North Carolina Newspapers

@be ftanklin Bf t?i and ?hp Mighlanfo fflaruman WEIMAR JONES Editorial Page Editor THURSDAY. SEPT. 22. 19?0 SAVE A YEAR Suggestion The biggest problem that will face Franklin's next board of aldermen, to be elected in May, will be water. Whoever its members may be, the new board undoubtedly will consider, among other sources, one or more watersheds. Before it can decide that such a source is or is not practicable, it must have exact information. It must know not only what watersheds are available, but it must know how nruch water is there. And in considering the quantity of water available, the important point is not the maximum flow, or even the average flow, but the minimum flow. As a rule, streams in this area are at their lowest in the fall ? usually, in October. That being true, normally the new- board would have to wait until late fall of 1961 to get enough data to act intelligently ? have to wait until late fall before it could even begin to debate the prac ticality of a watershed. The present board, however, can save that de lay by getting the data now, to be available when the new aldermen take office. We respectfully sug gest the present board could do the town no great er service than to arrange to have the flow of every stream that might be considered for water-, shed purposes measured this fall. That would be no difficult task, if the services of the staff of Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory could be enlisted. Aid To Education Reads a headline: Here's Tips On Studying For High School, College Tips on studying. But not tips, we trust, <>n the fine points of grammar. Off Schedule The following is from a news story that ap peared in the July <S issue of The I'ress: Crawford McCoy sent a message to the board (Frank Kn Board of Aldermen) requesting that the board altow him and his contractor. Wiley Clark, until .Sept. 1 before taring down the second story porch which overhangs ?bin Street on Mr. McCoy's building. Mr. McCoy explained that during the busy tourist sea son the razing of the porch would create a hazard and a . traffic jam. The board agreed to this proposal upon the condition that Mr. McCoy get a signed statement from contractor Wiley Clark that demolition of the porch will fee started by Sept. I and finished by Sept. 15. Let's see, now: This is September 22. That is, the deadline for completion of that demolition job was a week ago today. The deadline for starting, it was three weeks ago. But, as this is written, the old porch stands there just as it did when the subject first came up. two or three years ago. 'Hello, Preacher' How should you address a clergyman.? Well, there's one title that's always W,roiig, says Louis C'assels, writing for United Press Interna tional. Never call a minister "Rev. Jones" or just "Reverend". The reason is. the word "reverend" is an adjective ? like honest or gentle or plainspoken ? not a noun. After you've eliminated that invariably incor rect expression, you still haven't answered the question, continues Mr. C'assells ; for a number of factors, including the minister's faith and his per sonal preference, make the answer complicated. / For ns here in the mountains, it isn't. We neat ly avoid complications by the simple device of call ing all clergymen "preacher". That term may not be approved in higher theo logical circles, but it has two distinct advantages. It is not bad grammar, as is "reverend"; and there can be no possible misunderstanding of what is meant. ? ? ONCE UPON A TIME ? ? The Day The Threshers Came ?????? JOHN HOPKINS BULLETIN ? ? ? ? ? All over the country monstrous machines are snorting while sort ing the grain from the chaff. And it's a sad state of affairs' Nostal gia for the good eld days down 011 the faim has set In for us who remember how it used to be dur ing threshing time. Our unhappi ness stems from a recent visit to farm lands. Thousands of us remember the fun, sweat and work accompany ing the excitement of threshing. Sun ripened stalks of grain rip pled in the hot wind as farmers "gee-hawed'' their horses through the fields with a cuttertier mac hine. Prom the back of the cut ter. biddies of cut and tied grain fell to the ground. Our bare backs, as golden brown as the grain, bent to pick up the bundles and set them ar tistically into shocks standing like sentinels in abundant fields. From then on excitement grew. Soon the threshing would begin. Wagon loads of glowing grain of ?wheat, rye and barley would be hauled into town. Farmers In large areas banded together to help each other thresh. Finally came the big day. Menfolk arrived with the com munity threshing machine. Pitch forks in hand, some of them rode on wagon racks to the fields where they expertly and rhyth mically speared the bundles from the shocks and tossed them high onto the hayrack. Up there oth ers spread the bundles evenly. The loaded hayrack lumbered back to the farmyard where the process was reversed: The bund les of grain were lightly tossed in a graceful arc from the hay rack into the threshing machine. Olant claws, fascinating and frightening to youngsters, grab bed the grain and started it on its Journey through the wonder ful machine. A funnel, sweeping back and forth across the wagon, spewed forth a stream of rich grain. From another opening ' in the machine large bales of wire bundled stalks thudded to the ground. Depending on our ages, we youngsters pitched bundles out in the field, or trudged around with buckets Of sparkling water we had hand pumped from the well. Sweating men needed constant rounds of water from the tin dip per. (We sneaked In an ice cold gulp ourselves from time to time.) From sunup until noon the men pitched, loaded, hauled and stack ed: laughed, cussed, sang and joshed. At noon the bell near the kitchen door clanged The magic hour had arrived. With our elders we made our way to the farmhouse. At least a dozen tin wash basins were lined up near the pump. We knew our place ajid waited until the men had washed hands and faces and LETTERS County-Wide Cooperation Editor, The Press: Would you permit me, through the medium of The Press, to extend a personal "Thank You" to the merchants of Franklin for their whole-hearted cooperation In the High lands Hospital campaign fund drive, now drawing to a close? During the latter phase of the campaign, my wife and I were asked to help. Merchants In Highlands and Franklin were asked to contribute articles to be auctioned. Late Friday afternoon, before the auction scheduled for Sunday afternoon In Highlands, we were assigned Franklin merchants for so licitation. This gave us only one day to complete the task, so we didn't have time to call on every merchant, but those whom we did solicit responded one hundred per cent. Not one refusal did we experience! I think this is a tribute to the Franklin merchants because, let us remember, this was for a hospital in Highlands ? a sister town, which brings me to this thought: If a county-wide project should arise and all the business men and merchants throughout the county responded as thoroughly- and cheerfully as did those whom we called on In this instance, the whole country would surely learn that there Is a progressive Macon County In Western North Caro lina. Highlands, N. C. FRED H. STEWART One-Party System? Editor, The Press: I cannot believe that a man who proposes to be governor of this great State of North Carolina can honestly believe we'd be better off if we had only one party in North Caro lina. I believe the Republican opposition, giving the Democrats a good clean fight every election, has. given us good govern ment in North Carolina, by keeping officials honest and on good behavior. I also believe if the opposition were still stronger, the pres sure that would be brought to bear would force the Legis lature to set up a civil service for state employees, thus letting them feel their jobs would be there tomorrow, regard- , less of who is running the state. Also to fix it so our county officials, when we elect them to office, cannot be removed by some pettish whim of some legislator. I have run for public office in Macon County three dif ferent times, and have been beaten three times by some good men who are my friends today; I have voted for these men several times since. My only reason for running was to have a full! ticket for the opposition party, as I believe in the two-party system. We have "had examples in nearby states of what happens when one party is in supreme command. Mr. Terry Sanford yet has time to reconsider some of his slips, such as this latest one. He could make us a good gov ernor, but he can't do it without the good will of all the peo ple. Franklin. WILEY J CLARK A Promise Is Still A Promise '? (Morganton News-Herald i The Secretary of the Interior has authorized the construc tion In sections of a 30-mlle Fontana Lake Road, which should put to rest an Issue which has become strangely and widely controversial in recent months. Debate has raged for some time over whether the National Park Service should proceed with a road along the north side of Fontana Lake in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sports- and conservation-minded people objected on the grounds that such a road would despoil a natural wilderness, and it was argued that the presence of a State highway on the southern side eliminated the need for a Federal road on the north side. Even If the objectors have merit in their argument, they overlooked an important point. The U. S. Department of the Interior promised to build such a road In 1943 In a contract with North Carolina, the Tennessee Valley Authority and Swain County. Governor Hodges pointed to this agreement as "a binding obligation" when he wrote Secretary of the Interior Fred A. Seaton the other <lay. The Governor ticked off one by one all the recently ad vanced arguments against construction of the Federal road, discarded them, and called on the Interior Department to carry out Its contract. i So effectively did Governor Hodges present the case for the road that the Ashevllle Citizen was moved to say: "it is a fortunate circumstance for Swain County and for West ern North Carolina that Luther Hodges was Governor of North Carfolina at a time when the Issue was raised In such pointed, even frenzied fashion. He has met the Issue with .splashed brawny chests with cool ing water. Then we washed. Since early morning neighbor ing women had gathered to helu the farmer's wife prepare the fabulous midday meal. There were first, second and sometimes third sittings at tables weighted with poilc. veal. ham. beef and franks: peas, beans, to matoes, llmas, sweet com, and beets; hot bread, muffins and rolls running with rivulets of yel low homemade butter: pies <f!ve kinds), cakes (three kinds', creamy homemade Ice cream, cockles and sweet buns. This was washed down with coffee <hot and cold) tea <hot and cold) ? and gallons of milk kept cool In the spring house since before dawn milking. What a display of abundance for men who didn't count calories they had so energetically consum ed all morning. It Isn't that way today. No fun. no excitement acoompa n i e s threshing season. One Imperson al. gigantic combine rolls into the field, cuts the waving grain, bund les, separates and drops out the sacked grain and bundled stalks. It is big business ? no heart. That's our reaction as we sadly watch and yearn for the good old days of threshing ? a time when boys became men and were allow ed to walk with a swagger to the "second sitting." Ever clean out your desk? A:en't you amazed, when you do. at what you find there? Well, If that's true of most folks ? and everybody knows how true it is ? Imagine what it's like when a newspaper editor cleans his! Don't misunderstand me. I haven't cleaned out my desk; I'm r t thai ambitious. Mine is Just as crowded and cluttered as the de.iis of most newspaper editors. But cown the state the other day. an editor did clean his desk. He's my friend. Isaac 8. (Ike) London, of the Rockingham Post Dispatch. (Though I've never met him. we've become friends through our newspapers, and via correspondence!. In that desk, 'way down in Rockingham, he found something of interest to Macon County, and particularly to The Press. "In cleaning cut desk," read the note he sent me. "found this 1932 audit of your paper, which, after 28 years, may interest you." How he happened to put it in his desk, in the first place, prob ably he himself doesn't know. How he happened never to have thrown it away, these 28 years. I'm sure he dcesn't know. But I was glad he hadn't; because it was interesting to me. Maybe it will Interest Press readers, too. Here's what it showed: In 1932, The Press had a total paid circulation of 849. That con trasts with the latest figure of wisdom and courage." Even If the Governor had not gone on record in such a de cisive way for the road, it should have made no difference, for as Mr. Hodges pointed out, Swain County was a party to the contract and no other party could waive Swain's rights to a road which Uncle Sam promised to build. It Is unfortunate that the Interior Department waited so long to carry out Its oonractual commitment that, after 17 years, a hue and cry developed In an effort to prevent the Federal government from meeting its obligation. The latest word from Washington is that at long last the Interior Department plaits to act. Secretary Seaton announc ed that a seven and a half mile section of road is already under construction and, since receiving the Governor's letter, he has authorized the programming of additional miles. This, we repeat, should settle a matter which should never have been beaten around from pillar to post during years of inaction. The issue was simple. Did the Federal government promise in 1943 to build the road? The answer, of course, is "Yes." The conclusion of the matter, as covered by Secretary Seaton's decision, could be summed up thus: The Federal Government has at last decided to honor its solemn pledge. DO YOU REMEMBER? Looking Backward Through the Files of The Preaa 65 YEARS AGO THIS WEEK (1895) Nonah Is an Indian word and means "Spruce Pine". C. C. Henry and J. M. Dalton have been drawn to serve from Macon County as jurors at the November term of the U. S. Circuit Court In Asheville. A man sent several miles to us for a copy of last week's Press, and took it away without saying anything about pay ing for It, or even "thank you". ? Dr. F. L. Siler, of Dillsboro. was in town a short while Sat urday evening. Misses Bertha Gaston and Birdel Robertson left Sunday evening for Asheville Female College. 35 YEARS AGO (1925) Gingham dresses, 98s to $1.50; guaranteed silk dresses, $4.95; all-wool dresses, $5 and up; ladies' newest style winter coats, $5 and up; full line of ladies' pattern hats, $1.50 to $3. Bill Cunningham. ? Adv. Mr. Jos. Ashear, one of Franklin's most progressive and wide-awake citizens, has purchased what is known as the Trotter corner, on the Square, and early next spring plans to erect a huge brick building. IS YEARS AGO <1945) Roy Carpenter, Franklin resident, has purchased the Indian Mound from Miss Lula M. Enloe, of Atlanta. 5 YEARS AGO (1955) Temperatures here during the past week ranged from a low of 43 up to a high of 88. KLKCTTOX BY MINORITY Press Editor Listens To Other Newsmen i ) 1 r. 1 1, h ABO UT POLI TICS Is Richard Nixon likely to carry North Carolina? If so. is the religious issue the explanation? Has Robert Gavin, of Sanfcrd. the Republican nominee for gov ernor, a chance? And if his chance is better than that of the usual Republican gubernatorial nominee In this state, why? Those were among the ques tions dtocusaed at the N. C. News and Feature Writers Conference in Chapel Hill ten days a?:. Pres ent were riportcis from all over the state, am ( cm the smal! town weeklies a- well as the bi" dallies. Since it is the job of reporters to talk to as many people as pos sible. to listen to what is said, and to try to analyze what they hear, the views expressed at Chapel Hill seem worth passing along. Reporters, of course, like anybodi es, often are wrong. They have the advantage, though, of beine trained to look at a situation ob jectlvrly ? and the best reporters came as near being objective as is possible for fallible humans. . I not only listened to speakers on the program, but talked to as many newsmen as I could, be tween sessions. J. P. Brady did the same: and between us. I . sus pect we not a fair cross-section of newspaper observations and thinking In this state. What was said, and what is reported here, of course, applies to the situation as it is now. It may change a lot CMitlnaed on Pate I Strictly Persona! By WEIMAR JONES 3.217. At that time, no papers were sold on the news stands here. To day. The Press is on sale at 18 news stands, and at one alone 200 copies are sold each week. Then the only sales of the pa per, other than to subscribers who got The Press by mail, were over the newspaper's own couiv ter, and they averaged 20 a week! Mountain humor: It had been a busy day In the restaurant; members of the staff were dead tired. Said one waitress, with a note of resignation in her voice: "Oh. well. 1*11 work while X can; Ane of these days. I'll be too old." Replied another, with a deep Sigh: "Sometimes I hope how soon." No matter how innocent and well-intentioned you are, you can get in trouble. In my case, in fact, it seems td me I get in the worst trouble when I am most innocent and my intentions are the best. At a recent party, in another town, for example, I found my self seated next to a young wo man I'd never seen before. She had been Introduced to me. as is today's custom, simply as "Mary White" ? except that her name was neither Mary nor White. Her surname, in fact, is so rare that I immediately spotted it as hav ing a South Carolina background. Here, I thought, is an opening conversation piece. But I've learned to be cautious, to feel my way: so I took nothing for granted. Before saying any thing about that unusual name. I wanted to make sure of my ground. So I asked: "Did I understand you are Mrs. or Miss?" "Mrs.", she replied. O. K. Now I knew Just where I was. The rare name, that would give me a conversation Jumplng off place, belonged to her hus band. Sure I was on safe ground, I said: "I know about your husband'; family. The truth is, Mrs. Jones is related to the family," Now how, I ask you, could any body get in trouble with such an innocent and well-intentioned re mark? You can't, I told myself, as I smiled pleasantly. Well. I did. For the lady promptly put the stopper cn that conversation by commenting cold ly: "I am divorced." A moment later, I literally crawled to the other side of the room. ? * * There's nothing new under the sun. it seems. Last May, The State magazine referred to a bit of verse and com mented that it was new to the editor. In its August 20 issue. The State carries a letter from Mrs. Roy Teague, of Siler City, who re called that her husband recited the piece at graduation half a century ago. Mrs. Teague then gives the recitation in full. New or old. It Is typical of the memory of most of us for his torical dates. Here it is: - JOHNNY S HISTORY LESSON By Nixon Waterman I think of all sweet things at school, A boy has got to learn, That studying history as a rule. Is worst of all, don't you? Of dates there are an awful sight. And though I study day and night. There is only one I have Just right. That's fourteen ninety-two. Columbus crossed the Delaware, In fourteen ninety-two. And whipped the British fair and square, In fourteen ninety-two. At Concord and at Lexington, He kept the Redcoats on the run. While the band played "Johnny get your gun," In fourteen ninety-two. Patrick Henry with his dying breath, In fourteen ninety-two. Said, "Oive me liberty or give me death," In fourteen ninety-two. And Barbara Frietchie. so 'tis said. Cried, "Shoot if you must .this " old gray head, But I would rather 'twould be your's instead," In fourteen ninety-two. The pilgrims came to Plymouth rock, In fourteen ninety-two, And the Indians standing on the Rock, Asked, "What are you going to do?" "We seek your pleasant harbor here, That our children's children dear. May boast that our forefathers landed here, In fourteen ninety-two." Miss Pocahontas saved the life ? In fourteen ninety-two. Of John Smith and became his wife. In fourteen ninety-two. And the Smith tribe started then and there. And now there are John Smiths everywhere. But they didn't have any Smiths' to spare. In fourteen ninety-two. Kentucky was settled by Daniel Boone In fourteen ninety-two. And I think the cow jumped over the moon. In fourteen ninety-two. Benjamin Franklin flew his kite so high. In fourteen ninety-two. He drew the lightning from the sky. And Washington could not tell a lie, In fourteen ninety-two. THAT JVJXK MAIL Who Hasn't Felt This Way? MARION L. HOAG In Sayville, N. Y., Suffolk County News Joe is always advocating various organizations and I don't see why I should not start a club of my own. This will be called thr L.M.A. or lies Mail Association and will be for the promotion of restraint in sending out circulars and other bits, most of which no one reads. It is bad enough to get one of these things but when they come two and three in each mail, with the same content and same ad dress. it falls under the head of useless business. All I can think is that someone Is making sure of his job by keeping busy that way. I have been the butt of jokes in my office for years because I in sist on opening all mall addressed to me. I dcn't always read it, I must admit, but I hope that some time I will find something valua MOTORIST'S I.AM i: N'T I think that I shall never see A billboard lovely as a tree. Indeed, unless the billboards fall. I'll rever see a tree at all ? Osden Nash. ble or Interesting enough so that I can get back at the scoffers. I have been waiting for years, though, and am beginning to be discouraged. Unfortunately, some years ag<* my name got on a men's sucker list, probably because of its spell ing, and year in and year out I get samples of shirting, material for slacks, and occasionally neck ties which I can't imagine any one wearing. Then there are the supposedly charitable organiza tions which send out pens, min iature license plates, etc.. etc. For a long time I was conscientious about returning them, but some time ago I decided that I was un der no obligation to return un solicited goods which I didn't want. When I receive things like this it (rives me the reaction. "Why should I send them money if they have enough to broadcast this stuff?" I suppose it must pay them or they would not continue year after year, but they might Just as well take my name off their lists. HOW TO HAVE GOOD SCHOOLS I am convinced American secondary education can be made satisfactory without any radical changes in the basic pattern. This can only be done, however, if the citizens in many localities tisplay sufficient Interest In their schools and are willing to support them. The improvements must com' school by school and be made with due regard for the nature of the community. . . Avoid generalizations. recognize the necessity of diversity, get the facte about your local school situation, elect a good school board and support the efforts of the board to improve the school. ? Dr. James B. Conant.