^fte ^YlewA - journal
Qmd&mz
PRES S
ASSOCIATION
Published E?ery Thuridaj at KWord. N.C. 28376
119 W. Etwood Avenue
Subscription Rates la Advance
Per Year? $8.00 6 Months ? $4.25 3 Month.? $2.25
PAUL DICKSON Publisher? Editor
SAM C. MORRIS General Manager
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
CHARLES BLACKBURN Reporter
CASS IE WASKO Reporter
Second Class Portage at Raeford, N.C.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8. 1977
Secrecy in the voting booth
Until we read the news tojattfiw refusing to tell
not occurred to us that yo diJd just that recently to
how you voted in an election. B J t at the Umversity of
Susan R. VanHattum.a who she had voted for in a city
Michigan. He ordered her to tell mm contempt of court.
election. She refused, and he sen. her jo J..UO ^ ^ be back
She was released after an hou aaainst the contempt charge.
;,ur, soon to defend herself further agatmt th ^ ^ M le
The iudge's rationale was t cnrino They voted illegally
cast their ballots in a city ekction lait p ^ mistake in the
no fault ofthetr own but because ^ ^
voter-registration office : - and t 20 persons voted, he
contested. If the judge can fmd ou> a?d resolve a senous
can deduct their votes from the 'in ^ ^ election or putting
election contest without ^he^q gchosell by invalid votes.
into office a mayor who ?ay ha aroument as any that could be
Now that may well be as good g ^ ^ But as far as we are
made for violating the se<jr<** enoUgh. if voters are to cast their
concerned, it is not near y | ? must remain secret unless they
ballots in secret, how they cast t ^ & president, a state
choose to tell. The government ^mth ^ how a particular
legislature or a judge -- has n __nt should put people in jail for
'X? voted. The idea that :????? '^the prints ?hich,
refusing to answer that question is auen n w reyea,
Jion operates. If a advanced in this case
how she voted for _the part for compelling someone else
another judge can find anothe VanHattum ought to get a medal
to make a similar revelat J?n' J1 h than submit to such an abuse
for her willingness to go to jail rather
of power. -The Washington Post
So lonSi Scvftxcid
CBS without Sevareid? Not So Wild a
long-time commentator s most cetebr ^ ni ht< when we wake
S^Sd1 T the tube again. TVs answer to
a?Not that Sav?arefd
S=5. .1
younger viewers who never ^ k foftowcd Sevareid through the
But to the generation tha mandatory retirement
years, though a bit older or mUch more than the
age he has just reach^' th% ??!,* news it goes back at least to the
void to be left on the CBS evening ne ? g ^ ^ ^ to {
call to the young newspaperrnan ^ to join that band of
comparable gap in broadcasting,^ Worid War 11.
correspondents that adorn than a performer.
Serr.=rn^re depth than the law of space
and time allows. sometimes not seemed so
In recent years, the opi ory This impression probably
clear-cut as in the Sevareid of me' ^ comple?ity of events
^sutnin^^wo^w'ar U days when right and wrong
r?rgc^ ss .o
*>? along the lines of a recent
speech*. , ? tivp always aware, however, that
I have tried to remain ob3^e' ^tag. Objectivity is a way
objectivity and neutrality are not t ,on of ,he thought,
of thinking about an issue, not the summ
.-Christian Science Monitor
Browsing in the files
of The News-Journal
25 years ago
Thursday , December 4, 1952
When called on the telephone
Tuesday Congressman C.B. Deane.
who was at his home in Rocking
ham, said that he was more in the
dark about what was going on here
in Hoke County in the way of a
survey by Army Engineers, and to
the purpose of the survey.
* ? *
The Hoke High Bucks opened
their 1952-53 basketball schedule
with a bang Tuesday night as they
took both ends of a doubleheader
with Rowland.
? * ?
From Rockfish News:
A.W. Wood says he will have to
get in some more nails, so there will
be seats enough for all the Nail Keg
gang if this cold weather continues,
so far most people are busy with
hog killings.
* ? ?
Most of the plans for the
appearance of Santa Claus and the
big gala Christmas parade set for
next Wednesday afternoon have
been completed and indications are
that it will be bigger and better
than the one last year.
1 5 years ago
Thmdaj, December 6, 1962
A wave of fires, almost certainly
the work of arsonists, burned over
500 acres of Hoke timber and
leveled the Hoke Exchange feed
mill Sunday.
Everyplace is either too hot or too cold'
HOKUM
By Charles Blackburn
The first annual Reindeer Hunt
was held this past weekend in
Anson County by a friend of mine
who practices law in Wadesboro. It
could just as easily have been a
dragon or a unicorn hunt. Bill
Capel, hunt organizer, noted that
reindeer are seen in the county only
one night a year in late December
when they power a tiny sleigh for a
chubby elf.
The hunt was kind of unusual.
No one got up at 5 a.m. to stand
around the cold woods. We
"hunted" by night. It didn't re
quire a license. You didn't need
boots or a flak jacket. No firearms
were involved. When it was over,
you didn't have to lie about all the
shots you'd passed up for humani
tarian reasons. The only thing we
stalked was a bottle. In fact, the
whole unsullied purpose of the hunt
was to take a drink. No one even
thought about assaulting wildlife.
The Anson County Hunt Club is
one of those organizations that
sneers at charters and bylaws. It
denies absolutely the existence of
community spirit. Everyone wanted
to be treasurer, for mercenary
Puppy Creek
Philosopher
Dear editor:
In these troublesome times,
although as far as I can tell nearly
all times in the history of the world
have been troublesome, there are
some things that take priority over
others. For example, when the
networks interrupted a football
game a couple of weeks ago to flash
some news about Sadat's trip to
Israel, telephone switchboards at
TV stations all around the country
lit up with protests from sports
fans.
You see, the Mid-East will never
become fully civilized until it
becomes normal for a network to
say, "We interrupt this war to
bring you the score of the Super
Bowl game."
Therefore, recognizing what
takes priority, I'd like to plunge
right into a grave matter now
bothering professional football. It's
the matter of penalties.
Players are saying the officials
are making some bad calls and
missing some good ones. "Hiey'll
call some holding penalties, es
pecially at crucial times, and miss
three - fourths of the others. When
a fight breaks out, they'll throw out
the wrong guy.
The players are being unreason
able. How can they expect five or
six officials to keep up with twenty ?
two players jumbled up on a
football field 100 yards long? And
all trying to win by whatever means
because their salary depends on it.
But like Congress, most people
had rather fuss and fume about
something than do something
about it.
Actually the solution is simple.
Every game should have twenty -
two officials, each assigned to just
one player with instruction to never
take his eyes off of him.
While I realize that on nearly
every play yellow flags flying in the
air would look like balloons being
released at half - time, you've got to
admit few rule infractions would go
undetected.
At the same time, attendance
might drop off disastrously as fans
discovered they couldn't see the
players for the officials. It'd be like
going to a car ? racing event and
never seeing any smash - ups. I give
up. Next week I'll solve the
Mid-East problem.
Yours faithfully,
J.A.
reasons; but since no one paid anv
"tk tte ?ffice lost its fraction
The Hunt Club joins an illustri
ous group of societies whose goals
are as muddled as its members.
Evei^ year, for example, The
Man Will Never Fly Society gets
Norther ?ni- the outer banks of
rha? ? Carolma to march in less
? " precision formation over Jock
ies Ridge while chanting the society
motor "Birds fly. men drink^TTie
nfC?i!y C^ver!es on the anniversary
lh?eT^right brothers' alleged
flight. The top brass from the Air
uMiafi a"t commerc'al airlines
usually show up to denounce
aviation as a grand illusion. The
meeting lasts for two days and not
one item of business is transacted
The president of the society says he
began it all because, in the past
there were never enough people on
the outer banks in December to
have a party.
The Flat Earth Society is no less
anv "of "ifltS M'e[ Y?U won,t find
any of its members booked on
around the world cruises. It was
would li|tHat Space missi?ns
On the i"e th,s group forever.
Il'' ' u contrary, they continue to
thumb their noses at all scientific
?ntenigence. Pictures of Earth from
space show it to be a flat disk, they
wise >,ng a"y?ne to prove other
In London, the Baker Street
Irregulars meet regularly to quiz
each other on Sherlock Holmes
trim arid to poke their beaks in a
glass. The Baker Street Irregular
ZLdflf ?gtag rowd'es that
assisted the famous detective in
The Sign of the Four.
c.J1?6" isueven a society of Spartan
f rlars who claim to have read all
of Edmund Spenser's 16th century
allegorical epic the Faerie Qoeeiw
Spencer told his friend Sir Walter
Raleigh that he planned to write
12 liTS? !" f S?oks' with another
-J Li fo"ow 'f those were favorably
received. English students the
Letter To
The Editor
Dear Editor:
Being a former citizen and
m ",?ni!.d Person of the develop
ment and growth of Hoke County I
wri?pC<fh'? Jake a few minutes to
?nte this letter. I am presently
living in South Florida and it's
always a thrill to receive your
weekly paper. I usually have it sent
to me by relatives who still reside in
Raeford. During the past Thanks
Riving Holidays I was home visiting
family and friends when I received
your November 24th issue. The one
thl'pH-l ?aught my eye most was
the Editors note in which appeared
an editorial written by Peter Young
- thanks for what? -- Thank?
whom? Raeford is very fortunate
cST !t h?s things that other
have W?Sh 1 S gfeat nation don't
J? ? i j P?8" among its
people and solitude amoni its
peers. Nowhere have I ever lived
that I've had the friends and peace
of mind than Hoke County. The
people here are warm and friendly
and bus among races and religions
I would return to Hoke County to
I've but my job here has a great
impact on my life. I guess the
saying goes true that once you leave
yPu can. "ever return.
My heart is with every Hoke
County citizen, and every fine
worker on this small but e7cellem
_ . Sincerely,
Franklin R. Collfer
Hollywood. Florida
Recently there has been much
written and said about the impact
on our economy of imported goods
- especially imports from Japan.
American steel companies, their
profits slipping and one actually
recording the largest three - month
loss in the nation's industrial
history, are calling for restrictions
on the steel tonnage imported into
the country.
There have been charges that
Japan is "dumping" televisions and
electronic equipment into the
American market. Dumping means
sending the goods here to be sold
cheaper than they can be pur
chased in the country of their
origin.
One American television manu
facturer, Zenith, which has always
prided itself on its American
workmanship, has announced it is
opening its first foreign plant in
Taiwan, assertedly because labor is
cheaper there.
There is a great temptation for
the government, under tne pressure
of the urgings of American business
interests, to place quotas on the
amount of foreign steel and
manufactured items that are
imported.
But as a North Carolinian who
was raised on a farm, I am keenly
aware that international trade is a
two - way street. Of course I am
concerned that our steel companies
are in trouble, although there is
more than a little evidence that a
great deal of their ills are the result
of their own poor management. But
protective tariffs can also be im
posed two ways and the nation's,
and North Carolina's, farmers
could be damaged in the process.
The effect of international sales
Report
To Hn
People
by Senator Robert Morgan
has been demonstrated vividly dur
ing the past few weeks. The Soviet
Union, which had its poorest wheat
harvest in recent years, was forced
to come to America to buy grain
and the demand that this created
pushed the price of wheat up
almost a dollar a bushel.
International demand for corn
has raised the price of that grain
sharply during the same period;
and farmers, who are having
economic problems, to put it
mildly, got the advantage of the
higher prices.
While North Carolina is not a
large grain state, compared to the
states in the Midwest, we are the
largest tobacco state in the union
and every year buyers from foreign
countries, Japan included, flock to
our markets to bid on the flue
cured leaf. Japan is also one of the
countries which buys soybeans,
another large North Carolina crop. _?
So large have these international
sales become that the loss of any
substantial portion of them could
have a serious impact on the North
Carolina farmer who depends on :
tobacco and soybeans for his living.
I want our steel companies and
our television manufacturers to do .
well, because our whole economy
suffers if they don't.
But, I don't want our govern-^,
ment to take any step that could
harm those who grow North Caro- "
Una's farm crops.
In all of our trade talks with
Japan and other countries who have
gathered a larger share of the
American market during the past
few years, I think that we should -
remember that imposing tariffs or
import quotas can react against the -
nation that does it.
CUFF BLUE...
People & Issues
NCSU...Last Friday I attended a
meeting of the Public Relations
Advisory Committee of North Car
olina State University Development
Council in Raleigh with some 20
members in attendance. Chairman
of the Committee, former Raleigh
Mayor. Travis H. Tomlinson pre
sided. A number of subjects were
discussed with NCSU Public Rela
tions Director, Hardy Berry, lead
ing off with remarks on "Hard
Tomatoes, Hard Times" Syndrome
in which he seemed to decry the
thought that the improved variety
of tomatoes were not on par with
some of the tomatoes grown before
modern propagation took place.
Building needs were also dis
cussed, and while we had never
given it a thought before, it was
pointed out (with one lady present)
that more toilet facilities were
needed for women than for men per
capita.
It seemed that at the Carter
Stadium the toilet facilities were
equal but that while there was lines
of women for the ladies toilets there
was not for the men's.
Discussing Title 9 which requires
equal facilities for the girls, it was
pointed out that for promising
young men and women in the
athletic fields ample scholarships
were available.
The vet hospital was discussed
and with only some S2 million
having been appropriated, the
realization of a vet school which
will initially cost some $9 million, it
seems pretty far from fruition with
so many other demands which seem
to stand ahead of it.
One encouraging report at the
meeting was that the Carter Stad
ium bonds will be paid off by 1980
instead of the 2004 maturity date
for the last bonds!
NCSU Vice Chancellor Rudolph
Pate gave an encouraging report on
the growth of the Foundation fund
which helps to make ^ great
university over an average Univer
sity.
Chancellor Joab L. Thomas
closed the meeting with a discus
sion of the future needs at NCSU.
TOBACCO... The NCSU Advi
sory Public Relations Committee
discussed the tobacco situation,
taking note of the forces working
against it. It was pointed out that
tobacco is grown in 91 of the 100
counties in the state and that it
provides employment for 21,100
persons with annual earning of over
5 300 million with S43.7 million
collected in state sales taxes on
cigarettes in 1976 alone.
The NCSU Public Relations
Committee urged a strong informa
tion program through the Agricul
tural Experiment Station and Agri
cultural Extension program in
creating greater publie understand
ing of the vital role that the tobacco
economy plays in the state and
nation.
MAKE-IT- YOURSELF! We un
derstand that a furniture manu
facturer in North Carolina is
manufacturing or will manufacture
"make-it-yourself" furniture ready
to be put together with a screw
driver and the necessary screws
included with the items of furniture
being offered.
COTTON. ..Old timers can
remember when cotton -- not
tobacco was the chief "money
crop" in North Carolina. In the -
October 1 ginning report only three
counties were listed, Scotland.
Robeson and Halifax. Scotland was
first in ginning with 1,318 bales.
Robeson was next with 1,162 bales
with Halifax third with 683 bales
with "all other" counties having a
total of 1 ,572. In the bye-gone days
people carried their cotton to the
gin in the wagon and waited for
hours for the cotton in the wagons
ahead to be ginned. While waiting
the men would talk and gossip,
trade knives, and often-times mules
and other things, and bring back
home the news of the community".
PARTY LOYALTY?.. .Party
loyalty in politics is far from what it
used to be 50 years ago. Writing
about Lou Holtz supporting Jesse
Helms, John Henry Moore of the
Laurinburg Exchange says,
"...party loyalty isn't going to mean
much during next year's big sena
torial fight." Our thought is that
one thing makes Jesse Helms so '.
popular with many of the people is >
that he has the courage to vote
"no" when he knows there is no ?
money in the treasury to pay the %
Kill
Only the <S^\fV 1
Newspaper '$5^1 -
Only the newspaper gives
the thinking man so much
to think about as it probes
into the background of
each day's happenings.