Newspapers / The News of Orange … / Dec. 29, 1960, edition 1 / Page 14
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ters to the Editor SIMONS DEPENDS ELECTIONS OFFICIAL To the Editor: As is weH known to all people who have recently been perusing your column entitled “Letters to the Editor,” I have during Novem ber and December, 1960 censured the Orange County Board of Elec tions on several occasions. My present purpose is, however, to de fend that group—and, especially, its Secretary, Clyde C. Carter— against the attack made in the editorial “The board protesteth too much about this!” in Section III, p.l-Sfof theDee. 15-,- .-I960 is sue of your newspaper, In the first place, you are error j in declaring—on page 1, lines 5-6 the above-cked article—that “the Board’s spokesman!’ had written j “to the county, commissioners’’-1 concerning the eligiblity of U.N.C. students to vole as residents of Orange County. Prof. Carter's let- j ter was directed to the county ac countant, Sam Gattis, who later passed the missive on to the com-1 missioners. The frequent use. moreover, of the first singular personal pron oun—e. g., p. 2, line 35 of Carter's communication, “It is my consi dered judgment”; ibid., p. 3, line 3, “I have given considerable | thought to this matter”; ibid., p. 3, line 4, “1 understand the prob lem”; and ibid., p. 3, line 31, “1 fully appreciate* the fact”—tends to indicate that the writer is, to a considerable extent, expresing his Own personal convictions rather than those of the Board of Elec tions as a whole. This theory is corroborated by the facl that his fetter is signed merely “Clyde C. Carter” instead of also contain ing the words “Secretary of the Orange County, N. C. Board of Elections.” In the sd»nd place, a mislead ing impression is credited by the ■ assertion—on page 1, lines 28-31 of your editorial — that “the" (County Elections* “Board . . . . ... doesn’t ‘believe that only per manent residents . . . are entitled to register aftd vote.’ ” Except for the substitution of "believe” for "subscribed to the view,” you have correctly quoted the words you selected from Carter’s com munication, hilt the omitted clause represented by the three dots be tween “residents” and “are” con tains Carter's definition of “per manent residents” viz., “those who have a fixed intention of re maining^ in Orange County from. here on out.” When his statement j is considered in the light of that definition, it becomes clear that Carter is NOT contradicting him self in the sentence of his from which you quoted a portion on p. 1, lines 28-31 of your article. It is true that just as “idiot” is the opposite of "genius,” “per manent” is the opposite of “tem porary.” Between “idiot” and j “genius” there are, however, var-! ious intermediate classifications-1- j viz., “imbecile,” “moron,” “dulli normal,” “normal,” “b r i g h t,” | “very bright,” and “gifted.” There isi, in much the same way, a mid- i die ground between “temporary” and “permanent.” Consider, for instance, the case! of a male married student who plans to remain at the University for seven or eight years (m or der to complete both undergrade j ate and profesional training*, pays poll taxes and personal property taxes both to Orange County and to the Town of Chapel Hill, and uses N. C. state and Chapel Hill town licenses on his automobile but does not expect to remain here after the completion of his schol astic work. Even though he Is ‘riot a per manent resident of Chapel Hill, he will (if Professor Carter’s views prevail) be permitted to vote as a resident of this town—provided, of course, that: (It he is a United States citizen; (II) he is property registered; (III) he is (chronologi cally) at least ttrenty-one yearS old on the day set for the election (or will read) that age on the dsy immediately following the election; (IV) he is (in the opinion of the elect‘..ii officials) Of sound mitfd; and (V)'any rights Of citizenship he may have lost—because of con viction of, or confession to, a fe lony—have been restored. (It is taken for grante<rthat if he ctftfld not pass the literacy test with ehse, he would rtt>t have suceeed* ed in obtaining the right to enrol! at the University.) Carter’s attitiide in this matter is actually mote liberal than, that of Henry W. Lewis, of the Insti tute of Government. In his. Pri mary and General ElecUbn Laws and Procedures (i960), p. 20, lines 8-16, Mr. Lewis specifically avers: a. If a person leaves his home and goes into another state or precinct in. this state for tetfipor ary purposes only with the inten tion of returning, he is not consi dered to have lost his residence in the precinct from which he left. ORDINARILY, A COLLEGE STUDENT FALLS INTO THIS CATEGORY.” (capitalization mine). “b. If a person comes into any precinct id this state for tempor ary purposes only, without the in tention of making that precinct his PERMANENT” (capitalization mine) “place of abode, he is not considered to have gained a resi dence there.” j In the third place, your asser tion—on p. 1, lines 40-41 and p. 2: line 1 of your editorial—that “it is not any business of the County Board of Elections who it is that votes in ahy election so long as that person qualifies within the law" is beside tfii point. No one has questioned the truth of the statement quoted in the sentence immediately preceding this one. The very thing tMt PrOfeSkaf Car ter is endeavoring to ascertain is “WHO DOES 'qualify within the A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! % You Can Make 1961 Mean Opportunity For You . . . By Opening An Insured Account At This Institution . . . . Beginning With The New Year. Watch For Our Semi-An nual Dividend Announce ment Coming Soon. tea ORANGE COUNTY BUILDING AND 10AN ASSOCIATION W, Franklin St. "Tha Hama of Profitable Saving*” Phon* 9-8761 HOURS: Monday through Thursday W p.m.; Friday 9-6 p.m. law’?” < * There are undoubtedly—as you allege on page 2, lines 2-5 of your article—“some University students .who can rtredt thef legal requirement to vdte in Chapel HB1 but could not conceivably qualify’ anywhere else. Carter's communi I cation does not .however, cdrttara anything tending to indicate that he denies that there arts such Mu dents. (Whether or not you are also correct in your anegation Unit “many or the 900 in question are in this category*' is a matter* of opinion, and if *6uld probably be difficult to determine objec tively whether or not you are right about this. ) Very truly yours, • Manning A. Simons Chapel Hill JAMES FREELAND'S HOLIDAY ICE RINK Now Open For Th* Season Hi Now Location—At Entrant* To ¥h* Gan. Johnston Motel. On U. S. Hwy. 70 Thr** Miles West Of Durham. -Fun For The Family I Daily 3-6, 7:30-10; Also 9:30-1 Saturdays | Bourbon rC vitA^fpe in if* tf&voi M- STRAIGHT KENTUCKY BOURBON (PrtiefitMf tlitftf&daaxy’txJinp /o lA*finest DISTILLED a eonLED BY A N C IE VT A4JE UlSTIILING <■ FRUNKFOBT. KENTUCKY STRAIGHT KENTUCKY BOUR0ON WHISKEY, 86 PROOF ANCIENT AGE DISTILLING CO., FRANKFORT. KY.
The News of Orange County (Hillsborough, N.C.)
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Dec. 29, 1960, edition 1
14
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