c?kecn ew* - journal
Qn/iofata
PRESS
SSOCIATION
Published Every Thursday at Raeford, N.C. 28376
119 W. Elwood Avenue
Subscription Rates In Advance
Per Yea* - $5.00 6 Months - $2.75 3 Months - $1.50
PAUL DICKSON Publirfier-Editor
SAM C. MORRIS General Manager
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
MARTY VEGA Reporter
Second Class Postage at Raeford, N.C.
THURSDAY, APRIL 15. 1976
A reprieve for revenue sharing
Has federal revenue sharing returned "power to the people" as the
Nixon administration said it would, or simply provided a way for
Washington to avoid its responsibility to improve conditions in local
communities? Five years into this $30 billion legacy of the "new
federalism," the answer lies somewhere in the middle.
Like birds at a winter feeder, the 39,000 cities and towns covered
by revenue sharing have become used to those quarterly checks from
the federal government. Now, Congress is wrangling over whether to
continue this massive program and efforts to scrap or modify it are
mounting. There are, in fact, strong arguments against simply
extending revenue sharing for another five years as the White House,
mayors, and governors urge.
For, far from being the "resounding success" President Ford
proclaims, this new form of federal aid has more often than not
helped perpetuate local programs and policies (including their bad
points) rather than brought about reform or boosted new and
innovative municipal services.
The state of the economy no doubt has influenced mayors to throw
revenue-sharing sandbags against the rising tide of property tax
rates, but so too have thinly disguised political considerations.
Boston Mayor Kevin White squirreled away $20 million in revenue
sharing to use just before his bid for reelection.
Among nationwide shortcomings: less than 3 percent of the funds
have been used for social services and specific help for the
disadvantaged; citizen participation in deciding how to spend the
money (as envisioned by the legislation creating revenue sharing) has
been almost nil; antidiscrimination guarantees have been easily
circumvented by receivers and inadequately enforced by the federal
government.
At the least, these defects should be corrected before revenue
sharing becomes a more permanent part of the federal budget. Since
(as a Brookings Institution study showed) the program has made
only a "limited contribution" toward equalizing differences between
per capita income and the local tax bite among states, perhaps the
aid formula should be changed to favor poorer localities more than it
already does.
While federal aid to state and local governments has increased
sevenfold since 1960, the economic pinch and municipal problems
that still need solving add up to a continued requirement for
Washington's help. But that help should not come without
guarantees that it is being properly applied.
Now, Congress is tied up with its own reelection worries and
wondering whether the next president will be a Republican or
Democrat, all of which is bound to influence decisions on revenue
sharing. For this reason, the best bet would be to extend the
program through 1977 and let the necessary tinkering wait until
after the campaign questions have been answered.
Christian Science Monitor
Browsing in the files
of The News-Journal
25 years ago
Thursday, April 12, 1951
Work started this week on a new
building on Main street at the
corner of Edinborough Avenue just
across from the courthouse. The
building is being constructed by
McLauchlin Company, Inc., for
lease to Cooper Food Stores, who
plan to open a food store there by
mid-summer.
Mrs. Sallie Lona Smith, wife of
E.M. Smith, passed away at the
home of her daughter, Mrs. J.N.
Gulledge, here at 12:30 a.m.
yesterday after an illness of several
months.
From Poole's Medley:
People are as a rule more
persistant in wrong doing than they
are in doing right.
From Rockfish News:
Fayetteville Street's one - half
case of mumps developed to about
three ? fourths and is about well
Due to artillery firing the Rae
ford-Vass toad will be closed to
traffic on the Fort Bragg reserva
tion on Monday, April ^Tuesday,
April 10.
Coach Haywood Faircloth's
Hoke County High baseball team
took a close game from Southern
Pines High on the local field
Tuesday afternoon. 5 to 4.
The Youth Rally, Methodist
Church, Fayetteville District, was
held in the Raeford Methodist
Church Friday, April 6. Over five
hundred young people were present
at this semi-annual meeting.
1 5 years ago
Thursday, April 13, 1961
Preparations for the upcoming
Golden Jubilee moved into high
gear this week as headquarters
were officially opened in the spac
ious (and vacant) store next to the
Post Office.
Hoke County Librarian, Mrs.
Lee Cameron announced this week
a change in the hours for the
library. It will be open all day
Tuesday and Saturday, with a 3:30
to S:30 schedule for Monday,
Wednesday and Thursday.
All five members of a Raeford
family were hospitalized last week
end as the result of a Sunday
evening car wreck near Red
Springs. Mr. and Mrs. Miles
Johnson and their three boys were
taken to Southeastern Hospital in
Lumberton after their car was
smashed by another vehicle coming
around a curve in the rainy night.
He's cheating. He's not even on a horse'
Ttw Christian boctxr Noaitw
- by Marty Vega
Pure Corn Here
Presidential campaigning, '70's
style. Carter puts it into his mouth
right up to the knee bone with
"ethnic purity" and then poor
Ford, down in Texas, puts a
tamale, corn shuck and all, into his
mouth to the utter amazement of
an entire ethnic class, Mexican -
Americans.
Although it was not immediately
disconcernible how many millions
of Chicano votes Ford lost, in my
own household, Senor Vega, my
East Lx>s Angeles bred better half
who is neither ethnic or pure,
admitted that Ford had not lost his
vote over the tamale incident,
mainly because he never had it.
So, because of this frenzied
backlash against Ford just related
here, let the defense present its
side. (Wolverines have to stick
together)
Number one, there are only a
handful of Mexican restaurants in
all of Michigan, and certainly none
in Grand Rapids. In fact there are
likely no Mexicans in Grand
Rapids, and only a handful in all of
Michigan.
Ah, now you are going to say. is
there corn in Michigan? For if
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
1 have been thinking some more
about the Presidential Primaries.
For example, one candidate has
raised about seven million dollars
for his campaign and is running
low on funds now; another raised
five million and is about out of
money; another raised three million
and is now S100.000 in debt; and
some others who raised a measley
million or so have now closed up
and gone home.
Understand, all that money is
just to try for the nomination. After
that comes the election, requiring
many millions more.
Now despite all this outlay, all
this flying around the country
shaking hands, all the advertising
costs on TV and in the newspapers,
only a small percentage of the
people are voting in the primaries.
If 25 per cent vote, that's con
sidered a good turn ? out. Some
times the percentage is only 20,
sometimes less.
And this is true also in other
elections; in city elections, state
elections, etc. Why, you can beat
nearly any school bond election if
you can get as many as 30 per cent
of the people to vote.
I've been thinking about this. If
20 per cent of the people can decide
who's going to be the nominee of
their party, why not narrow it down
even more? Why should the candi
dates spend millions of dollars on
such a small minority, when Dr.
Gallup can take $25,000, poll 1500
people, and tell you who's going to
win?
Now who these 1500 people are
nobody knows. Nobody has ever
talked to anybody who has ever
been polled by Dr. Gallup, and I
think I know the reason why.
Judging by some of the people they
said was going to win and who did,
you can see why they wouldn't want
their names associated with it.
This is off the subject, but have
you noticed that there never has
been a news flash on TV, whether
it's about a tornado warning, an
earthquake, or an election results,
important enough to show up
during a commercial?
Yours faithfully,
J.A.
there is corn in Michigan, then it
stands to reason there are also
corn shucks?
Now is the fallacy. Yes, there is
corn in Michigan. Yes, there is
corn in Mexico. But is it the very
same corn? No! Yes!
The corn is the same, but the
shucks. In Michigan the corn
shucks are green. In Mexico the
shucks grow yellowed and dried
because of the extreme heat. In
Michigan there is no heat except in
July and August (the corn season).
Now if they had given Ford a
tamale wrapped in a green corn
shuck, he would have said Ah, corn
shucks," and peeled it away to eat
his tamale.
But they didn't give Ford a
Michigan tamale. They gave him a
Mexican tamale and he was fooled.
It's not nice to fool President Ford.
They should have taken him to
Taco Bell.
At last a far - sighted individual
has come up with the solution to
the problem of a big, centralized
government with all its bureau
cratic waste and inefficiency.
The thing to do is to divide the
United States into four sub ?
countries, each with its own capital
and federal budget.
By dividing the whole huge
federal machinery by four, it would
be easier to keep track of where tax
dollars go. It is easier to work with
a budget of 25 billion dollars
instead of 100 billion dollars. All
these various agencies and branch
es that are spread over everywhere
is not good business management.
Every person knows that the
federal government squanders mil
lions (or billions) of our tax dollars
on useless programs and overpriced
goods. Yet how is the average
person able to determine just where
the fault lies when it is spread over
Congress, and all of these innumer
able government agencies, each
putting the blame on someone else?
Look at how our taxes keep going
up. Look at how the national debt
keeps increasing. Look at the mess
the post office is in.
If you visit Washington this year
for the Bicentennial, drive down
Independence, Constitution Ave
nues. See the Department of This,
The Department of That, The
Bureau of This, The Bureau of
That. Think of all the tons and tons
of papers and records in those
buildings, and it will make you
want to throw up.
Letter To Editor
As you will recall, Mr. Wilfred
Walters and two other Raeford
men were fatallv injured recently in
an automobile collision. This was a
terrible tragedy, and it greatly
affected the Walters family as well
as the other two families. The
family members are deeply upset
and have not built up enough
strength to visit the wrecked van or
even desire to visit it. On Thursday,
April 8. 1976, you published a
Jiicture of the wreckage in the News
ournal which I feel, along with all
who share sympathy for the Wal
ters family, that you acted too soon
in this publication. Do you really
feel it was necessary? Have you and
your staff even imagined how this
photo affected the family? As a very
close friend of the Walters family, I
feel you should at least give this
saddened family an apology of
some sort, as I cannot even begin to
express how this family is feeling.
Sincerely,
Debbie Ward
CLIFF BLUE...
People & Issues
WHERE, OH WHERE? -- With
the Republicans now in executive
control of the state government for
the first time in 72 years you would
think that there would be an out
and out "administration" candi
date running for governor on the
Republican ticket this year. But, it
appears that the three leading GOP
candidates will be campaigning
aloof from the governor!
The Rev. Coy Privette of Cabar
rus County, a Baptist minister who
led the campaign to defeat liquor
by the drink in the state, is
expected to be independent and
unorthodox in his approach to the
issues of the day.
David T. Flaherty who recently
resigned as Secretary of the Dept.
of Human Resources let it be
known in his announcement that he
expected to run his campaign
independent of the Holshouser
administration, and if elected a
new standard of ethics would be
followed by those associated with
him. Flaherty is generally regarded
as the "organization" candidate
and the candidate to beat if
someone else is to be the GOP
nominee.
Jacob Franklin Alexander, Jr.,
Secretary of the Dept. of Trans
portation and Highway Safety has
taken an independent approach as
head of the Highway Department -
differing with Governor Holshouser
over the handling of the speeding
incident of Highway Patrol Chief
E.W. Jones.
The defeat of President Ford in
the recent presidential primary by
Ronald Reagan was a severe jolt to
Governor Holshouser who headed
up the Ford campaign not only in
North Carolina but in the Southern
states.
DEMOCRATS -- From the
Democratic side it now appears
that the situation is pretty stable
with Hunt, O'Herron and Strick
land deep in the race with no other
serious possibilities being talked at
this stage of the game.
Of course it's not too late for a
new candidate to surface on either
the Democrat or Republican side.
Remember, the first primary is still
more than four months away -
plenty of time for a strong new face
to enter the race and make off with
the bacon. In 1948, the late Ken
Scott, then commissioner of Agri
culture, didn't announce for gov
ernor until February. Then he
found the going tough for several
weeks before Capus Waynick was
persuaded to come in and manage
his campaign. In the first primary
Charlie Johnson led with 170,141
with Scott in second place with
161.293. Others receiving votes in
the first primary were, R. Mayne
Albright. 76,281; Oscar Barker,
10,871; W.P. Stanley, Jr., 2,428;
and Olla Ray Boyd, 2,111. In the
second primary Scott went on to
win with 217,620 votes to 182,684
for Johnson.
POSTAL SERVICE -- Com
menting on statements by Rep. Bill
Hefner and Postmaster General
Bailar about the bad financial
shape of the postal service, John H.
Moore, editor of the Laurinburg
Exchange may well have hit the nail
on the head when he writes: "It is
interesting that neither the Post
master General nor Congressman*
Hefner addressed himself to the
biggest reason for the financial
tragedy of the Postal Service -? out
of hand unionism." *
BICENTENNIAL ?? We read
and hear much about the Bicen
tennial, people being asked to
make the year outstanding because
of what the founding fathers gave
us 200 years ago. One thing in
particular which has aroused in
terest and action is history writing.
Counties and communities over the
state are busy writing histories this
year as never before. It has been
well written: "He who careth not
whither he came careth not whither
he goeth."
JOHN CONN ALLY -- Former
Texas Governor John Connally
recently suggested Senators and
Congressmen be barred from run
ning for President. Connally says
it's clear conflict of interest and
that instead of serving the people of
Congress, candidates and their
staffs spend their time pursuing
presidential campaigns.
To allow them to become candi
dates later, Connally would include
in the constitutional amendment
banning such candidacies a limit of
two six - year terms for Senators
and three four - year terms for
Congressmen.
He thinks this would guarantee a
flow of new leadership in Wash
ington, men or women who come
straight from business, farm or
shop and who therefore know the
people's problems first hand. It
would discourage the system of
career staffs or committees or
subcommittees. John Connally's
suggestions deserve serious con
sideration ? more than they will
likely get by career senators and
congressmen!
In the bitter argument over
whether the New River, in the
mountains of Ashe and Alleghany
Counties, shall be made part of the
National Wild and Scenic River
System ?? in order to block a big
hydroelectric project there -- some
very important people have been
forgotten: the taxpayers in those
two counties, especially those who
live along the river.
Therefore, I have insisted that a
provision be included in the legis
lation designating the New River as
Wild and Scenic, which will insure
that the landowners are compen
sated for their losses.
Appalachian Power had planned
to build the dams to generate power
for use in other states. Environ
mentalists fought the project,
pointing out that it would use more
power than it would produce ?
water would be pumped uphill into
a reservoir, to be used during
periods of the day when demand for
electricity is at its peak.
The North Carolina State Legis
lature attempted to outlaw the
project, as did the U.S. Depart
ment of the Interior.
An act of Congress, designating
the New as part of the Wild and
Scenic River System, and revoking
the permit, was proposed.
But what about the people who
own land along the river, up in
Ashe and Alleghany?
They have a Constitutional right
to just compensation for the taking
of their land, or for any lessening of
the usefulness or value of that land.
If the valley were flooded by the
dam, these people would be bought
out by the power company. But if
their land were just designated
"wild and scenic," they would have
their right to use the land
restricted.
What can we expect them to do,
just sit there and pay taxes on it,
Report
To Hn
People
by Senator Robert Morgan
while they are forbidden to do
inything with the land but what
;ver farming they now are doing?
Also, I have learned that the
North Carolina Department of
Natural and Economic Resources
had hoped that the counties in
volved would reclassify this land as
flood ? plain, thereby depriving f
these individuals of their rights to
compensation. I believe this would
be unfair and wrong.
Therefore, I am proposing an
amendment to the bill proposed bjj
Congressman Neal and Senator
Helms. This amendment would
gurantee that these landowners
would not suffer economic harm
through restrictions on the use of
their land.
We cannot leave these people
holding the bag, with no recourse
but to start a lawsuit against the
government when they are denied
the right to build a house over
looking the river, like they'd
planned, or to put up a new bam,
or sell their property for other uses.
Under the bill proposed by
Congressman Neal and Senator
Helms, twenty - six and a half miles
of the New River, from Dog Creek
to the Virginia line will be part of
the scenic river system.
But the Secretary of the Interior
will be directed to compensate
those who hive a just claim that
their property has been devalued by
the action. lW is only fair.
(