The <71 eu?4 - journal
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER
Qmo&pui
R RES S
AS S O C I ATI ON
Published Every Thunder at Raeford, N.C. 28376
1 19 W. Etwood Avcnne
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PAUL DICKSON Publisher? Editor
SAM C. MORRIS C . . General Manager
MRS. PAUL DICKSON Society Editor
CHARLES BLACKBURN Reporter
CASS IE WASKO Reporter
Second Claaa Postage at Raeford, N.C.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 5, 1978
Banning bribery abroad
For too long and in too many parts of the world briber)- of
government officials in other countries by business firms has been
considered an almost acceptable and necessary part of doing
business. United States corporations certainly have not acted along
in their keeping of multi - million - dollar slush funds and making
secret payoffs to top foreign officials in whose countries lucrative
sales contracts were under negotiation. Thus it is encouraging to
note that in the United States, at least, government actions and
public opinion are prompting multi - national firms to run away
from bribery as "business as usual." In the wake of post Watergate
disclosures that some 300 U.S. firms, including giants such as
Lockheed and Northrup, made huge secret payments to officials
abroad, government regulators and prosecutors have clamped down
on such corrupt practices, and Congress itself now has taken the
most significant step yet by enacting a law making it a crime
punishable by a fine up to $1 million for any American firm to bribe
a foreign official.
Under the new law signed by President Carter last week, corporate
officials convicted of bribery face imprisonment for up to five years
or fines up to $10,000 or both. A key provision of the new law
requires corporations to maintain detailed records of their dealings
abroad, aimed at making it easier for stockholders and regulators to
detect hidden slush funds. Disclosure is not required of the firms;
therefore enforcement ? and the eventual success of the new law ?
will hinge largely on the effectiveness of the Securities and Exchange
Commission and the Justice Department of policing such dealings.
The new anti - bribery law should serve notice to businessmen and
officials elsewhere that the United States is committed to elevating
the ethical and moral standards of international business. In doing
so, it becomes the first nation to probe into corporate practices and
traditional business payoffs in such depth.
But the United States will need help. "Tips" to government and
civil service officials are still an integral part of doing business in
such countries as India and Nigeria, for instance. An international
approach, such as that being worked on by 18 countries in the
United Nations ad hoc group seeking to negotiate a treaty to reduce
corporate bribery around the world, is needed.
A treaty establishing clear guidelines, defining corrupt practices,
and setting uniform restrictions against acceptance of gifts and
contributions by public officials would do much to restore public
confidence in business and government. --Christian Science Monitor
Freedom: a better score card
Looking back over 1977, the most heartening development for the
world at large is the progress recorded in the struggle for freedom.
Substantial gains for political and civil liberty were made this past
year, reports Freedom House in its annual survey.
With India once again joining the ranks of countries rated "free."
naturally this trend was given a hefty boost. But events elsewhere
also were encouraging. Spain as well as Portugal, for instance, now
are counted free, making for a solid front of free nations in Europe
extending to the borders of "not free" Yugoslavia and the Soviet
bloc. Some countries moved from "not free" to "partly free," among
them Ghana, Kuwait, and Syria.
All told, freedom increased for one ? fourth of mankind in 1977.
But ? and this indicates what a long way there is to go ? only 44
countries, with 35 percent of the world's population, are yet rated
truly free.
Such broad statistical scorecards have their limitations of course.
It is difficult to measure nuances of freedom, such as gains or
reverses in women's rights, for instance. Also, how does one assess
the countries of Eastern Europe, whose citizens today enjoy far more
personal freedom than they did in Stalinist times and yet are still
politically repressed?
The important thing, however, is that the thrust is shown to be a
forward one which needs to be nurtured and developed. This is why
it is good to learn that the United States is given great credit for
contributing to the trend. The greater focus placed on human rights
by President Carter "provided an unusually favorable environment
for freedom." commented a Freedom House official.
Thus the good tidings for 1977 ? and the hope for an even better
1978. --Christian Science Monitor
HOKUM
By Charles Blackburn
This is the time of year when
millions of Americans pause from
eating black-eyed peas and corn
bread long enough to lie about how
much better they are going to be
during the New Year.
Personally. I've never made any
New Year's resolutions. It's not
that I don't need improving. But as
the years go by. I find that what 1
gain in perspective. I lose in
resolve." So I've become content
with the knowledge that mv charac
ter is beyond reform. From here on
it's just a question of legal fees.
But some people, so I'm told,
declare on the first of the year that,
henceforth, they will no longer
drink whiskey, or smoke cigarettes,
or wager money on games of
chance. This reckless disregard for
vice can have dire consequences, as
is related by Mark Twain.
Twain visited an ailing widow to
offer her some healthful advice.
"You must give up drinking, and
playing poker all night, and you
must smoke no more than on cigar
a day." he told her. "Give up these
habits, and you'll be cured within
the week."
The widow was somewhat non
plussed by this suggestion.
"But Mr. Twain." she said
finally, "I don't do any of those
things."
There it was. Twain says. Jihe
was like a sinking ship with no
freight to throw overboard.
The New Year is celebrated all
over the world as a time when one
cycle of life is ending and a new one
beginning. In China, the first days
of the new year are celebrated as
universal festivals. The Chinese
really have a time on New Year's
Day because it's everybody's
birthday.
Special foods are customary on
New Year's Day. In India, for
example, people try to eat only
"new" foods, new peas, new grain,
and so forth. Pancakes are served
in France. In northern Europe,
cakes in the form of a boar used to
be made from the meal from the
first sheaf.
The old Southern custom of
eating black - eyed peas on the first
day of the year may have originated
in the wake of the Civil War when
there was precious little else to eat.
The black - eyed, or cornfield, pea
was the only plentiful staple, and
one theory has it that the lowly pea
was touted as a talisman simply
because folks felt mighty lucky to
have it. It is possible, too. that after
dining on black - eyed peas year
round, post - war society es
tablished the custom as a joke on
itself, as though seasoning the peas
with good fortune might add
variety to the taste.
Puppy Creek Philosopher
Dear editor:
The nice thing about making
predictions for a new year is that a
few months from now nobody
remembers what they were anyway.
But with Christmas over with and
1978 right in front of us the experts
are at it again.
Some economists are predicting
1978 will be better, others that it'll
be worse. They are both right. I've
never seen a year yet that wasn't
better and worse than the year
before.
Personally. 1 think the coming
year will be normal, like the
weather, but you should keep in
mind that the weather is normal
only once in a while.
We'll have a cut in income taxes
and a raise in Social Security taxes.
A Congress that can't keep its left
hand from knowing what its right
hand is voting for is a Congress in
trouble. Keeping the voters from
knowing is the problem. But
remember Congress has a hard row
to hoe. which is why each member
has a swarm of assistants to bring
in the crop. It now costs about a
million dollars a year to keep a
Congressman in office, which
seems fair, since some of them
spent nearly that much to get there.
If the price of farm products had
risen as fast as the price of a
Congressman, a lot of tractor
mortgages would be paid off.
On the international scene, it
looks like some progress toward
peace is being made and leaders in
Washington are saying it's time to
beat swords into plowshares.
Couldn't they beat them into
something else? At least till we get
rid of the grain surplus?
I'm afraid I'm being too hard on
Congress. Congress is doing the
best it can with ^hat it's got to
work with, and when 1 look around
1 can't find anybody among us
who'd do much better.
My resolution for 1978 is that
I'm going to find something good to
say about Congress. I don't care if
it takes me till October or Novem
ber to find it.
Yours faithfully,
J. A.
Browsing in the
of The News-Journal
25 years ago
Thuriday, January 1,1953
The A.H. Robins Company of
Richmond, Virginia, recently an
nounced the appointment of Fred
M. Culbreth of Raeford as
Southern Division manager with
headquarters in Atlanta. Ga.
* ? ?
Dr. Julius F. Jordan, local
dentist, will be installed as presi
dent of the Raeford Kiwanis Club
aMhe regular VeAfy meeting and
supper at the high school cafeteria
tonight.
Lauchlin MacDonald. USN. of
Lakehurst. N.J. is leaving Friday
after spending a twelve day leave
here with his parents. Mr. and
Mrs. K.A. MacDonald.
* * ?
Air Cadet William Thomas
Niven of Goodfellow Air Force
Base. Texas, will leave tomorrow
after spending the Christmas holi
days here with home folks.
? * ?
From Poole's Medley:
The radio is a wonderful in
strument. Television is a still more
wonderful mode of bringing
humanity together through space.
1 5 years ago
Thuraday, January 3, 1963
A grand total of 102 Raeford
voters went to the town hall to vote
on two bond issue questions Sat
urday. Of these 53 voted in favor of
the street improvement bond issue
of up to SI 20.000 with 49 voting
against.
* ? ?
A special committee of physi
cians and legislators has been
named by Gov. Sanford to study
ways of improving health care for
the aged in North Carolina. Hoke
County's Representative Neill L.
McFadyen is among the members
of the General Assembly.
"Pretty quiet" was the word from
Sheriff Dave Barrington and Police
Chief Lawrence Stanton on the
behavior of Hoke citizens during
the pre - New Year's holiday
weekend and over New" Year's Eve.
? * *
Captain and Mrs. ?).B. Parker
returned fo their home in Eau
Galiie. Florida yesterday after a ten
day visit here.
* ? *
From Rockfish News:
Our wide awake reporter. Mrs.
A. A. Mclnnis has been real sick
with a deep cold but we are happy
that she is able to be up some now.
mim
Events in the Middle East have
been breaking so rapidly in recent
weeks that it is a bit dangerous to
comment on them, because by the
time any remarks reach the public
the whole picture may have
changed.
When history looks back on this
period, however, it seems sure to
record that two men -- Begin of
Israel and Sadat of Egypt --
decided that the time had come to
make an allout effort to bring peace
to their part of the world and that
they had the courage to act.
Anwar Sadat, the president of
Egypt, showed great personal cour
age when he flew to Tel Aviv and
spoke to the Knesset, Israel's
parliament.
Meneham Begin. Israel's pre
mier, showed himself equally dedi
cated to seeking peace when he
invited President Sadat to Israel
and graciously received him when
he got there.
Six months ago. no one would
have predicted that Sadat would
have, in 1977, stood in Israel before
the Knesset and made a speech
advocating peace. In doing so, of
course, he went against the wishes
of a number of Arab states whose
aim seems not to be peace, but the
destruction of Israel.
Many motives have been ad
vanced as to what made Sadat take
the daring step which astounded
the world. Some believe he saw war
imminent, and decided to risk his
prestige and possibly his life to
avert it. Some think he needed to
take some action because he saw
himself slipping in his home coun
try, where proverty abounds and
economic conditions are bad.
But certainly the scope of his
gesture deserves better explana
tions than those. Could not it be
Report
To The |
People
by Senator Robert Morgan
that he acted as he did. broke with
tradition and journeyed into what
had been enemy territory, because
he felt that it was right to do so?
1 talked with President Sadat
about a year ago and tried then to
suggest to him that some sort of
direct action on his part might help
solve the Middle East situation.
"But we can only move so fast."
he told me.
I realized that what he was
saying was that he could not get too
far ahead of his constituents.
But now he has acted and the
result was the meeting in Cairo. An
almost unbelievable sight was the
landing of the first commercial
airplane from Israel landing at the
Cairo airport.
But these things happened and
Begin and Sadat have said publicly
that their countries will go to war4|
with each other no more. That one^
decision is the most hopeful thing
that has happened in the Middle
East in years.
Most men in public life are
confronted with issues that call for
them to make a choice between
doing what is popular at the
moment or what they really believe
to be right. Sadat chose to go
against unyielding position of his
fellow Arab nations, and Begin
showed Israel's peaceful intentions
by cooperating.
Certainly the world is better off
because of the actions of these two
men.
And when the history of the
Middle East is written, their names
will appear in much larger letters
than those who chose to continue
the senseless notion that Israel
must be destroyed. Courageous
men. who dare to be right, can
sometime work miracles.
CLIFF BLUE ... I
People & Issues '
SPECIAL SESSION... The spe
cial session of the North Carolina
General Assembly this year will
find the legislators discussing a far
wider field of issues than the
budget, since the 1977 session
voted to carry-over bills which were
not acted upon with finality.
0'HERR0N...We understand
that Ed O'Herron who was Hunt's
chief opponent for governor in the
Democratic primary in 1976 has
been offered a couple of appoint
ments by Governor Hunt, but
which the Charlotte man did not
see fit to accept.
INGRAM. ..With John Ingram
now an announced candidate for
the Democratic nomination for the
United States Senate, already the
Raleigh News and Observer, and
Charles Dunn, WRAL-TV com
mentator, have raised some ques
tions concerning his stand on
public issues. The A lews and Obser
ver questions his position on "no
fault ' auto insurance, and Charlie
Dunn questions his "ethics stand
ard" for members of the insurance
department.
Any person running for a high
office must be ready to answer
attacks, which sometimes he or she
may never have dreamed about,
but once a candidate, the questions
are raised, particularly so if the
candidate appears to be formida
ble.
SECOND PRIMARY. ..With
this being the year for our biennial
election for county, state and
national offices, again we want to
speak a word in behalf of second
primaries being two weeks from the
first, rather than four.
The present system of having the
second primary four weeks after the
first was instituted back in the
horse and buggy and Model "T"
days when travel and communica
tion was at a snail's pace in
comparison to what it is today.
In some of the other states the
second primaries are two weeks
after the first. If the candidates and
the voters are interested in making
the campaigns less expensive, re
ducing the time from four weeks to
two weeks would be a mighty good
way to begin. And too, most
candidates are tired and weary of
campaigning when the first pri
mary is held and no doubt they
would welcome shortening the se
cond primary period.
TAR HEEL PRESIDENTS. ..In
last week's column we mentioned
two Southern Presidents of the
United States since the turn of the
century, Woodrow Wilson and
Jimmy Carter. Lyndon B. Johnson,
when seeking the presidential
nomination in I960 oftentimes
referred to Texas, his home state as
more "western" than "southern."
The week we want to mention,
two and possibly three Tar Heels
who were born in North Carolina
who moved to Tennessee from
which state they reached the White
House -- James K. Polk and
Andrew Johnson.
North Carolina claims Andrew
Jackson as having been born in
North Carolina near the South
Carolina line. However. Jackson
gave South Carolina as his birth
place. Compton's Encyclopedia
does not say where "Old Hickory"
was born, other than in "Waxhaw
region" and the "frontier of the
Carolinas."
Anyway, whether Jackson was
born in North Carolina as his statue
on the captiol square in Raleigh
would indicate, or in South Caro
lina as he gave as his birthplace, it
was from Tennessee that he made
his name such as to thrust him into
the White House.
According to Compton's Ency
clopedia "Jackson's lack of educa
tion was due, not only to the poor
schools on the frontier, but also to
his own indifference to books, and
his unwillingness to be taught. He
never learned to speak or write
correct English, and one of his
enemies once said that his letters,
with their crudities in spelling and
grammar, would make the better
educated angels weep!"
There has been no dispute over
James K. Polk who was born in
Mecklenburg County, who gradu
ated at the University of North
Carolina, moved on to Tennessee to
become governor and later Presi
dent of the United States in
1845-1849.
Andrew Johnson was born in
Raleigh in 1808, lived in Carthage,
North Carolina for several months,
later moved to Eennessee where he
served as governor and U.S. Sena
tor before being elected vice presi
dent in 1864, succeeding to the
presidency upon Lincoln's assassi
nation in April 1865.
Smokey Say?: