Newspapers / The Franklin Press and … / Aug. 11, 1960, edition 1 / Page 2
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?be fftuiKlitt 3it?? said Higtflanfts fHanmian WEIMAR JONES Editorial Page Editor THURSDAY. AUGUST 11, IW TRAFFIC AND FACTS Evidence Of A Need On the morning' of September 27, 1956, Franklin people awoke to find Main and Palmer one-way streets. Now, nearly four years later, the Board of Aldermen has voted, without public notice, to junk the one-way system, effective August 15. What circumstances have changed to warrant the shift back to two-way streets? Has there been a decrease in the heavy traffic that dictated the one-\yay .streets in the first place? Has there been a change in the location of high ways or of other local traffic patterns? Have the problems that the one-way system created from the start become different? Some seven months after one-way streets went into effect here ? at the biennial town election on May 7, 1957 ? the question of the one-way vs. the two-way system was submitted to the voters in an advisory referendum. The one-way plan was ap proved by a vote of nearly two to one ? 435 to 249. Has there since been a change in public senti ment on the iseue? There may have been. We don't know. But the point is: the aldermen don't know, either. They couldn't know, for sure, without a referendum. We suspect the board acted with just about as much exact information on other phases of this problem as they had on this one. We are not suggesting that the one-way streets have not worked inconvenience and even hardship on some. Nor are we suggesting that the one-way " system is better than the two-way. We don't know; we haven't enough exact information to know. And we suspect nobody else has enough exact informa tion. What we are suggesting is not only that the board appears to have acted, both in 1956 and in 1960, with undue haste, but that it acted without first getting all the facts. This is not said in a spirit of personal criticism of board members. They are good men ; it is our belief they want to do what is best for Franklin. The criticism should be directed, primarily, at the system under which we operate here in Frank lin ? a system that tends to encourage the making of decisions on public matters without enough ex act information. A SIDE-LINE BUSINESS Franklin's mayor and aldermen are part-time town employees. They are paid for only a fraction of their time. And while the chances are most of them put in much more time than they get paid for, their official jobs of necessity are a side-line with them. Just like you or me, they have to devote their first interest and the bulk of their time to their personal businesses. Meeting, usually, only once a month, they must study the problems of a growing town in a fast changing world, and try to find solutions. Is it any wonder, no matter how good their intentions, they sometimes make mistakes? f Take the matter of the junking of the one-way street system. All the evidence suggests they made their decision on a basis of guess rather than knowl edge. Furthermore, if any or all of them devoted their full time to the town's affairs, they'd be sorely handicapped. They'd be somewhat in the position of a plumber trying to run a hosiery plant. Suppose you or I were an alderman? Would we know exactly what facts to get and where to get them about the advantages and disadvantages of one-way streets? If the town had a man trained for that sort of thing, and who was paid to devote his full-time to town affairs, there'd be no necessity for the alder men to make their decisions by guess. A trained person, with the time to do it, could come up, on an issue like the one-way streets, with exact facts about traffic count and the speed of traffic move ment ; with exact information about the amount of wrong-way driving by tourists ? and with sugges tions on hoyv to cure that by proper markings with exact informition about the amount of speed ing, and when it islworst ? with suggestions on how to solve that proplem by proper distribution of the police force; yd with a score of other sets of facts that are pertinent to acting on a problem as technical as the regulation of present-day motor traffic. > This hit-or-miss, overnight decision on one-way streets illustrates one of the reasons why Franklin needs a city manager. And this is only one of many. Can anybody imagine a private business with a yearly budget of $172,000 trying to operate it with a board of directors, but no manager? Just as with a business, if we had a city man ager, over-all policies would continue to be made by the aldermen. But they'd be made on a basis of complete, exact information provided by the man ager. And those policies would be carried out in the only efficient way possible ? by a full-time, trained executive. Giving And Getting Mrs. Faye Moses Mashburn, Macon native who died last week, was one of those who demanded little of life ? but gave much. Whether it was history, which fascinated her, or public education, which she championed her whole life through, that occupied her, her face never was turned backward, but always ahead. To her, the past had meaning only as it explained the present ; and today's major mission was the creation of a better tomorrow for those yet to come. Recognizing the importance of government, she studied it ; then took an active part, at the local level, in politics. It was a duty. Self-effacing almost to a fault, in her quiet way she could and did speak out firmly on matters of principle. A member of that sturdy group of individualists that seemed, somehow, to flourish in this soil, she made her own, distinctive contribution to what we call the Macon County character. Perhaps because she expected so little, most of her life was filled with pleasant surprise at the bounties life heaped upon her? such simple things as the joy of friendship, the love of learning, and the mystery and beauty of nature. Somebody May Die Because habit forms quickly and because we fol low habit without thought, we'll have a major traf fic hazard in Franklin next Monday, and in the succeeding days. For nearly four years, we've all been driving two abreast on Main and Palmer Streets. Now, suddenly, those two are to become two-way streets. Without something to shock us out of habit, some of us are sure tp try to drive in the left lane, abreast of another car. The result is likely to be head-on collisions. To avoid accidents, injuries, deaths, town author ities should make the two-way markings so plain and prominent nobody can miss theni. And, for the next few weeks, every motorist here should drive slowly and with extra care. Otherwise, somebody ? maybe several some bodies ? may die. Is South Right Or Wrong? (Laurinburg Exchange) Ten Southern States, including North Carolina, entered a formal and bitter protest to the strong civil rights plank of the platform which was adopted by the National Democratic Convention. There were no threats, no walkouts, no warning of desertion of the party In November, other than the state ment that It would "make It hard tor us to carry the state for the ticket in November." But at that there were veiled hints that there may to trouble, and bitter resentment, and words that cut deep and declared that the South will never be coerced, browbeaten and brought to its knees by court order and executive direc tives. The fight will go on to the bitter end, ao speaker after speaker declared. And that raises the question. Is the South right or wrong about this thing called civil rights? Is its position tenable and sound, or Is it merely fighting a rear guard retreat? Do the politicians and the rest of us realize that the battle Is lost and that It Is Just a matter of time unll we must bow to the inevitable? The answer is perhaps that the South is both right and wrong. In the end it will have to yield a little, accept com promises, and adjust to new conditions. But there is no doubt that the South is being bullied and baited and persecuted by outsiders who are 'bent on interfering In the Internal affairs of the States. Opposition to civil rights legislation and coercion are not based solely on prejudice, but underlying this opposition Is a genuine concern for the future welfare of the states and of the nation. The South perhaps Is the only part of the coun try which still retains a solidarity and stability of citizenship which is mostly native born of original American stock. Maybe this makes for provincialism, for isolation, and for op position to change, but it also counts for something worth while and something that needs to be preserved. And when we hear It said that we want to preserve our way of life, it does not necessarily mean that the South would perpetuate a wrong or deny justice and fair treatment to any race or minority, but it means that Southern people have a heritage which they believe could be lost and that the basic principles and convictions of Its people represent something that Is missing in many parts of the country. LETTERS Applauds Letter Editor, The Press: Unlike some summer residents who seem inhospitable and in fact erect "No Trespassing" signs and block mountain paths with chains which, to the mountain man, simply say, "not welcome here". Reader Lepert, of Florida, in her letter to the editor of The Press, has expressed a degree of tourist friend liness worth more than land and cabins themselves. I would like to take this opportunity to wish her a speedy recovery. WILFORD CORBIN Franklin. DO YOU REMEMBER? Looking Backward Through the File* ol The Press 65 TEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1895) The crops are splendid and everybody ought to be thank ful. Mr. H. G. Trotter Is putting a new roof on his store build ing. Last Friday morning was cool enough to render fires com fortable. As good meal as we have had the pleasure of tasting comes from Mr. R. A. Wood's mill on Iotla. Solicitor Geo. A. Jones went to Bryson City Sunday to at tend to legal business there Monday. Messrs, Barak Wright and S. P. Ravenell, Jr., of Highlands, came down Sunday evening to attend commissioners' court Mondnv 35 YEARS AGO (1925) During some noon hour of the August term of court Judge Thad Bryson will speak to the people of Macon county on the proposed national park in the Great Smoky Mountains. Judge Bryson is an earnest advocate of this park. The big Tabernacle, built In the grove Just south of town. Is now complete and ready for the great Truett-McConnell meeting August 14-23. 15 TEARS AGO (1945) The Siler family held its 94th meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Joe Setser on Cartoogechayc the first Thursday in this month. Russia has now joined England and America in the war against the Japs. 5 TEARS AGO * (1955) Curtain's going up August 11 on what Maconians hope will be the first of many county fairs. Temperatures here for the past week ranged from a low of 63 to a high of 89. RELIGIOUS ISSUE SHIFTS Can We Trust Kennedy, A Catholic, With The Presidency? SMITHFIELD HERALD I The religion Issue In Amer ican politics Is shifting to new ground. The Issue has been: Should we elect a Catholic as President of the United States? The issue Is becoming: Can we trust John Kennedy to resist dictatorial pressure of the Cath olic Church as he says he will? If it ls certain, or even likely, that election of Senator Ken nedy would turn control of the White House over to the Vati can or the Catholic Bishops of America, then it is the clear duty of freedom-loving voters to reject the Kennedy candi dacy. But there is no such certain ty or likelihood, despite disturb ing statements from high Cath olic officialdom. . Those who fear Vatican rule of Washington through Ken nedy are quoting these state ments from an editorial that appeared in a newspaper pub llshed by the Vatican: "The Church has full powers of true Jurisdiction over all the faithful and hence has the duty and the right to guide, direct, and correct them on the plane of Ideas and the plane of ac tion ... The Church has the duty and the right to intervene even in (the political) field to enlighten and help consciences ... A Catholic can never pre scind (detach for purposes of thought) the teachings and di rectives of the Church. In every sector of his activities he must inspire his private and public conduct by the laws, orienta tion, and instructions of the hierarchy." Interpreted rigidly, this could mean that the Vatican insists on the right to dictate the pol icies and practices of political leaders who adhere to the Cath olic faith. Interpreted liberally, this could be nothing more than a pronouncement saying tnat a political leader Should be strong ly under the influence of his church and religious faith? a pronouncement which often comes from Protestant pulpits and Is not in conflict with the Protestant belief in separation of church and state." If we can accept John Ken nedy's statements at face value, it is obvious that the Democrat ic candidate for President eith er interprets the Vatican editor ial opinion liberally or is an in- : dependent Catholic who cour ageously declares his lndepen- , dance from any dictatorship or dictatorial tendencies of the 1 Vatican or the Catholic Bish- : ops of America. I For Senator Kennedy has 1 forthrlghtly declared his belief 1 In the principle of church and 1 state separation with the fer- 1 vor of a Baptist. And be has said flatly that he will not be dictated to by the Catholic Church. Such Independence within Catholic ranks merits admiration from Protestants. This i s not to say that Sen ator Kennedy will not be influ enced by his religious faith. Would Protestants want a Pres ident who cuts himself off en tirely from the influence of his church and faith? There is nothing In the Ken nedy record to indicate that he is dishonest when he says he ' believes In church and state < separation and will not be die- ' tated to by the Catholic Church, t Protestants cite Kennedy's re- 1 fusal to attend an lnterfalth c meeting some years ago upon c the advice of his "ecclesiastical f superiors." But the facts of that i Incident do not show that Ken- f nedy acted upon orders. a There already Is clear evl- 1 ience that the Vatican does not iictate to Catholic political leaders in the United States. We have had many Catholic members of Congress, and they nave held a variety of opinions )n public issues which have produced opposite voting on .egislatlon. We have had Cath >llc governors in a number of states, and there is no evidence ;hat they have followed any Vatican "party line" in admln stering public affairs. Democrats should not blindly 'swallow Kennedy", just be :ause party leaders crack the vhlp. Democrats should study he man and his views, includ ng his views on separation of :hurch and state. The Demo ratic nominee should stand or all on his own merit and the nerlt of his party. The mere act that he Is a Catholic is not , i valid reason for rejecting Kennedy or accepting him. i SOURCE OF CONFUSION Sanford: The Town And The Man CHAPEL HILL WEEKLY Unless the bottom drops clear out of the political market be tween now and November, the next Governor of North Caro lina will be named Sanford. With the advent of Terry's tepure, newspaper headline writers will have to start mind ing a little more than their P"a and Q's, for in the central part of the state there is a town named Sanford. If ever there was a primed springboard for magnificent confusion, this is it. Unless headlines Identify the Governor as the Governor and the town as the town, who's to tell what North Carolina is coming to? Herewith some Imaginary, though not Impossible, examples of this incipient embroglio: "Sanford To Attend Charity Dinner" suggests that the en tire population of the town, about 10,000 people, will turn up at a dinner and demand seats. "Sanford Waterworks Over hauled" sounds like a rather clumsy report of surgery per formed on the Governor. People would wonder what kind of hobbles the Governor had If "Sanford Gets New Fire Engine" or "Sanford Buys New Garbage Truck" appeared In print, and considerable specu lation about the character of the Governor's social life would arise out of a headline an nouncing "Sanford Host To Circus." The Governor's physical stam ina would be seriously ques tioned by those seeing "Snow Paralyzes Sanford" or "Sanford Sizzles In Heat Wave" In the papers. Either "Sanford Whips Pitts boro" or "Pittsboro Whips San ford" could raise a wild flurry of excited gossip. "Touring Exhibit Passes Through Sanford" has a tragic comic note about it, but "San ford Covered With Migrating Birds" is nothing but ludicrous. "Sanford Vice increasing" Is alarming, as is "Slums Mar Sanford" (what was he doing Saturday night?), and "Sanford Gutters Need Cleaning" Is get ting much too personal. "DAB Delegates Descend On Sanford" leads one to envision a melee of revolutionary Da ugh ten pummellng the Governor to a pulp, and "Colonial Dames Chooee Sanford For Banquet" Is nothing short of grisly. "Sanford To Get New Abat toir" suggests a possiblfe solu tion to where the administra tion's political adversaries are disappearing to. "Sanford Slayer Given Term" would cause a lot of unneces-r , sary talk about Lieutenant Governor Cloyd Phllpott, next in line for the Governorship. "Sanford Expanding" carries overtones of diet problems, as does "Japanese Beetles Reported In Sanford," and "Copperhead Killed In Sanford." "Sanford Sewage Disposal Praised" is also getting a little too personal. So is '^Sanford Plagued By Tobacco Bugs". "Sanford Driver Under Influ ence" could bring a lot of criti cism down on the highway patrolman who chauffeurs the Governor's car. Other momentous possibilij ties: ' "Sanford Has Measles Epi demic," "Food Poisoning Hits Sanford," "Cranberries Remov ed from Sanford Shelves," "Tainted Meat Found In San ford," "Thieves' Loot Recovered In Sanford," and "Sanford Births Increasing." And most bewildering of all would be "Sanford Fetes San ford." . GREAT-GRANDDADDY Scientists at Lockheed's nuclear laboratories near Dawsonville have confirmed what Georgia farmer! and home gardeners always have known. Crab grass will not be discouraged. While pines and other forms of vegetation have succumb ed to radiation hazards within a test area, crab grass grows on and on and on, Just as it does in your field or front yard. These tests may point to a use for the grass. Perhaps within It lurks some property that will make the human race hardier in the face of fall-out. It now seems possible that the evolutionary cycle may begin all over again, with crab grass as the great-great great-granddaddy of all living things. ? Atlanta Journal I Toads And Toad Houses GREENSBORO DAILY NEWS ... The demise of the hoppy toad would be a sad state of affairs to members of the gen- < eratlon who spent many of their happiest chllrihnnri mom ents building toad houses, prod- ; ding land frogs along and keep- : ing them In cartons, cigar boxes or pockets, despite repeated : warnings about warts. i But, ah, this year? the hoppy 1 toads, big aad little, are all over the place. Only a few nights MACARONI: MILES OR TASTE? Latest U.S. industrial boast; the U.S makes more macaroni than any other nation in the world. Maybe it's O.K. to Judge maca roni by the mile, it having a rather measuring-worm tendency. But in Italy where the per capita consumption is certainly greater by far than anyhere else, they judge It by how good it is. And they make It themselves, right there in the kitchen, and hang it out In the fine hot Italian sun to dry. Then rub the dish with plenty of garlic, add hot melted butter, swish the pasta round and round in it . . . sprinkle well with good real parmesan . . . take fork and big spoon in hand, and go to / work ! ? Southern Pines Pilot. ago one of our nature-loving scouts saw a regular convention of toads at a Sunset Hills In tersection. Ther*d bears ratet late- that afternoon and this particular Scout encountered the hoppy toads as he took a 10 o'clock stroll under recently cleared skies. Rainwater still dropped trom the trees, the earth was moist, and small puddles re mained where contour of the streets, sidewalks and landstrip in between permitted them. The dampness, he concluded, had much to do with emergence of the toads. But why were they out in such numbers at this particular spot, where a traffic hazard ex isted and the light beat down brightly from an overhanging street light? A few moments of watching gave the answer. Bugs, moths and insects of all kinds were swarming around the elec tric light. As they hit the light or fell a victim to its heat at close range, they dropped to the street and sidewalk below. Hoppy toads were simply out foraging. They gobbled up the insects and bugs as rapidly aq they fell; in fact they occa sionally caught one on the fall. It was dinner time, and they were making the most of it. So toads are with us after all. How many, young and old, would like to take off their shoes, bank cool sand and mud arnunrf their fppt. and Iaovo a house not only something to be hold but fit for any homeless hoppy toad to inhabit? By the way, did any of you old-time toad-house builders ever see one of your structures occupied by anything save your own feet? v MUST EDUCATE ALL TYPES No one would consider requir ing all boys and girls, irrespective of their talent, to spend hours trying to play a musical instru ment. Yet some recent proposals I have read about a high school curriculum seem to me equally absurd. To be sure, if the United States is to survive in the kind of world in which we live, rapid Improvement of the education of the academically talented youth must take place. But in our zeali to upgrade the schooling of one group of students ? the ex ceptionally bright boys and girlf ,, ? we must not forget the needs of all the others. We must not neglect the development of the manual skills or the education of future voters. ? Dr. James B. Conant.
The Franklin Press and the Highlands Maconian (Franklin, N.C.)
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Aug. 11, 1960, edition 1
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