THE SYLVA HERALD Published By THE HERALD PUBLISHING COMPANY Sylva, North Carolina The County 8eat of Jackson County J. A. GRAY and J. M. BIRD Publishers PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY Entered at the post office at Sylva, N. C., as Second Class Mail Matter, as provided under the Act of March 3, 1879, November 20, 1914. SUBSCRIPTION RATES One Year, In Jackson County $2.00 Six Months. In Jackson County .. 1.25 One Year, Outside Jackson County 2.50 6ix Months, Outside Jackson County 1.50 All Subscriptions Payable In Advance North Carohna ia v-^v HON BIBLE THOUGHT And therefore will the Lord wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.?Isaiah 30:18. IT'S SMART The slogan, "It's smart to be a Safe Driver", is used in the National Highway Safety advertisement found in this week's issue of The Herald. Brought out in the advertisement also is the true statement, "it is not safe to be a smart driver." Who of us have not seen them? Soon er or later, if they, the smart drivers, do not heed the warning, distress will come their way. It is the hope of the sponsoring firms for this week's advertisement that some thing will be done toward special train ing for new drivers; also that those al ready driving will remember that they are an example?either/for good or,bad ?for someone else, and that thejf faay have a definite part in helping save lives ifrom highway accidents. Sponsoring firms this week are: Buch anan Auto & Electric Co., Mead Corpora tion, Reece-Hampton Motor Co., Jack and Howard Allison, Hall and Norton Tire Co., and Builders Supply and Lum ber Co. AIR POWER FOR PEACE Friday, August 1, being Air Force Day should focus the attention of all peace loving people here in America on the importance of a strong air force. The experiences of World War II and the growing smallness of the world brought about by the continued improve ments in aviation underscore the vital necessity of maintaining strong air forces. Today, without question, our air power is in a position to serve as an effec tive guardian of the peace. The basic theme of Air Force Day? "Air Power Is Peace Power"?thus holds meaning for all of us. Our air power, supporting the policies of peace-loving nations, is insurance against war. The Air Forces, with the air units of the National Guard and the organized reserves, will provide our air power. In our common search for world se curity, we must support adequate air forces and two important elements which contribute to air strength?a virile avia tion industry and an expanding program of research and development. TAKE IT EASY, MR. PEDESTRIAN Every two minutes an American ped estrian is injured by an automobile. Thirty-three times a day someone is run over and killed. It is human nature to wish to set the blame when tragedy occurs. Rarely, however, can an accident be adequately described in terms of only one casual factor. In most instances it is the result of two or more contributing conditions or circumstances?violations or unsafe acts of drivers or pedestrians; or road way, vehicular, driver or pedestrian de fects. However, certain facts cannot be*de nied. And those facts place a strong in dictment squarely on the shoulders of the man or woman on foot. The record shows that two out of every three pede strians killed in motor vehicle accidents were either violating a traffic law or Committing an unsafe act. Crossing streets between intersections was a most flagrant violation, accounting for one half of the deaths of the violation pede strians. Coming from behind parked cars was the next most serious hazard. Other violations of traffic regulations or the common sense rules of safety in Inside Washington Special to Central Preu WASHINGTON ? The persistent and undoubtedly sincere denials of General, Eisenhower that he has any 1948 political ambitions do not remove from the minds' of political prophets the fact that he may; be a potential factor in the presidential! race. Washington observers do not doubt that the Army chief of staff?who be-! comes head of vast Columbia university next year?means just what he says. "Ike's" last "no politics" reiteration was made to a special Pentagon news conference when he told reporters that he has no "personal" ambitions politic ally. ' i However, no less a person than Alf M. Landon, the 1938 GOP standard bear er, has predicted that if world conditions; become more troublesome a year hence^j Ike would be a likely dark horse in the presidential steeplechase, whether he wills it or not. They point out that first, last and al ways Eisenhower is a soldier. Therefore, they emphasize, he could not resist a draft, particularly if he feels the country needs him. If the Republicans called,! they say, this son of the GOP state of; Kansas would shed his vestments as Co lumbia president and do his duty as he sees it. Another factor is woven about the Co lumbia precedent. Dr. Nicholas Murray -Butler, Columbia's aged and blind presi dent emeritus, was a vast power in the Republican party in his active days. GUNS TO PLOWSHARES ? The weapons made to destroy Germany are going to be used to rebuild the economy of that devastated country. Hfgh-ranking Army Air Force officers say that by reclaiming surplus bombs and airplanes the United States can fur nish supplies and materials vitally need ed in the reconstruction of Germany. There are about 80,000 tons of surplus bombs of all types and thousands of air craft now in Germany ready to be sal-, vaged. The Army salvage experts say that fer-1 tilizer, an extremely short item in Ger many, can be made from the nitrogen in heavy demolition bombs and used to in crease food production. Gasoline, oil, soap and other petroleum products can be made from the thousands of tons of fire bombs left at American de pots when the war ended. Scrap metal from the surplus U. Sj planes would aid substantially to re build German economy. Some of this' scrap, however, may be returned to the United States if American industry finds; such action profitable. j SWING TO THE LEFT?Washington' political observers believe that President Truman, who a year ago seemed ready | to head well right-of-center in his social and economic politics, will be found in the left aisle henceforth. The political pundits point out that in his message to Congress vetoing the tax reduction bill and the labor regulation measure, and in reluctantly approving the rent control bill, Mr. Truman has given ample evidence of this. Moreover, the chief executive is expect ed to abandon the "get-along-with-Con gress" plan he announced after the GOP landside last November. All of this adds up, of course, to an appeal for great masses of votes in 1948 ?votes from organized labor, from ten ants who will be squeezed by rent in creases, and from persons in the low-in come brackets for whom, the president charged, the GOP tax slash plan was grossly unfair. which men, women and children lost their lives included such foolish acts as crossing intersections against the signal, crossing intersections diagonally, walk ing in the roadway, playing in the road way. Two per cent of pedestrian deaths were caused by persons LYING in the roadway! All of these violations could have been avoided. And if they had, thousands of lives?12,200 last year, to be %exact? could have been saved. Pedestrians con tinue to combine the twin evils of care lessness and deliberately taking a chance to concoct an evil brew of death and painful injury. It is nothing less than justice that the victim of pedestrian vio lation is nearly always the man or wom an who commits the unsafe act. "QUESTION PERIOD" , BIG Lecture TON}GHT t?i nixt WAt? ptwj? OAS eefo/ee-i^eao. UOSTTtU. S06