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MADISON COUNTY RECORD. W"
Established June 28; 1901. '
FRENCH BROAD NEWS
Established May 16, 1907.
Consolidated November 2, 1911
ft
The PROGRESSIVE FARMER ; I I : I '
THE NEWS-RECORD PO OC I I I
BOTH A YEAR FOR p.U " U X U
THE ONLY NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED IN MADISON COUNTY
MARSHALL, N. C, FRIDAY, APRIL 12, 1929
10 Pages This Week
1300
VOL. XXI
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MR. C B. MASHBURN
EXPLAINS ROAD MATTER
News- Record, Marshall, N. C.
I saw in the Sunday Times an ar
ticle from the correspondent at Mar
shall as follows: "Plans for Madison
Roads Fail as Board Reverses Posi
tion. Madison County Board of Com
missioners in a Special Session call
ed Friday reconsidered its action in
voting to spend one hundred and fifty
thousand dollars on a road from
highway No. 69 to the Tennessee line
via Mars Hill, and twenty thousand
for a road up Big Pine Creek.
"The funds appropriated the earli
er part of this week by the Board for
this purpose are moneys due the
county from the State Highway Com
mission.
"The decision not .to build the
roads in question or at least not at
this time was reached when Chair
man Claude Wilds changed his vote.
At the meeting the first of the week
he had voted for the building of the
two roads."
"After hearing the resolution adop
ted at the earlier meeting discussed
by prominent Marshall citizens who
opposedd it Chairman Wilds moved
, that the action on the earlier reso
lution; be indefinitely postponed,
Commissioner Silvers seconded the
; motion, John Amnions, a third mem
ber opposed the proposal."
I read another article in the Ashe
ville Times, Monday, as follows:
"Mars Hill Folks Start Boycott In
Road Fight."
"Circulate petition to end trade
with Marshall merchants."
"Resent Loss of Road."
"Turn against the Hospital Bond
Issue to be voted on Tuesday."
Then follows a long discussion of
the matter.
I want to offer a few words in ex
planation of the position of some of
the people of the l'own of Marshall.
The people of Marshall Tuesday
night and Wednesday morning were
astonished to learn that at the end
of the day on Tuesday when the board
of Commissioners had finished all
v. . , other vbusiness, and all the people
J f Tver utof office except the com
missioners and the attorney, Mr. John.
W-ArHewlrickJ B(i the" Clerk of the
ft! Board, ' one of the Commissioners,
Mr. John AmmntiR. sa I ant informed
and ibeheve drew a resolution from
T-- '
his pocket and handed it to the at-
tornev to read, which had been ore-
pared elsewhere and Dy others than
the attorney for the Board, and over
the protest of the said attorney and
one Commissioner, T. A. Silvers, pass-
ed the resolution appropriating one
nunarea ana niiy tnousana ior a
road that leads up California Creek
into .No. 11 Township and to the
Tennessee -line, and twenty thous
and to the road up Big Pine Creek.
This resolution was a great surprise
to all those who were acquainted
with the facts in the case.
First, Madison County has noroad
funds on hand or available to build
roads at this time.
A few years ago the Commission
ers of the county borrowed six hun
dred and fifty thousand from various
loaning banks, and executed short
term notes for the repayment of this
money, and have been paying inter
est on these notes, and loaned the
said amount to the Highway Com
mission to build roads in Madison
County under a contract that the
Highway Commission would nay the
principal sum of said amount back
to the county for the purpose of
paying off and discharging those short
term notes.
The Highway Commission has paid
back all the amount borrowed ex
, cept about one hundred and seventy
(thousand, and the amount so paid
vfcack has been used by the Commis-
iOisioners to pay off the said short term
notes, and I am . informed that in
some cases the Highway Commission
paid the amount direct to the Banks
. holding the short term notes. The
balance of the said short term notes
representing about one hundred and
seventy thousand will be due in the
coming June, and if the amount is
paid by the Highway Commission to
the county, it will, or should be ap
'plied to pay off . the balance of the
short term notes, otherwise the coun
ty Commissioners will have to borrow
money to pay interest onthe said
notes and continue to do so" until the
. Highway , Commission pays back to
the County the amount, If the a
mount is not paid back, before, the
said notes are due the county ' will
have to borrow money at a high rate
of interest to pay the interest on said
notes, which will cost about ten thous
v and dollars a year, s V.-i.
If the county commissioners were
to do so rash an act as to apply the
one hundred .and seventy., thousand
to any other purpose than to pay off
. the short term, note and get tby with
it then the'eomaussioners. of . the
county would have to vbond , .the
county, and they. would hate no" right
to do that without a vote of ,th
people, to pay the one hundred and
-. seventy thousand ' of short . term
notes, or in lieu thereof levy A spe
cial tax of Ten Thousand Dollars to
pay the interest on said notes, and h
Urge amount to pay on the principal.
The money -which the .Highway
. Commission ewe. the .County ha
beea dedicated to pay en the short
term notes which, the county ' care'
i - , " -.v..,.;
to get the money, and under the law
the County Commissioners have no
right to apply any funds of the coun
ty to any other purpose than that to.
which it was set apart, or intended
for.
The County Commissioners cannot
issue bonds without a vote of the
people, and if they were to divert
this one hundred and seventy thous
and, necessitating a bond issue to pay
the said short term notes, they would
be doing indirectly that which they
would not be allowed to do directly
and might be liable for the offense
of bonding the county without the
(CONTINUED ON 8TH PAGE)
RESIGNS AS SCHOOL
COMMITTEEMAN
REV. JAMES L. HYDE GIVES HIS
REASONS FOR RESIGNING
SCHOOL WORK AT WALNUT
Mr. H. L. Story, Editor,
The News-Record,
Marshall, N. C.
Dear Mr. Story:
Although I am very deeply interest
ed in the schools of our county, and
in our Walnut School in particular,
I have just resigned from the Walnut
School Committee. The reasons which
impelled me to resign are matters
that have been keeping our communi
ty stirred up and hurting our school.
They include one matter tnai i minis
should be brought before the Grand
Jury, since it seems to involve not
only the violation of law but the dis -
regard of one of the most cherished
principles of our American govern-
ment. I refer to the intimidation of
voters.
Your readers certainly are all deep -
ly interested in our schools, and have
a right to have all the facts brought
out into the open so tnat tney can
judge for themselves. Since I have not
allied, myself with any party or fac-
tlon bnt jhave ,trie,d t.,be fair and
Impartial Seeking tlt e best inter
est of the school and community, it
seemed to me that I was the one to
I dace the facts before your readers.
I . - . . 7 1.
But when 1 began to prepare sucn a
statement I realized that 1 had not
i vet had an ODDortunity to discuss
these matters fully and freely with
certain ones on both sides who are
HeeDlv concerned. Hence I hesitate to
write anything concerning them lest
1 1 do them an injustice. I hope you
i win ueciuie u puunsu oiijuiiiiS ......
me or trom anyone eise uiai is not
fair and free from bitterness.-
I am convinced, and feel sure that
your readers are convinced, that we
shall never have the harmony and
efficiency in our schools that we need
until we have a board of education
and school committees that will put
all political considerations behind
them, and administer the schools
without reference to partisanship or
to personal animosities.
I may add that since writing my
resignation I have had a talK witn, tne
Chairman of the Board and am glad
to say tht he had .no intention what
ever of disregarding, the wishes of
the community. It was simply a case
of the facts not having beenxptad'
Known,
Following is my resignation:
Walnut, North Carolina, April 5,
1929.
To the Board of Education of Madi
son County, ' )
President R. L. Moore, Chairman,
Dear Sirs:
It is with regret but no hesitation
that I hereby tender my resignation
as a member of the School Com
mittee of the Walnut Special School
District.
. We who put the good of our school
and the welfare of our community
above all partisan and personal con
siderations hoped much from, your
Board. We looked to you to give us
a School Committee which would
fairly and impartially represent' the
various elements in the community
instead of being "packed" to repre-
sent only one.
. I make no criticism of the gentle
man whom yoo have just appointed,
taken by himself, put taken as an ad
dition to an already "packed" com
mittee the ' appointment constitutes
nothing less than an outrage to the
impartial and nonpartisan elements
cf the community.
I have not alhe dmyseli with any
faction nor with any political party.
The gentlemen on the committee, in
cluding the last appointee, are all my
personal friends and I would take up
the cudsrels for them just as readily
if the committee were Jbeing "packed!
against them, and they were not re
ceiving due consideration. As -it is
however I see no prospect for my
r wef ulness on the Committee and
with very many calls upon my tun
and attention I ask to be. relieved at.
' V Wri.; epquijy- Bonn sect, vj
'.' r ' ' rJames. L. HydeM,
..,With; deep. appreciatiOB of ttfri
News-KeeoroY and e spatially . of the
editorial, Stand that it has been. tak
ing in t Publisher Column. am
f.: !' f,.n Years sincerely.
SEVEN TRIED FOR
INTOXICATION
Wayne Tweed, Jeter Tweed, Ellis
Wallin, Ed Davis, and Ed Payne
were arrainge and tried before Mr.
Lee Bryan, Justice of the Peace for
public drunkeness Monday. Two of
these paid fines of $5.00 and costs
while the other four were put under
sentence of 30 days in jail and the
sentence suspended for a period of
two years on condition that they were
to remain saber, otherwise they will
have to serve sentence as passed.
Grover Robinson from Nd 4 Town
ship was brought in on the same
charge and fined $25.00 and costs.
STILL CAPTURED
Mr. Mitchell Gentry, one of the
deputies under "Sheriff R. R. Ramsey,
captured an 80 gallon capacity copper
still complete on last Sunday morning
in the Shelton-Laurel section in No.
2 Township. He destroyed about 350
gallons of mash. No one was around
the still when taken.
: THE PUBLISHER'S
: ABOUT
WHAT IS THE UNIT OF INTEREST AND LOYALTY?
Should the people of Madison County bind themselves together
for the good of the county, or should ctounty lines be disregarded and
the State be the unit, or should State lines be disregarded and the Na-
tion be the unit, or should national lines be disregarded and the whole
world 'be the unit, or shall we narrow is still .mpre' and make the indi-
vidual and the home the unit? How selfish should be our interests, or
on the other hand, how broad? Take the matter of road building, for
example, are county commissioners elected to see that the section in
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which they happen to live gets its
they elected to serve to the best
whole courty as a unit? Should
in the legislature go with the sole purpose of pasaing laws for the bene-
fit of his county only, or should he be unselfish to the extent of denying
his county some benefit if he thought that by so doing he could benefit
his state as a whole?, Should a town of township pull for itself regard
less of theeffect that such pulling might nave on the county as a whole?
Should Asheville, for instance, be for Asheville first, Buncombe County
second, and the state of North Carolina third, or should every citizen
in Buncombe County, including Ashevflle boosters, think first. of the
WW&"a, who.e?;Vif .Asheyi
be morally justified in making every roadthrough Madison County, or
Haywood County, orf McDowell County, or any other county, lead di-
rectly to Asheville? Does selfish interest or pride in local affairs
justify a citizen in bending every effort to better his community regard
less of whether or not it is for the benefit of the larger unit as a whole?
Should Asheville or Greensboro or Raleigh organize chambers of com-
merce or boards of trade to boost these cities, when such boosting
might result in sapping the life of some weaker community? Should
a man in a position to do so, grow rich at the expense of his neighbors?
Should Madison County contribute toward the enrichment of Asheville?
Should our roads lead to Asheville or should they lead to Knoxville, or
should they lead to Marshall? If by driving to Asheville we can satisfy
our desires as individuals better than we could in Marshall, should
we stop to consider Marshall's interest or think first of our own? Do
we ever stop to ask ourselves these questions, or are we too selfish to
do so?
If the county is the unit which should be considered first, then
the people of the county as a whole should feel a pride in the develop-
ment of all parts of the county. If the community in which you live
is first and foremost, let that be built up. But we have come to an age'
when we cannot live unto ourselves. If a family in a community is
prosperous, the other citizens of that community are usually indirectly
benefitted. If they are not, they shouId be. Should our individual
interests be pooled for the benefit of the whole? The same principle
is involved in the matter of a world court, which our schools are de-
Witihg.t! Should America enter the
sider this matter selfishly America first and let the other nations
root for themselves? How selfish should we be in public affairs? These
are questions which crowd in upon us at times. Who will answer them?
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ARE OUR PEOPLE BECOMING MORE DISHONEST?
Perhaps our readers will begin to think that this writer is full of 4
questions this week Well, you know it is much easier to ask questions
than to answer them. But why should such a thought enter our minds
as to ask such a question? Really, there seems to be a reason for it. '
When you see so many people trying to dodge their obligations, mak-
ing promises they never intend to fulfill, contracting debts they never
intend to pay, one begins to wonder where the end will be. Instead of
never letting a debt be forgotten, the tendency nowadays seems to be
to get all, you can and pay for only what you are forced to pay. It is
- deplorable how many people would live beyond their income and let the
creditor suffer. The craze for automobiles, gasoline to ride with, and
v so forth, causes many a merchant
for necessities. Are we coming to an age when we cannot be credited
with anything ?,Cf course theire are yet many: honest people, but are
"they not among the older people? Are our young people, generally
speaking, as reliable in keeping their promises as their parents were?
If not, is this not a matter that should have our attention? Are. our
people losing 'their sense of hdnorl Our word should be our bond
when it comes to matters of business. It should not be a matter of
whether the creditor can collect by law. An, honest debt should be
paid whether collectible by law or not. .
. DOES IT PAY TO BE DIVIDED?
We wonder if those people who are always finding fault with
some one else have stopped to consider what they are getting out of
life. . A person can brood -over his imaginary wrongs and hardships'
f until he really has them. When he gets to feeling all wrong with the;1
world, he should go for a walk, look out over the beauties of nature;
look and smell the flowers, listen at the birds; go fishing, or In some way?
get away from, his, usual surroundings." It's a pitty for people to let.
their worries spoil their lives. ' After ail there are niany things in this;
; old world that we can enjoy if we
V look for th good in things and people. A house divided against Itself
annot stand, -neither can a town or a jkonununity, or at ehurch. " LefS .
bury the hatchet, forget our differences, and not allow ourselves toBa .f
robbed of. the. good things in life by
. there is bad in the best of us and good
- one to ot?Sofreat ifter att. Let's
PRITCHARD REFUSES
OFFICE NEAR NEGRO'S '
ConarressmaB-elect George M. Prit-
chardchardj of the tenth North Caro-
graolina, telegraphed to Washington
last Saturday, his refusal to accept
office quarters next to those oi uscar
dePriest, Mew negro
from Chicago.
congressnan
1D. nn...
tloned concerning the matter; said he
v ? . . '
believed he should be assigned ano
ther office because he "represents an
allJwhite congressional district."
Pritchard' last .November defeated
Congressman Zebulon Weaver, who
had represented the district for 12
years. Weaver is a Democrat. He
seceived anpther assignment.
i Asheville Times.
MARSHALL HI DEFEATS
HOT SPRINGS 13 TO 8
Marshall Hi .won their first ball Fanners of piedmont North Caro
game they have played this year with lina are buying their seed Irish pota
Hot Springs. The score was 13 to 8. . toes from growers in the mountains
Reid pitched a splendid game. Errors of Ashe and Avery counties.
were very costly to Hot Springs,
COLUMN
VARIOUS MATTERS I
portion at lea it of the plums, or are
of their ability in the interest of the
a man elected to represent a county
World Court, or shall America con-
to wonder where he will get his pay
will stop trying ta find fault and
seeing only the bad. v Jtest assured '
is the went of us and the differ
forget it nd be rttdV
SANDYlUSH AND UPPER
LAUREL ROAD PROPOSITION
;
D n j A.
Store Kobbed At TOrKS
i rf
Friday nigntNof last week a store
' was robbed at the Forks of Ivy and
... i A
o .-.MonHtv nt knives, watches, and
drv eoods was taken. Four young
1L ,,,. n.ntH in Asheville on
a charge of store breaking by the
police of that city. Sheriff R. R.
Ramsey went to Asheville to investi
gate and found that a good bit of
the goods had been recovered from
the boys. Two of the boys gave the
names of Stanley of Asheville, one
Rice and the fourth one we were un
able to get his name.
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:! WHERE IS THE
JUSTIFICATION
1
Last Monday, April 8th, the Ashe
ville Times carried a front page ar
ticle with the ' following heading,
"MARS HILL FOLK START BOY
COTT IN ROAD FIGHT. CIRCU
LATE PETITION TO END TRADE
WITH MAKbxlAljLi jnKyni.
TO BE VOTED ON TUESDAY."
It is hoped that this is an exag-
i.j tt r.. t tho foolino- nnrl
lot of the neonle of Mars Hill. At
least, it cannot represent the sober
judgment of so fine a community.
If the citizens of any section have
been wronged,, and Jhat wrong can
be shown, the people as a whole will
right it. vi , . ,
But what are the facts over which
a great many people have become un
duly excited and possibly said and
done things, that in their more sober
moments they would not have said
and done. , v . t
iThe , County nf. Uadon n the last
few years has loaned to the State of
North Carolina vannvjr of money to
carry on road work-in the county.
This money was loaned to the State
with the express understanding that
it was to be returned to the county.
The County Commissioners in open
session pledged that they would see
that this was done.
The County borrowed this money
that it loaned the state and gave its
note for it. The state has returned
to the County all sums borrowed ex
cept $170,000.00. The county has
its note outstanding for this amount
aA mill. ha vp tn nav it off when due.
The county has no money to meet
this note except the money due it
from the state. If it is not paid to
the county by the state the county
has no way to meet its obligation.
If this money is ordered placed on a
road on Big Pine Creek and Upper
Laurel section, how is the county to
meet its obligation when due? It is
the duty of our commissioners to see
that all obligations are cared for.
Would you suggest that the county
issue bonds to cover this amount?
No. This cannot be done except by
In the face of these facts what
happened? Commissioners John Am
nions and C. J. Wild voting for and
Anderson Silvers against a. resolu
tion giving a $150,000.00 for an
Ashevlle-Johnson City road through
the upper end of the county and
$20,000.00 to Bid iPfoe Creek road.
These two items covering the amount
the State owed the county of Madi
son. They took this action behind
closed and locked doors, and without
giving notice to any one in the coun
ty that such action was to Be taken.
They did this without : making any
provision to take care of the debt due
by the county fotvsaid'wioney.
When the facts became generally
known that the action of the Board
meant bonding the County in the
sum of $ 176,000.00, and that such
action had been taken in secrecy and
without knowledge of any of the vo
ters of Madisoh -County the people
became indignant and asked that the
action be revoked.
At a later meeting Mr. Claude Wild
and Anderson Silvers ver the pro
test of John Ammons revoked said
order. ' '7" ;
Before any of the citizens of Mad
ison get unduly excited about this
order being revettedVthtr might look
the question fairly in the face and
see what is right about the matter.
Where would Madison County have
rotten the moneyfto have replaced
this $170,000.00 fr vvD !you say bond
th county lor the amount? If so,
shall it be bonded by -the acts of the
Commissioner in fteeret session or by
a vote of the people as the law pro
vides? ' Why did the commissioners
when they passed thijr order close and
fastea the doors of the commission-
era room and act In secrecy?.. '
Commissioner Wild has corrected
the mistake h tnade bv revoking the
former order and thereby shown that
he hi a Vrvwc of t:.i feopie and not
their iti; ter. - la not Mr. Amnions
due the people of -this county an a
poloT f -r Us action in this matter?
0 , IIY C T "?. :-,.). .
Editor, News-Record:
The following is a copy of the Bill
introduced in the State Senate of the
recent legislature, providing the- peo-
pie of Sandy Mush, and the people of
No 5 and No. 11 Townships, known
a a f ho I Innor T. aural nnnntru urirh
as the Upper Laurel country, with
; dependable roads.
1 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR MAINTENANCE
I OF ROADS IN MADISON COUNTY.
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
NORTH CAROLINA DO ENACT:
Section 1. That for the first two
years, and longer if it shall be deem
ed advisable, the Board of Commis
sioners of Madison County , are di
rected to authorize the State High
way Commission to expend the funds
allocated to. Madison County under
the provisions of a bill creating a
"County Aid Road Fund" passed at
this session of the General Assembly
under the provision of Sub-section
(c) of Section 6 of said Act.
Section 2. That the State High
way Commission is authorized to sup
plement the "County Aid Road Fund"
allocated to Madison County during
the next biennium, not exceeding
$25,000 of the fund as may be due
Madison County under the terms of
existing contracts for the re-payment
of county loans heretofore made to
the State Highway Commission by
Madison County to such extent as,:
may be necessary in the opinion of
the State Highway Commission to
. pnnHiT- -;taMp fnr main.
tlon 01 this Act tne 10110w,nK
roaas .
I (a) From Marshall in a soutn-
, westerly direction a portion of old
Gap thence via Teague's Bridge to
the Forks of Sandy Mush Creek con
necting with State Highway No. 63.
(b) A road connecting with State
Highway No. 31 'between Mars Hill
and Cox's Bridge thence up Califor
nia Creek through Upper ' Laurel
Township, to the State line, and any
expenditures thus made by the State
Highway Commission shall be deem
ed and treated as a re-payment to
Madison County. - . j
; Section 3; "vThfiAet-snall e' n
force from and after its ratification.
The following is a copy of Subsec
tion (c) of Section 6, of the State
Highway law passed by the recent
legislature :
(c) "By taking over and main
taining as a Secondary State High
way System a part of the county
roads, connected with the present
State Highway System, the said mile
age to be such mileage as shall be
agreed to by the State Highway Com
mission and the Beard of County
Commissioners or the county road
governing authorities, and, in that
; eveni me state nignway commission
shall have the same authority, under
the power of eminent domain, to ac
quire local material, or to change the
grade or alignment of said road, as
it now has with respect to State
Highways. In such counties as a
Secondary State Highway System is
set up under this subsection, any ad
ditions to the State Highway System
shall be taken from such Secondary
State Highway System."
The Bill above mentioned grew
out of the Bill which was introduced
in the State Senate to cut off Sandy
! Mush Township and annex
it to
Buncombe County. Quite a larsre
delegation came to Raleigh, urging
that Sandy Mush Township be cut off.
The delegation was represented by
Mr. Andy Hipps, attorney from Ashe-
Jville, and. Mr. Albert Teague, form
erly oi sanay jnusn lownsnip, now
residing in Buncombe. The Sandy
Mush people represented to the Com
mittee on counties, cities and towns,
that they were bottled up, and in
anything like wet weather it was al
most impossible for them to get out,
and they made a pretty strong story.
The Committee suggested that the
proponents of the Bill and those op
posing it get together and see if some
arrangement could not be made by
which Sandy Mush might have a road.
A meeting was held that night at the
Sir Walter hotel, and a large num
ber of persons were present. Some
of the parties became rather heated
in the discussion. I stated to the
committee and at the meeting at the
Sir Walter hotel, that an effort had
been made for the last two or three
years to have the State take over the
road from Marshall, by way of Free
man's Gap to the Forks of Sandy
Mush, and that I thought that the
Commissioners of Madison County
and the people ' generally would be
glad to cooperate in bringing about
this result. I also stated to the com
mittee and at this meeting, that the
people in the Upper Laurel section of
the County were- bottled up '. for th U
want of a road as bad or worse than
the Sandy Mush people, and if an a- Z
greement was entered into to provide
Sandy Mush with a dependable road,
that Upper Laurel, must be .included. :
which meant a road to be maintained .
from No. 81,, up California Creek, "f
through Upper Laurel to the Stat ',
tine.-. r ' ,1 , ' f ' "
. Senator T. L. Johnson, from. Rob- '
inson County, showed a very f-' - '7 '
spirit toward the V.s rf" ? r i
su""P!ted that 'I f - a I . , -
bo. V iJ" .. ve r -- -
i
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