THE I -?vAt;i:lin press, franklin, m. c
THURSDAY, OCTOSER 11. KZi
pace rem " '
The Franklin Frees
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S. A. HARRIS .....Editor
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THE AMERICAN PRESS ASSOCIATION
THE FRANKLIN PRESS PLATFORM
Extension of the sewer lines.
Beautify the school grounds.
Two hundred summer cottages.
A sewage disposal plant.
The construction of business blocks.
Plant trees along the State highways of
the county.
Make a white way of Main street.
An excellent school library.
Courteous treatment for visitors. .
Improvement of county roads connecting
with State highways.
A fish ladder at the 1 municipal dam.
Co-operation, vim, push, work-everything
for the good of Franklin and Macon county.
New court house and jail combined.
How About It?
In a " letter, published on this '-page Prof.
T. G. Harbison makes some timely sugges
tions. It now remains to be seen whether
party loyalty or county honor will win the
battle..
'.'
.The Independent voters of Macon can put.
crooked politics out of business in this coun
ty. B.uf the votes of the living will have to
be over whelming to offset the votes of the
dead.
which political car a man is using as to wheth
er or not something "sounds nice?" In that
paragraph we intimated nothing, but merely
stated a fact, and -that fact seems to be
making Johnny squirm.
The Water Question
THE. TANKS arc now empty. We do not
mean to say ABOUT empty, but EMPTY.
Consequently the town is now at the mercy
of any fire that may occur. As soon as the
water now in. the pipes is used most of our
citizens will have to tote water from neighbor
ing springs. ' Now just what is FrankMi going
to do about this matter? Some want to bore
another well, but the two we have are not
furnishing enough water ' at present for' a
beetle to bathe in. The time seems to have
arrived when the town must vote bonds for
a modern water system. We must either do
that or pay fifty times the cost of such a
system when a fire hits the town. It'ssimply
up to the voters.
The Soil Survey
MR. U. E. DEVEREUX of the department
of soil survey, Bureau of Chemistry,
Washington, 1). C, arrived here . Sunday to
make a soil survey. of Macon county.. For
the past several months inquiries from pros
pective citizens from other states have been
received at the office of the county agent
asking for information of the soils of this
county. In the absence of a soil survey Mr.
Harris has been unable to answer these ques
tions in a satisfactory manner. After the
completion of this survey sometime next sum
mer this information will be available .for
those who wish to locate in Macon county. A
soil survey for this county has been one of
the most pressing needs and the people of
Macon can thank their county agent for his
activities toward , this end. . This survey will
cost' the tax payers nothing. Consequently we
presume that there can be no objections. The
survey of the soils of this county, is only an
other evidence of ' the good work being done
for the public by the county's efficient agent.
-, ,...... ) ttpfl.f..
ases ot scarlet lever in xown aim 'mm-in
to attention is being paid to quarantine reg
ulations. It would appear that the, responsible
officials should take immediate steps to quar
antine families where this disease is present
The Sixth Grade of the grammar .vchool of
"Franklin istarting a column of news in this
issue. The editors of this column type their
news matter and-' hand it in in good shape.
The Press congratualatcs these boys on their
first effort. If there are other classes that
wish to publish their class news The Press
will be glad to accommodate.'
-'.;..
The Press is glad to icarn that the. business
firms of Franklin have In i n' able to get to
gether in a co-operative sale. The fact of
the1 matter. is tint the", merchants of. this town
should organize a merchants association and
. . ... i ., . u: .1,.,..
co-operate v. an v. ;ty m mis - vwiv uitj
could be of much benefit to each other and at
the same time lower the prices of goods to
the consumers. ,
Read what our old friend, J. K. l'.ryson, has
to say about crooked politics. His letter ap
pears elsewhere on this page. When honor
able men like Mr. llrysuii speak out for clean
politics, much good can be. accomplished. Mr.
Bryson is honest to the core and has the
interest of the count; at heart.. We trust that
The Press will not be criticised for speaking
well of this good tnan. It will be noted that
we are criticised in this issme for speaking
Well of another good man. Will public senti
ment back such critics or will it join hands
with this paper in a mighty effort to rid the
county of dirty politics? In this connection it
should be remembered that silence is indica
tive of indifference.
'
On this page is a letter from John W. Ed
wards who seems to resent the fact that last
week we referred to Rob Shook as an hon
orable man. Does johnny know Mr. Shook
well enough to disagree with us? If so,
Johnny might tell the public' what is wrong
with Bob. Johnny says that our little edi
torial paragraph referring to Mr. Shook "did
not sound so nice." Since when, i: mv we ask,
has it become a crime to praise : citizen of
Macon county? And why does J 'inny draw
the conclusion that The Press shi ed that if
Mr. Ingram is elected it will be "thru a whole
sale and corrupt stealing?" The Press never
said so. Consequently . it would be interesting
to know how that idea got into Johnny's head.
Let us quote that paragraph that seems to
be irking Johnny : "There is not a man in
the county who can bring a word of reproach
against Bob Shook, a candidate for sheriff.
If Bob is elected the public may rest assured
that his election was brought about by fair
and . honorable means." Now, Johnny, ; just
wkat is there about that paragraph that does'
"not sound so nice?" Does it depend upon
Invisible or Open Government?
NOW THAT Mr. J. A. Parrish, candidate
for county commissioner, . has answered
the qucstionaire propounded by The Press, we
wvk---if, hetslhe only candidate for 'this
,vff; ,, ...:it:.. .. v- ..: ...... -
'qucsTions be known"' rrs'lnTninirypos'
siblc. for the people to cast, their votes in an
intelligent manner without knowing how the
candidates stand of matters affecting the "court-'
ty. It is our opinion that the man with
courage enough to tell the people his views on
county matters is the man entitled to the
confidence of the public. Of course there
will be some candidates who will continue to
run on a blind ticket hoping by concealing
their stand On "public questions that the public
will vote for them. Is this attitude on the
part of the candidates open and above board?
Are those who do not intend to answer
figuring on some form of invisible government
after election?
The questions asked by this paper are vital
to Macon county. . They arc not hard to
answer. Will the candidates let the people
remain in the dark or will they come out like
men and make a clean breast' of their re
spective positions?
Letter
5
BRYSON AGREES WITH PRESS
Major Harris:
With much satisfaction I have read your
editorials regarding honest elections. Let
the old soiled records be sandpapered and
henceforth let us stand upon the' basis of hon
est political dealing! If a man can not be
elected to office , without fraud, let him re
main at home. Speak again; The Press is on
a high plain, and the integrity of the county
will not falter, but support your sentiments.
Certainly, you arc right. ' If I were a candi
date, I. would thank no man to cast a fraud
ulent vote for me. Let all political rascals be
severely scourged, and old Macon's good name
will be redeemed.
Give us Agent . Harris again.
All hail to The Press !
J. K. BRYSON.'
JOHNNY HAS HIS SAY
. Oct. 8, 1928.
The Franklin Press,
Franklin, N. C.
Gentlemen : '-,'
I noticed in the issue of October 4th of
The Press that a r Democrat had a right to
have published his. views in The Press. I as,
one Democrat, thank The Press authorities.
For the last few weeks I have been thinking
that the Yellow Jacket had changed its name.'
In a letter published in the same issue of
The Press a certain gentleman of Franklin
asks this question, "Just why have corrupt
practices been permitted to prevail in Macon
county?" Knowing the gentleman as I do,
1 don't think , he ought to put himself up as
a man that knows anything about fair play.
For weeks this man has circulated and caused
to be circulated some of the most vile and
corrupt literature that was ever published. He
has- tried to condemn a great man because
he worshipped God according to the beliefs
of the Catholic Church. I don't believe he,
can remember when the bogus K. of C. oaths
were' sold to newly taken in members -of the
J. O. U. A.. M. He couldn't begin to count
the copies of the "Friendship Forum" that
found a circulating route by his aid. .
Now let fair 'play be fair, play and if the
gentleman wants to stop corrupt practices first
let him make a start. "A man can't serve
lun master; j pn.ttt.nti ' " .
the right way. This party is composed of
citizens who think for themselves, who look
on at the strife little moved by partisan ap
peals, and on election day deposit their votes
for the man or the policy which on the whole
appears to them likely to best further the
good of -the state. This party is the terror
of professional politicians, and often their
tonfusion. The larger it is in any community,
the better will public affairs be managed, for
it is this party which punishes inefficiency,
corruption or .maladministration of any kind,
defeats the caucuses and scratches tickets
when corrupt men are nominated. It is to
this party I wish you to belong, whether you
are a Democratic or a Republican." Such was
the teachinc T rrrp'tvpi in. a littlp reA srhool
house set upon a red hill at an impression
able age by a teacher who had faith in God
and his country. Train up a child in-the way
he should go and when he is old he will
not depart from it. . -
i n n-f --! m-i- 1 TP r r m n t r '' T-T oil 4 It A
Philadeplhia Ring or the, Chicago Gang or
the thousands of small . rings, and gangs, but
we can keep them out of power by training
the rising generation to be Independent Dem
ocrats and Independent Republicans.
Visiting at the home of Richard Lincoln
not far from my father's farm, the wise and
witty old second cousin of Abraham Lincoln,
he turned to me and said, "Tom, I am going
to ask you a question and I want you to ans
wer it, without thinking, right on . the spur of
the moment. Are the Republicans entirely
right and the Democrats entirely wrong or arc
they both partly right and partly wrong?"
My instant reply was both partly right and
party wrong. I shall never forget his broad
smile followed by a hearty laugh and then he
soberly and earnestly replied: "You have in
you the making of an Independent and such
as you are- greatly needed to redeem this state
from corrupt bosses and unscrupulous poli
ticians." Dick Lincoln, as we familiarly called
him, was a Republican, but an Independent
Republican., A few; years after this little
episode the bosses named a candidate for
governor without consulting the people and
the Independents defeated him. Then the
bosses, . consulted the people and nominated a,
man,; who was elected. Thinking that the peo
ple had forgotten or that they were, apa
thetic the bosses again put up a man for
governor against the. will of the people. Again'
Possibilities in Sheep
MACON COUNTY has 328.320 acres, .105.
867 of which are included in the Nan
tahala National Forest. This leaves "222,453
acres that are privately owned. Eighty . per
cent of this acreage, or 177,962 acres, is unfit
for cultivation due to the rought nature of
the topography. Consequently in the confines
of Macon county we have only 44,591 acres
available for cultivation. Under the farming
methods now practiced by most of the farm
ers v of -the county it is manifestly impossible
to support the populatiem of Macon from the
fruits of this small acreage. Consequently the
177,962 acres now in woodland, pasturage and
unproductive lands, must be utilized to advan
tage. It is estimated that 60 per cent of this
acreage is in . woodland ' much of which it
would be inadvisable to clear for pasturage.
Hence we find 71,086 acres available for pas
turage. Each of these acres wiil support one
sheep. Considering the sale of wool and lambs
each sheep will yield an income of $10.00 per
year, or $710,869. This line of thought is
suggested for those who do not wish to enter
the dairy business. However, for those Who
..desire to go into the dairy industry' the acre
age mentioned is. sufficient ' to support 35,000
dairy cattle. 'With a net profit of only $50
per year from each cow the income fre'm this
source, would amount to. $1,750,000 annually
for the farmers of this county. Wre have been
unable lo arrive at .any figures for those who
prefer to raise beef cattle. However, tho
county agent is always ready with expert ad
vice for those who are partial to beef cattle.
All of the foregoing is by way of intro
duction to the important fact that the farm
ers of this county are doomed to failure and
defeat unless they utilize to the fullest possible
extent the vast numbers of acres that are now
lying idle. These acres arq now yielding
nothing and are a liability, since the taxes
on these lands must be paid. '
Another item or short editorial that did
not sound so nice was the one that placed Mr.
Bob Shook on the Angelic List. If Charlie
Ingram gets, there according to The Press,
it will be thru a wholesale and corrupt steal
ing into' office. Ingram has made a real
sheriff, one that any citizen of the county
can be proud of. When it comes to 'the place
that yan officer is condemned for doing his
duty according to law we don't need a sheriff..
. Now I am not upholding corrupt politics,
but if the readers of "The Press" arc really
interested in cleaning the state let one and
all remember some ' of the' big "bugs." To
mention only a few ; Daugherty, Vare, Fall,
Hays, Denby, Forbes and others. If local
corruptness is ahead of what has been taking
place in Washington, D. C, lately, we ought
to have President Coolidge send the marines
here for the November election. Nicaragua
is a paradise compared to Macon county.
Truly yours,
JOHN W. EDWARDS.
, Highlands, N. C, October 7, 1928.
Editor of Franklin Press:
Mr. . Jack Stribling's timely letter iu the
latest issue of The Press deserves notice by
all citizens interested in the common welfare
of our county. He concludes his letter by
saying: "This letter is merely by way of
appeal to other citizens of the county who
believe in fair dealing to come forward with
suggestions as to the best way to assure u
majority rule in the county and to create an
atmosphere of clean politics in the best county
of the best state in the Union."
The one thing that has surprised me most
in this campaign has been the attempted .dis
couragement of independent voting. As a
youth I was taught that independence - in pol
itics is the safeguard of our liberties and the
only cure for the corruption in politics. , I
shall, therefore, effer a few suggestions along
this line. It vvasmy good fortune to attend
one of the old time eue-teacher schools in
a little red school house up to my sjxtccnth
year. It was there that I got the ideas thatv
I wish1 to convey in this letter. Such "schools
as the one alluded to no, longer exist and
the morals and manners of the present age
suffer in consequence. 1 am well aware that
many will not agree with me, but I stand
ready to defend this statement if, need hd.
1 quote verbatim what I was taught about
political parties: "As temperaments differ,
men are either Whigs -or Democrats, Dem
ocrats or Republicans, according as their,
characters lead them to be conservative,
dreading change even when it is for the bet
ter, or progressive, welcoming change even if
is for the worse. There is, however, in every
free state a third party, little', heard of, with
out organization, which does not seek office,
holds no meetings, and owns no banners. It
holds the balance of power, and it silently
decides the elections and . on the whole in
Republican. On two occasions I voted for a
Democrat for Governor of . Pennsylvania and
both times the Democrat was elected by .the
Independent vote. The Democrats can not
elect any state officer in Pennsylvania with
out the Independent vote just as they can
not elect a President of the United States
without Independent aid. Blaine was defeat
ed by the Independent vote. Wilson was
elected the second term by the Independent
vote.' Independents vote with a party as a
general thing but they do not . belong to a
party. An Independent can not be indepen
dent and belong to something. Lean vote as
I please as long as 1 do not belong to any
body or anything. k
It is not a pleasant thing to think about
our descendents digging up old -papers publish
ed in our lime and learning that in 1928 we
were not cultured and - civilized enough to
use the absentee ballot. It seems as though
we ought to be able to work out some plan
whereby students in- college, business men
away irom nomc, anu persons not note to
attend the election in person can cast their
ballots, but if the absentee ballot is a cause
of corruption I agree that this temptation,
should be removed from the weak. "Lead us
not into temptation but deliver us from evil,"
should be our, daily prayer.
We carry politics too far in the United
States. County affairs, for instance, have
nothing in common with party politics and
county , officials . should be selected for their
character and ability without any reference
to their nartv affiliation in national affaire
The same holds true to a great ,extent in state
affairs. No matter what state I happened to
live in I should vote with the party that of
fers the most liberal local self government.
The government at 7 Washington should not
meddle in purely state affairs in North Car
olina. The government at Raleigh should not
meddle in purely Macon county affairs. The
county government at Franklin should not
meddle in purely Highland township affairs.
The Highlands township government should
not meddle in - the affairs that are purely of
and for the town of Highlands, and none of
these governments should meddle in my pri
vate affairs. In this I agrep with Thomas
Jef ferson. He spent his, i. declining years in
the advocacy and .promotion.' of this dwe
trine but he failed to accomplish much, along
this line. It seems strange that a party that
has adopted Jefferson as its patron saint
should be the one that seems' to have the
least trust in the neoule. In all of the taft
j i j t c ...
mat nave tor many years been ruled by, the
Democratic party there is practically no town
ship government. Township government when
rightly managed is the best school of poli
tics imaginable. This government is ;o near
the people that dishonesty and maladministra
tion can not flourish. It trains young men
for county government.
T. G. HARBISON.