Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Sept. 24, 1959, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
Sflfjr ffttttWitt f ttg$ and Gllte Highlands IRarantan WEIMAR JOXES Editorial J 'age Editor The editor controls ami takes full responsibility for this pift. He has no control over or responsibility for what appears elsewhere in the paper. 2 QUESTIONS, 2 RIGHTS About Power Deal Two good questions are being' asked those who oppose the proposed Xantahala Duke power deal. The first is: Do you ever really gain anything' by forcing a man to do what he doesn't want to do? J . Well, it's better, ot course, it you can persuade him. Rut suppose a man gave yon a note, and' then tried to avoid his obligation to pay. Would you refrain from bringing suit just because it might put him in. a bad humor? As a matter of fact, while he might not like you if you forced him to pay, he'd respect you? and you'd lose his respect, as well as your money, if you wcaklv let the matter go by de fault. When Alcoa obtained power sites, by con demnation, it assumed the obligation (through its subsidiary, Xantahala) to use the power produced, first of all, to serve the public. Then there's another angle. The circumstances of this situation really provide the answer to that question. Because a public service corporation is given certain sjxxial privileges ? a monopoly, a vir tual guarantee of a fair return on it.s investment, and sometimes the power of eminent domain. In return, it must place itself under government con trol ? in this state, the N. Utilities Commission. And that commission not only has the authority to fix the rates the corporation may charge, hut also the authority, and the duty, to require it t<> give adequate service ? in some instances, to give service that may not he profitable. In short, Xan tahala already is under compulsion and it ? or Duke, if the deal should he approved? will con tinue to he forced to do things it inav Hot wish to do. The second question is: Hasn't a man a right to sell whatever lie owns ? In ordinary circumstances, of course he has! But these are not ordinary circumstances. They are not, because along with the right to sell goes the equal ly important right to sell. And that right was suspended when Alcoa was permitted to take the power sites it wanted through condemnation. When the original owners' right not to sell was suspended, .Alcoa's right to sell immediately be came tied in with the public interest. And certainly there is a valid question as to whether it is either morally right OR in the public interest for Alcoa to, be allowed, first to condemn private property, and then to shirk the responsibil ity that involved, by funneling this locally-produced power out of the state and into Tennessee, there to serve not the public interest, but to serve Alcoa alone. Deserve Support A movement has been launched here to bring the N. C. l ittle Symphony Orchestra here for con certs-next spring. That is a worth while project, for we have far too little good music in Franklin : the free concert for school children gives it a high educational value, quite aside from the pleasure the adult con cert will give those who attend. But it's an ambi tious program ? it will take money. And so the small group of people who have taken on the proj ect face a lot of hard work. Their efforts deserve the appreciation of the community, and the generous support of the public. 'Sold Down The River' (Sylva Herald ? Among the many natural resources of Western North Caro lina ? forests, water, minerals, climate, scenery, etc. ? our vast water hydro power potential is high on the vital list in our program for expansion, development, and progress which this siz-oounty area is now making and plans for in the future. Two weeks ago we were rudely awakened to the fact that our great water power potential is to be "Sold Down The River", so to speak, as far as this area is concerned, and the citizeiis of th? area now served by Nantahala Power and Light Company (Aluminum Company of America) are to be deprived of this electric power generated right here, much of it in Jackson County, and all of it to be transmitted to Alcoa over in Tennessee. What is best for the six-county area now, is the big ques ? _ / uWell! Tlial's The WavTlic Ball Bounces!" <*% V tion. Nantahala proposes to sell its distribution system to Duke Power Company and let Duke take over the job of furn ishing power to the area from its plants in other counties and states. Suppose some agency should come into Jackson County and buy all the forest resources and then say to Mead Corpora tion ? you can't have a stick of wood from the county in which you are operating ? you must find wood in some other county or state ? we are going to take the wood here over into Ten nessee for our own use. This power deal means just that, since Nantahala does not propose to sell Duke its big dams and power plants in the area. No people should have to stand for this kind of treat ment. But, now that we have been "asleep at the switch" and let this situation develop to this stage, what can we do about it, if anything? We can protest, carry it even to the Supreme Court, and try to make Nantahala (Aluminum Company of America) continue to furnish us power from our water. But have you ever had to make someone, or some firm, do some thing? They'll only do just enough to get by and never give satisfaction. We have no qilarrel with Nantahala for past performances. The company has done a good job of extending lines and facilities in the area and its services and rates have been most satisfactory. This is one Reason the area would like to see Nantahala remain in the distribution business. Neither do we have any quarrel with Duke Power Company. From all we can find out, Duke's services are satisfactory in the areas it serves. The Duke company is strictly in the dis tribution business and has a program for expanding its facil ities and services where needed. Duke is one of the nation's largest power producers and is now serving the great indus trial sections of North and South Carolina. It is a fact that Duke is able to furnish large blocks of power for commercial- and industrial purposes, much more than Nantahala could furnish if all the power generated in the area was available to the area, with none going to Alcoa. LETTERS Favors Watershed Plan Editor, The Press: I'm with you one . hundred per cent regarding Franklin's water supply! I may, never be directly involved ? more than to drink at the town fountain. I had much rather know that that mouthful of water came directly from a municipal watershed. Water is a major factor in regulating growth of plants, ani mals, industry, and cities: it is essential not only for growth and development but for sustaining life. But all this 1s common knowledge. The point I wish to make Is this: Franklin should never be faced with water shortages and low water pressures. The town lies In an area blessed with annual rainfall of more than twice the national average. Resource development ? not water supply ? is the prob lem. Franklin is now involved In the same pattern of water re source development that has been experienced in city after city. Many got along with local wells until, after years of inconvenience, recurrent epidemics, and general dissatisfac tion, the public became willing to pay the cost of develop ment of new sources of water. Personally, I would like to see Franklin's future water come from a municipal watershed, of which there are many avail able. Granted the initial cost of the watershed system may be more than that of pumping water from Cartoogechaye Creek. But we must steel ourselves to the idea that further water development cannot be achieved at the price of five cents per ton, to which we have grown accustomed in the past. WILLIE R. CURTIS La Crosse, Wisconsin. The Courthouse: Build New One Dear Mr. Jones: This week the County Board of Commissioners announced that they are in favor of a remodeling job for our county courthouse. I feel that it is time, yes, past time, for the citizens of Macon County to let their feelings be known re garding this important issue: I further feel that the majority of the citizens of Macon County would much rather see their tax dollars invested in a new courthouse than wasted on the present one. A remodeling job will not solve the problems existing in the present building. If the present building were new, it would still be inadequate. This fact, coupled with the fact that the walls are crumbling, and the woodwork is eaten up by termites arid wood lice, should be enough to prove to any one that we need a new and larger courthouse. The remodel ing job should have been done 25 years ago, or about tt>e time the building was condemned for public use. We did not even think of trying to remodel the old log houses that a great many of our parents and grandparents lived in 75 to 100 years ago. The days of the horse and buggy and ox carts are gone long ago. After spending 35 years of my life in carpentry work on power dams, power houses, and buildings of different types, I feel sure that any money spent on the old courthouse would be wasted ? and we still wouldn't have a courthouse such as we need today. We need a new and larger one on a larger lot with plenty of parking space. Such a courthouse would increase the value of every piece of property in Macon County. A new one would ASSOCIATED PRESS Feature Do Small Counties Control N. C. Legislature? By NOEL YANCE Y Do the smaller, comparatively rural counties control North Caro lina's General Assembly and. therefore, have the dominant voice in determining the direction of state government? Figures on legislative represen tation indicate that this is so. However, some legislative ob servers feel that the General As sembly does not often split so - that representatives of the big, populous counties are arrayed against the small, rural county representatives. But. when the split is along these lines, the smaller counties have the votes to decide the issue their way. Take the Senate, for example: one group of senatorial districts contains only *10 per cent of the State's poulation. Under the pres ent senatorial districting set-up. they elect 12 senators ? nearly one fourth of the senate's 50 members. Another group of senatorial dis tricts contains about one-fourth of the Aate's population but these districts have only seven senators ? or one-seventh of the senate's membership. On the House side of the Capi tol. you will find that Tyrrell County, with a population of 5.051. has one member, and Cleveland County, with 64,316 population, has only one member. Camden County, with 5.209 population, has one member and so does Wayne, with 64,174. The big reason for the big dis parity in the Senate membership can be traced to the General As sembly's refusal to redistrict ini accordance yvith the Constitution, which says the Senate shall be re districted and the House reap portioned after every federal cen sus. Under the present senatorial districting, the 29th district ? composed of Alleghany, Ashe and Watauga counties ? has a popu lation of 48.263 and has one senator, and the 20th district ? Mecklenburg County ? has a pop ulation of 196.160 and also haa just one senator. If the Senate were redistricted In accordance with 1950 census figures, both Mecklenburg and Guilford would be entitled to two senators each. Forsyth, with a population of 145,076, also might be entitled to two senators. The big disparity in House rep resentation results mainly from the fact that every county is en titled to one representative. Since there are only 120 house members, this leaves only 20 scats' to assign on a population basis. But, how often does the General Assembly split on issues so that little counties and big counties are solidly arrayed against each other? ?Sen. Claude Currie, of Durham, said he felt that they split that way only on the issue of reap ,portionment and re-districting it self. Rep. Clifton Blue, of Moore, said. "I don't think we do as often as you might think or be led to believe." Sen. J. Spencer Bell, of Meck lenburg. said that on some issues the split is not along smali county versus big county lines, but that on other issues they definitely split that way. "The so-called big counties sel dom present a united front, cer tainly on economic issues," said Bell. "They have both conserva tives and liberals and both pro gressives and standpatters in their delegations, and only where the leadership of the state at large can draw a clear issue can you unite the influence of the big counties." Bell pointed to a fact that may be fully as important as the num ber of representatives the small counties have. "I think the small counties tend to send outstanding men back to the legislature for many terms." Bell said, "because the problem of getting elected is not so diffi cult and the economy of the com munity makes it easier for the people to serve ? to leave their businesses and farms and go to Raleigh. "This develops a natural leader ship among the small counties and their influence is powerful in the Legislature. "This leadership tends to be very conservative and to influence the conservative element of the big county delegations. And where there is a real conflict of interest or an apparent conflict of interest ? and I think it is more often apparent than real ? this leader ship has a very telling effect against the big counties." In addition to the defeat of reapportionment and redisricting, the defeat of Gov. Hodges' "in centive plan" in the last session of the General Assembly was an example of the weight the smaller counties can swing when they unite on an issue. The plan was aimed at getting the counties to boost their finan cial support of the public schools. Small county legislators regarded it as the first move in an attempt to shift the burden of public school support back to the coun ties. They opposed it, and it never got to first base. Strictly Personal Bj WEIMAR JONES There's a lot of truth In what appeals on a placard that the Rev. John W Tucker keeps fac ing him In his automobile: "The hurr letter I go. 1 The behinder I get." ? ? * I like the old mountain expres sion, "goin' on", in the sense of approaching: as in the statement about a child's age. that he's "goin' on five". That is, because time's a-goin' on, the child is nearing another birthday. And it conveys a second, and interesting, idea: That the child is conscious of. and delighted by. the passage of time, because he wants to get older in a hurry. i Note how he starts "goin' on six" the day after his fifth birthday.) My! how his ideas on that sub ject will change, after time's been goin' on for a while. ? ? ? It, has often been said that: Great minds discuss ideas. - Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people. Well, maybe. But I have my doubts about that's being simon pure gospel. For isn't it true that really good ideas are likely to develop into events? and. on the other hand, that some of the best ideas are prompted by, and grow out of. events? And what would events mean, divorced from people? Isn't it. as a matter of fact, people who most affect ? if they go not actually cause ? events? And surely events affect people! Life can't be separated into air tight compartments like that. I, personally, like to discuss events better than I do people, aad ideas better than events; and I'm sure I'm not unique in that. But, at the moment. I can't recall a single conversation, of any length, that was confined to any two of the three. And my gi^ess is I'd flee from a conversation con fined to any one of the three ? I would, that is. if I didn't fall asleep from boredom first. And I'm sure I'm not unique in that, either. In other words, it seems to me this statement is like a lot of others that most *f us are inclined to accept without question: It contains some truth, but it isn't all the truth; it probably isn't even wholly true. Which recalls something I heard back in my college days: "All generalizations are false ? including this one." * * * Who, I've often wondered, in vented clocks and watches? And who was the fellow who came up with the idea of calendars? All these things, of course, have to do with time; they are efforts to measure time ? and they do a remarkably accurate job if it. And yet th&t phrase, "measure time", is something of a contra diction in terms. For how can you measure what you can't even sat isfactorily define, much less under stand? The calendar and the time piece. Quite a feat, each of those, wasn't it? Took a lot of brains and work and patience and in genuity. Yes. and it took a lot of time. Because before either of those could come into being, the ele ments of astronomy had to be mastered; there had to be some understanding of the ways of the stars and the sun and the moon; of where then moved and how fast. When you consider how little the ancients knew and how primi tive were their methods and In struments, It makes our highly touted scientific developments of today seem rather small, by com parison. Qreat achievements, yes. And yet, I often wonder: What If It Is the 19th of November? or 10 minutes after 4 o'clock? Does that make you and me any older than we would have been, at this, moment, had man not contrived ways to divide time. into days anxl months and years, and into sec onds and minutes and hours? Does it change, in the slightest, the fact that each one of us still has all the time there is? Doesn't the mere act of measur ing time, in fact, tend to decrease it? For, as we become more and more conscious of it. doesn't it slip away, faster and faster? Who has more time, who is less hurried, the child who has not learned to tell time by the clock or to read the calendar, or the adult who hurries faster and faster and faster, in a vain effort to keep up with the clock and the calendar? Geniuses, those fellows who gave, us the clock and the calendar? Sure! ' Would I do without clocks and watches and calendars? Heck no! But were the fellows who gave us these devices benefactors of the human race? Well .... ABOUT WATER Some History And A Suggestion Orover Jamison, who came to Franklin In 1905, this week re called a bit of history bearing on Franklin's water problem ? and offered a suggestion. The history: In 1908. Franklin was hit by an epidemic of typhoid. It was that scourge that prompted the town fathers, in the interest of the community's health, to estab lish a municipal water system. It was in the period when "summer visitors" to Franklin were just that ? when they came, they stayed most of the summer, if rot all of it. And among that sum mer's visitors was a geologist. The late Dr. S. H. Lyle interest ed him in making a study of the topography of Franklin and its environs, with a view to suggesting where the town was likely to get the best and most water, from wells. His suggestion was Baird's Cove. Presumably, though, the little Franklin of half a century ago didn't have the money to pipe water from that distance, so 'it went as far toward Baird's Cove as it could, for its first well ? the one near the Nantahala Creamery, on West Main Street. Mr. Jamison's suggestion: If Baird's Cove was the best place to go for water in 1908, it probably still is. Mr. Jamison, though, wouldn't accept the half century old survey. He suggests getting a competent present-day geologist to make a similar sur vey. If his recommendation also should be Baird's Cove, then why not try a well there? (No need, of course, to lay any pipe till results demonstrate there's enough water to warrant it.) One or tv^a wells in that area, Mr. Jamison thinks, might provide enough, water for Franklin's needs for 25 years. be a drawing card for people looking for home and indus trial sites, not a drawback such as the present one. I feel that it is up to the people of Macon County to let the commissioners know their feelings, and then up to the commissioners to act accordingly. So. Mr. Jones, I ask the people of Macon County, through this letter to you, to speak now, speak loudly, strongly, and clearly, before it is too late. Thank you. Franklin. ELBERT A. STILES \ DO YOU REMEMBER? Looking Backward Through the Files ot The Press 65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1894) Try a pair of S. R. Slagle's home-made shoes. At Trotter's' ? Adv. The Republican senatorial convention convened yesterday at Aquone. We have not learned who was selected for the sacrificial offering. Mr. Ous Leach is working on a church building on Peach tree in Cherokee County. i School crayons, slates, pencils, writing paper, and tablets | for sale at the Drug Store. 35 YEARS AGO (1924) CHAPEL HILI A Macon-Jackson Club has been organized, by combining the boys from each of those two counties, as there were not enough from each to organize separate clubs. Those here from Macon are R. S. Jones, C. L. Fouts, H. C. Fouts. T. D. Slagle, P. R. Newman, F. H. Scroggs, H. G. .Trot ter, Claud Tallent, and C. C. Poindexter. ? SAN DIEGO, Calif.? America's round-the-world fliers re turned today to Rockwell Field, San Diego, from which they took off last March to start on their globe-circling trip. 15 YEARS AGO (1944) Technical Sergeant Hillard L. MeCall, of Otto, and Staff Sergeant Russell P. Nicholson, of Benton Harbor, Mich., are being hailed by fellow officers and enlisted men for their part in rescuing a Canadian fighter pilot from a treacherous undertow recently. The pilot, of the Royal Canadian Air Force, told the story after he had recovered. The Distinguished Flying Cross has recently been presented to Technical Sergeant Jacob S. Mason, 21, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Van Buren Mason, of Leatherman. 5 YEARS AGO (1954) ? Frank B. Duncan yesterday announced plans for building a modern, 22-unit tourist court on Palmer Street at Porter.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Sept. 24, 1959, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75