Besides, cross our hearts, she
lost us somewhere. If you know
what we mean.