CAPITAL REPORTER
Raleigh.- Vou tan heai almos'
any version you like about tin
nomination of Joff P Johnson, Jr.
of Clinton, as the democratic par
ty's selection for the vacant as
sociate judgeship on the supreme
court.
One would have you believe it
was a kick in the teeth for Gov
ernor Scott, a demonstration of
what his opponents would like
to believe is a sign of a loss m
popularity for the governor
Another v- rsion is that the Gov
ernor pulled the biggest bluff of
the year, politically speaking, and
got away with it.
And you can get all sorts of an
alysis of the si nation in between
those two ide. s
From this corner, it looks as
though the second version comes
nearer the tiuih. Governor Scott
is not the political stumbiebum
that some of h.s opponents would
have you believe If lie were, he
would not be got ernoi
After two year of watching
him in action, it appears to me
that he often pulls some sleight
of-hand tricks that tool even his
closest supports In Jhei words,
when the cards an in his left
hand, it's a good idea to look
closely t se t what he's holding
up his right sleevi .
Not that he doesn't make mis- 1
takes Hut his batting average is
pretty fair, ami indications from
the congress nal rallies are that
his popularity i pretty high.
One of the governor's smartest,
moves has been in the private-,
public power row. Ht put thej
private, power companies on tin
spot and they snapped up the,
bait Th< v< bee i wering himT
for several months even to the
extent <>t niailim mes.-ages to,
practically evert -one in their,
areas ant! taking expensive ads
in the newspaper:- to tell about,
their views..
t It occurs to me that the Hover
nor's primary target was not the
power companies. Not that he
feels they are doing everything
thev could—I'm sure he doesn't
feel that way, and their response
to his needling makes it look as
though there's something in what
he savs. Hut North Carolina's lack
of public flooi control is some
thing the governor has long
wanted to see changed And if
you've noticed, there recently has
been a rash of congressmen pledg
ing their support for such a pro
gram
It makes me wonder it it wasn't
the governor's primary aim all
along to stir the congressmen into
action. Not that the needling of
the private power companies was
distasteful to him
But let's get back to the John
son nomination to the supreme
court Whatever effect it may
have had on the governor's popu
lardy, it brought the democratic
party back to the greatest spirit
of harmony it has enjoyed in j
quite a while -certainly since be
fore Kerr Scott ran for governor,
the governoi apparently favored
Jeff Johnson. But he knew the
old guard and Willis Smith's boys
would fight naming of the Clinton
man if it came from the governor.
So he named Murray James of
Wilmington just before tin Dem
ocratic Executive Committee met.
And it’s my opinion that James
knew he was not likely to be nom ,
mated by the committee. That I
action threw both Scott's backers!
and his opponents into a hissy
Those who backed Senator Gra- 1
ham. wanted Johnson, Graham's
campaign manager to get the job ■
The Old Guard wanted Attorney
General Tan v McMullan, The
Willis Smith faction favored i
Judge Leo Carr ol Burlington.
So, the first thing you knew,
all three factions were backing
Johnson The Old Guard got to I
thinking that McMullan could
fight the governoi more success
full' m his present post The Wil
lis Smith faction was willing to do
anything it thought the governor
did not want
The final result apparently was
not displeasing to the governor
. He was at the State Fairgrounds
u hen the decision was made His
office called the fairgrounds and
I relayed the message to the gov
ernor (as soon as I could locate
him) that Johnson had been nam
ed by better than five to one ma
jority.
When 1 told him what happen
ed. lie shifted his cigar in one cor
ner of his mouth, grinned, chuck
led a couple of times, then re
marked :
"That’s about what I thought
they'd do." .
Incidentl\. the appointment of
Murray James Wilmington to the'
interim supreme court spot will
not hurt James, even if he did
not get the endorsement of his
fellow members of the democratic
executive committee
Aside from the fact that he'll
pick up a nice paycheck for his
month of service something over
$1,000 the prestige will help as!
will the attending publicity, and
the buildup could lead to appoint
ment to a state job later. j
What is now known as the "Mc
Mahan chased a Raleigh Times
more than its snare of conversa- :
tion in Raleigh recently.
As you probably have read or
heard. Utilities Commissioner Mc
Mahan chased a Raleigh times i
photographer out of the eommis- I
sion hearing loom. McMahan fol
lowed The Times’ reporter-pho
tographer Bill Maultsbv out into
the hall, shouting some choice
words at him that included a
reference to his ancestry.
Strangely enough, McMahan
later claimed he was trying to
“uphold the dignity" of the com
mission The commissioner, to say
the least, threw dignity to the |
winds as he dashed after the re- J
porter mouthing implications and j
generally making a spectacle of
himself.
Ironically. McMahan took a poke I
at a friend instead of an intended i
swat at an enemy Fun-loving
McMahan—whose pride and joy
is in the Lions Club with all it's !
“Tail-twisting” antics—has con
sidered The Raleigh Times as his
favorite Capital City Newspaper
and had not been unkindly treat
ed by that newspaper.
The News And Observer had
spanked the commissioner editori
i ally, and was not on his preferred
reading list Close friends report
that McMahan thought the pho
j tographer-reporter he was chas
ing was a representative of Jon
1 athon Daniels' N and O.
The N( ws And Observer sided
: with its neighbor and took McMa
han to task for chasing a newsman
to the merry tune of language
such as is usually heard publicly
only in a barroom late in the eve
ning.
So-called political experts were
advancing the opinion last week
that McMahan had lighted a fuse
that will cause a vigorous effort
to get the General Assembly to
completely reorganize the Ulilitv
Commission. This campaign would
seek to wipe out the tentures of
office of gill the present live com
missioners. Newsmen covering
the Capitol were unable to get
a comment on the affair from
Governor Scott who appointed
McMahan— but it is generally
known that the governor does not
advocate cursing and chasing as
pastime for high state officials.
Incidently, reports that the gov
ernor has been offered McMahan's
resignation but turned it down
are not true Even the most naive
onlooker could tell you that Kerr
Scott would be happy to have the
bumbling commissioner leave
town.
Over in Sampson County, the
fuss about the county officials
lias come out into the open as a
Democratic - Republican political
I Iglll.
“The Sampson County taxpay
*rs league" has been making
barges against some of the in
■umbent officials -all Republi
cans The other day the county
Democratic Executive Committee
ame out and underwrote the
| league and its invesftgation.
All the furore has brought a
$100,000 suit for defamation of
! character by Sheriff P. B. Locker
man against Mrs, Tuft Bass, Clin
ton Radio News Commentator and
Correspondent for The News And
Observer, and four chairmen of
the Taxpayers League.
These and others were accused
of entering a conspiracy to de
fame the sheriff and best him for
reelection.
New supreme court nominee
| Jeff Johnson is council for Mrs.
| Bass and the taxpayers league.
Recently there was a lot of
publicity about an article in Life
Magazine, October 16 issue, charg
ing that it costs the University of ,
j North Carolina more than $275,- i
I 000 a year to put out a football
team.
But I didn't see a single men
tion anywhere that there was a
mighty fine story on how ‘‘Uni
versity serves its state” in the ;
same issue. That story was about
the Greater University of North
Carolina. It was a fine article
about the University’s work, its
three campuses are in effect a
combined workship for a vast
board of experts who instruct the
State’s farmers, businessmen,1
housewives and public officials in -
better ways to do their work.
The story told of the wonderful
work the extension service has
done: How it saved the tobacco
growing industry; How it made
the fishing industry more produc
tive; How it has helped tenant ;
farmers to become prosperous
dairymen; How eight out of eve- j
rv iO farm operators in the state j
now are using some of the im- ,
proved techniques developed
through the school.
It all goes to prove that bad
news travels fast but it doesn’t
seem to be news when someone j
does a good job.
the Republicans are staging a
"Hillbilly” winding up at Mor- j
ganton Saturday in an effort to!
draw votes. They'll give some
$1,000 in prizes at the "First An- !
nual Republican World’s Cham
pionship Fiddlers' Convention".
Bascom Lamar Lunsford of I
South Turkey Creek, The Min
Ire I of the Appalachians, was
asked to come over and take
charge. He refused. What the Re
publicans apparently didn’t know
is that Lunsford once was elect- I
ed to office in Burke County on 1
the Democratic ticket and still is
I a good Democrat.
During the past several months
Bill Sharpe, Ex-State Advertis
ing Bureau Chief who no\| is a [
well-paid member of Carolina
Bovver and Light Company’s Pub-1
* ~~
j lie Relations Staff, has done work
for the State Advertising Bureau.
It's a little hard to understand
why it has been necessary for
Sharpe to be called upon to do
State work while, at the same
time, he has been fighting the
administration for his company.
Excessive use of alcohol if fa
1 tal for anyone who attempts to
, live under conditions of excess
ive heat.
' ) 950, and answer or demur to the
; complaint in said action, or the
plaintiff will apply to the Court
I for the relief demanded in said
complaint.
This the 20th day of September,
1950.
Mary K. Davenport,
Assistant Clerk of Superior
_Court of Martin County.
NOTICE
North Carolina. Martin County.
In The Superior Court
C. M. Burden vs. Estelle Burden.
The above named defendant.
Estelle Burden, will take notice
that an action entitled as above
has been commenced in the Sup
erior Court of Martin County.
North Carolina. b\ the plaintiff
to secure an absolute divorce from
the defendant upon the ground
that plaintiff and defendant have
lived separate and apart for more
than two years next preceding the
bringing of this action. The de
fendant will take further n< tice
that she is required to appear at
the office of the Clerk of Superior
Court of Martin County, in the
Courthouse in Williamstnn. North
Carolina, within twenty (20) days 1
after the 20th day of October,
i
J U V E N I I E
I N S II II \ N C E
ami
E I) 1C A T I O N A I,
r I, A N s
w. c. k*niu:’ im.e if.
Manager
THE LIFE
lNSl'KANCK COMPANY
OF VIRGIN! \
WIMJAMSTON
N. C.
FARM SALE!
ALLEN OSBORNE FARM
AT PUBLIC AUCTION
November 4, 1950
2:00 P. M.
J
Iii Front Cnurutily Hank
Robersonville, N. C.
I.ofiihd ,) Vlilrx South of KolirrMinvillr
\<ljoining Iliiirli Itohrrson Farm.
O.) aiTcs, more or I^'hs l.‘i am** rroji land;
l%0 allotment 7.1 arrow toharro, 9.6 acres
peanuts, several hundred thousand feet of
•nun. pine anil hard wood; I—6-room dwell*
ini;, tin top; 3 tohaeeo harns; paekhoiise and
staldes and niilhnildin^s.
Deposit ol 10% of purchase price is rnpiirrd
pendiii!' confiriiialion of sale hy the (iourt.
<
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Your Chance to Hear Great Music
By World Famous Artists
A MINIMUM OF 3 CONCERTS
Presented By The
Martin County Community
Concert Association
CAMPAIGN FOR MEMBERSHIPS
Begins Monday, Oci. 30—Closes Saturday, November 4th at S p. m.
HEADQUARTERS: Virginia Electric & Power Co.
No Tickets Solil For Iii«livi<lual Peifnrmaiurs-Admission Bv Memlirrsliip Only
ADUI.TS — $.>.00 plus lax
STUDENTS — $2.50 plus lax